subject: Personal Development: A Brief Outline [print this page] The Personal Development industry has exploded in recent years. It's such a broad topic that people are often left wondering, what exactly is Personal Development?
Personal Development, when you really break it down, is all about furthering yourself, investing in your own growth. This is actually something that we have all be doing for all of our lives. In its basic form Personal Development is really just education for, and about ourselves. So our introduction to Personal Development was really our first day in kindergarten. Some of our lessons have been structured, some of it not so structured.
We could break our school lessons into two different fields. Personal and Professional Development. Any lessons that were applicable to succeeding in our working life, formed our Professional Development. Religious/Spiritual studies, school rules, where forms of Personal Development, teaching us how to get the most out of our lives and how to treat ourselves and other people.
Personal Development in its modern sense though, is more about being able to have a clearer understanding of who you are. What drives you, how to get what you want from life and live life to its fullest.
This fast paced, competitive world that we live in has driven people to search for that edge over the next person to make them more hire-able, or at the top of the list for the next promotion. This race started off with simply acquiring more skills and knowledge, these days though knowledge is easy to come by and that has lead people to look for the next edge. Essentially this involves becoming a leader and stronger member of the community.
Inadvertently this race to excel and beat the next person has lead people to discover more about who they are and to follow their happiness and their bliss. We are discovering at a very fast rate that the best way to be successful is not to climb over and beat down those around us but instead it is to focus on what we are good at and do that which brings us the most joy. There are of course always some exceptions to the rule, but if you look at the majority of the BIG earners in our society, those that are successful in all areas of their life, finances, health, relationships, they are doing what they love and are giving great VALUE to those around them.
To me this is what the Personal Development industry is really all about. Discovering your strengths and weaknesses, learning to focus and use the things that make you unique and happy, and breaking through old limiting beliefs. If properly integrated into your life, learning these skills and concepts can enable you to bring more joy, purpose and prosperity into all areas of your life.
All the great philosophical teachers were essentially in the Personal Development industry. Personal Development has been around since we first started to think. These great teachers searched for more meaning to life and through their teachings we are able to be better people.
The last decade has scene Personal Development hit the mainstream and EXPLODE. Motivational speakers like Anthony Robbins and movies/books like "The Secret" have brought personal development into many people lives. In fact it is estimated that the Personal Development industry is currently worth around $20Billion a year and growing at a rate of 20% per annum!
Please keep in mind that you don't need to get caught up in all the hype, that does work for some people, but others may be a quieter and not really into all the group hugs, "high fives", chanting and walking on fire. We are all different and what works for me and the teachers I relate to may not work for you. So spend some time looking around for the guide/mentor that you feel most comfortable with. The same holds true for what media you use, some people love audio, others video, and there are millions of books out there. Go down to your local library or book shop and have a look, surf around the internet for a while and see if anything inspires you. Just find what works for you.
You could start with some of the classic teachers like Napoleon Hill, Earl Knightingale or Wallace D. Wattles. More modern guides include Abraham-Hicks, Eckhart Tolle and Bob Proctor. Whatever choices you make, as long as you take a little action you can start bringing your dream life one step closer.
