Self Development: The 8 Ways You Need to Start Working on It

self development

Self development is what everyone needs to do to survive in this life. You cannot rely on other people because they are responsible for their own personal development. No matter which education and economic background you came from, you still have the chance to develop yourself to be a better one. But, how? Below are the explanations.

What is Self Development?

In general, self-development is the capacity and action to grow one’s self-awareness, abilities, talents, and skills in order to improve one’s quality of life. This personal development may be done at any time and in any place, with or without the help of others.

Anyone, regardless of age, education, or current circumstances, needs to learn what self-development is. It will benefit oneself, for example for his career growth.

Definition of Self Development According to Experts

Liang Ge (2000)

Self-development is the act of enhancing or refining oneself in many ways.

Chaplin (2011)

Self-development is the development of one’s skill.

Muzakkiyah’s (2016)

Self-development is the capacity to shape one’s habits, ideas, attitudes, emotions, and behavior in order to overcome challenges and create one’s character.

Self Development in the Self-Actualization Concept

There are several definitions of self-development that are arised by the experts, but the concept of self actualization is one of the most popular. According to Maslow (1970), everyone has needs for self development, which occurs through the process of self actualization.

According to Maslow, Self actualization is the realization of one’s potential and one’s true self by developing a connection with feelings and enjoying life to its fullest

How to Do Self Development?

Personal development can be done by everyone. Here are some tips on how to do personal development so that the process runs effectively.

Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

The first stage in development management is recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses. You are the only one who knows what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you do not have any ideas how to do it, you can start by looking back at your experiences. For example, you always feel nervous to speak in public. It can be considered as a weakness.

Set Personal Goals

Personal goals are needed when you want to develop yourself. It is to make sure that you are motivated and enjoying the process. Personal goals consist of specific ideas about what we wish to accomplish in our lives. For instance, suppose you want to be an actor. You can begin your journey by joining acting courses.

Plan Your Personal Development

It’s time to plan the personal development process. This plan will evaluate whether or not your personal development is still relevant to your main goals.

Evaluate the Personal Development Plan

Monitor your development progress and see whether or not you need to adjust the plan.

Never Stop Learning

Learning is an ongoing process. Even after finishing school, everyone should continue to learn how to adapt to the changing situations. Learning is essential for anybody interested in self-development. Learning does not necessarily have to be done through reading; you may also learn from others around you or through other forms of media.

Open to Criticism

Self-evaluation is prone to bias. Therefore, in order to see whether your personal development has been done successfully or not, you need someone else’s opinions. Take the opinions of others as ideas to further your learning, not as a kind of discouragement. Make sure you focus on constructive criticism only.

Learn from Others

You can learn how to do personal development through people who have experienced it far before you. Those people definitely have a thorough awareness of the process of personal development in a variety of contexts.

Maintain Your Health

The best personal development method is one that is in sync with one’s physical and mental health. If you have health issues, it will be difficult to concentrate on self-development. That’s why you need to ensure that you take care of your health.

Live a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly, and get enough rest. As a sort of mental health maintenance, you should also engage in positive activities and keep in touch with people closest to you.

When you are familiar with the concept of self-development and how to achieve it, you can instantly devise a strategy for putting it into action.

Self-discipline, in addition to curiosity and dedication, is required during the process. Aside from online articles and books, there are still plenty of free sources to learn about self development. Make sure you have access to one of them.


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