What do you really want in your life? Do you want to be promoted at work, be more loving in your relationships, or have a successful business? Humans are wired to want to do better, which led to stronger chances of survival in the past, and today this instinctual trait manifests itself as a desire for self-improvement, which leads us to improve our lives.No matter what you are looking for, self-improvement is an important part of your progress and happiness. But often our self-improvement efforts fail. We are not sure which direction to head in, leaving us stuck and hoping that improvement in work, relationships, or life will happen on its own.
If you’ve ever walked into a dark room looking for light, you’ll know that this tactic often fails. But when you’re looking to improve yourself, you need to set your direction, and you can do this by creating a clear, actionable plan to reach your personal development goals.
Setting self-development goals
There are two steps to setting personal development goals:
1. Define your goals
If you don’t have specific goals in mind yet, think about what you ultimately want to accomplish. Imagine yourself in a year, two years, and five years from now. What are you doing? Once you have your ultimate goal, you can work backward to create the milestones you’ll need to achieve your goal. If advancing your career is your ultimate goal, immediate goals might include taking classes or earning certifications that are useful in your field. If you want to become a better parent, learning how to communicate better with your kids might be a short-term goal.
2. Define your goal
What is your purpose behind your goals? This is a very important question to ask yourself. It’s easy to say, “I want to advance in my career so I can make more money,” but why do you want more money? All the self-improvement ideas in the world won’t help if there’s no purpose behind your goals. Do you want to excel professionally so you can feel stable and provide for your family, or is a higher-paying job a way to pursue another passion? Is being a great parent really important to you because you didn’t have a great childhood and don’t want that to happen to your kids? When you have your ultimate purpose in mind, you won’t back down when the bumps and plateaus start to appear.
Self-development tips
Are you looking for ways to develop yourself but not sure where to start? Then start by evaluating these areas in your life.
• Career : Whether you want to start a business or advance in your company's ranks, you can always grow by learning a new skill, attending an influential business event, or connecting with a mentor who can help you identify your strengths.
• Your Relationships : Relationships are the cornerstone of your life. You have relationships with your family, friends, coworkers, and your partner. Can you deepen some of these connections? Learn how to be more present for your loved ones?
• Your Finances: Want to improve your finances? You can. Learning how to achieve financial freedom is a great place to start on your journey of self-improvement.
• Your Health : Your body functions much better with more energy and the better your body functions the more you will be able to achieve your goals in life. You can start by enhancing and building your emotional, physical and mental health.
Your plan for self-development
What should you do now that you know what areas of your life you want to improve? The Tony Robbins Wheel of Life assessment can help you identify where you are, your development efforts, and show you how to get to where you want to be. Once you’ve completed the assessment, create an effective plan for your development.
• Clarity : Determine where you are, where you want to be, what you want and why. When you have absolute clarity about what you want, nothing will stop you from achieving your goals.
• The Tools You'll Need : How do you get the progress you want in your career? What do you need to thrive? Is it working with a business coach or taking additional courses? Put the strategies and tools you'll need to succeed.
• Massive Action: Motivate yourself to take massive action as you test your self-improvement plan, keep your focus on your end goal and gain the state of mind you need to achieve it. By developing mindfulness, you will continue to work toward your goals even when you face challenges.
• Measure Your Progress : Find ways to track the progress of your personal development plan as you work on it, and set metrics that will measure your success. How will you know when you’ve progressed in your career? Give yourself clear goals that you can achieve, such as taking a certain number of professional courses in a specific time frame, so you can track your progress as you work toward your goals.
Additional ideas for self-development
Personal development doesn’t stop once you’ve completed a goal or two. Here are some other ways to enrich your life and achieve your dreams:
• Learn from others: Talk to people you respect and find out how they overcame challenges and created the life they want. By learning how others succeeded, you will be motivated and inspired to succeed too.
• Set SMART goals : Having trouble reaching your personal development goals? Then break them down and follow the SMART process for setting goals: Your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timeframe. By shaping your goals in this way, you are building your way to achieving them .
• Change the way you think : If you spend a lot of time doubting or even belittling yourself, you are getting in the way of achieving your goals and improving your life. These beliefs are limiting you. But if you think about yourself in a more positive way, you will pave the way for you to improve the way you treat yourself and others.
Apps to help you stay on track with your personal development
There are many self-improvement apps that will help you stay inspired and accountable.
• Lumosity : Want to boost your memory? Lumosity gives you access to some games and puzzles to help maintain your mental health. (The app is in English and there is a similar Sha’la app in Arabic.)
• Day One : Have you made journaling part of your personal development process? The Day One app allows you to enter text, photos, and videos, as well as provide you with reminders, charts, and more.
• MyFitnessPal : MyFitnessPal tracks your exercise and diet as you work toward your health and fitness goals.
• Headspace : Breathe in, breathe out. The Headspace app brings meditation and mindfulness to your phone, helping you relax wherever you are. (Program in English).
• Breakthrough : The Tony Robbins app offers the best content from American author and speaker Tony Robbins, no matter where you are. You can watch videos, read articles, and use interactive tools that will help you excel in all areas of your life. (The program is in English).
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