5 Main Areas of Personal Development. What Are They?
But first most important, I want to emphasize that what you are about to read is a GUEST POST by Christy Brandon. I am very impressed with Christy. I admire and appreciate her initiative. She found me, she reached out to me, (Actually, I found her email through my online store www.lifeguidanceboutique.com as I was sifting through hundreds of emails bleary-eyed and exhausted, and suddenly I discovered this sweet and friendly email offering to write guest blog posts for me, I instantly sensed this one was special. I brightened up immediately. (As I had fallen behind on my writing schedule because of a shift in projects and connected priorities that took precedence having to do with my business.) The timing is what struck me in particular. The reason is that I was preparing for and doing the research for an article about Time Management. That was the clarion call and test for me and the proverbial “writing on the wall” that I was not ready yet to write about Time Management. However; I must confess I was absolutely thrilled and still am to be able to share this with you. In fact, I have learned a great deal from her article and research. I am grateful and feel as if I have met a kindred spirit. Her writing is well-organized (mine is often stream of consciousness) ;) and insightful.
Now you may proceed and read her article: (Hopefully with your favorite beverage of choice handy and your journal or a notebook and a pen to jot down some notes).
How well are you with your personal growth? Is it something you do daily? Or do you have no idea what I’m talking about?
This post will either help you level up your personal growth or help you start your development path, depending on whether you are the former, the latter, or somewhere in between.
Personal Development in Five Areas
Let’s begin by defining personal growth. It is a very broad subject. “The process of developing oneself through such practices as enhancing job skills, growing awareness, and creating wealth,” according to the Business Dictionary. Personal growth, in my opinion, is something that assists you in being your best self.
Personal development covers a wide range of subjects, but they all seem to fit into one of five broad categories.
Mental, social, spiritual, emotional, and physical are the categories. We’ll go into each of these categories today. Stay tuned to learn how to incorporate personal growth into your daily routine, no matter how hectic your schedule might be.
1. Mindset
Growing your mind is the first of the five fields of personal growth. Many mental personal growth exercises are available to you. To develop your skills, you might take a class, read a book, or watch an educational YouTube video.
You will see advancement in your career, improved productivity, and much more by setting aside some time per day or week. Reading books about my profession, listening to podcasts, and taking classes are some of my favourite personal growth habits.
I took the HubSpot Academy’s Social Media Marketing course earlier this year and received a certificate as a result.
2. The social
This section is dedicated to helping you improve your communication skills. This is, in my view, the most underappreciated type. Social personal growth, on the other hand, is an important activity to engage in.
Learning a foreign language, practicing public speaking, and contributing to more active listening are all practices that can aid in social and personal growth.
3. A spiritual dimension
Spiritual personal development can mean different things to different people. Something that gives you happiness and helps you relate to your true self is the best way I can explain it. This category includes everything from spending time in prayer and reading your Bible to going for a walk in the woods or meditating.
I enjoy participating in a Bible study or connecting with people from my church during my spiritual personal growth period. Discussion of the sermon’s message on Sunday fills my cup in a way that nothing else can.
4. Emotional intelligence
Personal growth by emotional means can be, well, emotional. As a result, it’s all too easy to dismiss it. I’ve done my fair share of it. I knew it wasn’t a safe way of behaving. The truth is that suppressing your feelings and brushing them aside just makes things worse when they eventually surface.
Journaling, monitoring your mood, talking to a friend, or even seeing a psychologist are all options here.
5. Physical fitness
We’ve made it to the fifth and final category! By now, I hope you’ve realized that proper personal growth is all about the whole individual. We’re not just looking at one element of your personality. When it comes to picking your growth activities, keep this in mind.
There’s a lot more to physical personal growth than exercise. To get a complete picture of this group, you can also include eating and sleeping habits, to name a few. Working out, having 7–9 hours of sleep each night, meal prepping, and seeing the doctor regularly are some examples of activities.
You’ll be on the way to being your best physical self if you develop better habits around exercise, healthy food, and sleep.
How to Incorporate Personal Development into Your Daily Routine?
Now that you understand what personal growth is and what it entails, you’re probably wondering how to incorporate it into your daily routine.
Here are two examples of how you can integrate personal development into your daily routine, but there are several more.
I recommend making a list of everything you can think of for each category and then deciding which ones you can incorporate into your day/week. Experiment and enjoy yourself.
Schedule for the Week:
If you find that working on all five aspects of personal growth at the same time is too much, consider breaking them up into themed days.
Here’s an illustration:
· Monday is a mental day.
· Tuesday is a social day.
· Wednesday: Your choice for a variety of options
· Thursday is an emotional day.
· Physical on Friday
· Saturday: You can choose from a variety of options.
· Sunday is a spiritual day.
A Very Busy Day:
Try this if your day is already jam-packed and you’re not sure how to fit in any personal growth. Each of these tasks takes just a few minutes or can be completed when doing something else you’ve already planned.
Mental: Listen to a podcast on your way to work. There are a lot of personality development podcasts available online these days.
Why not invite a co-worker or acquaintance to join you on your lunch break instead of going it alone? Practice active listening while eating lunch. You will benefit from Positive Psychology’s advice.
Spiritual: Before getting ready for work, start your day with a short devotional or five minutes of meditation.
Emotional: Write a journal entry at the end of the day. You may either focus on your day or use a journal prompt as a starting point. Something that comes to mind is a great place to start.
Physical: It is a popular misconception that exercising would take hours to be efficient. Long workouts can be beneficial at times. When you have a busy day, though, it is hard to do. Don’t forego the workout entirely because of this. Instead, find a quick workout routine or integrate exercise into your daily routine.