What Is Personal Development, and Why Is It Important?

You’ve heard it before:

If you’re not growing, you’re dying.

Modern society is forever reminding us of the need to advance, push forwards, and progress somehow. Indeed, people spend $500 million a year on self-improvement in what’s purportedly an $11 billion industry.

From motivational talks and self-help books to workshops and personal coaching, we simply can’t get enough. Clearly, we put a lot of value on self-development and growth. Otherwise, why would people spend so much money on it?

But what is personal development exactly? And why do we place so much importance on it? How does it help?

Keep reading to discover the answers.

What is Personal Development?

Let’s start with the first half of the question.

The essence of personal development is simple.

It comes down to one word: progress.

Personal development is about taking control of your self-worth. Progress and growth feel intrinsically good. It doesn’t matter in what area of life.

In fact, personal development is something of an umbrella term. It encapsulates a notion of improvement in any facet of your life. Be it your talents, financial situation, spirituality, knowledge and understanding, and so on.

If you’re taking active steps to improve somehow, then you’re embarking on your own personal development journey. It’s an ongoing process and lifelong commitment. After all, growth never ceases to have positive effects.

Personal development is the action that follows an initial desire to self-enhance, meet goals, and satisfy desires and aspirations. It’s the personal development courses, the books, the talks, the coaching, the podcasts, the time, and everything else that goes into becoming a better person.

The Importance of Personal Development: 7 Key Benefits

Why is everyone so caught up in personal development? What’s all the fuss about? Here are 7 key benefits of embarking on your own personal development.

1. It Feels Great

It’s almost impossible to feel negative when you sense progress and achievement in yourself.

There’s a sense of pride that accompanies it.

Personal development means climbing the ladder, taking a positive step forward, and downright taking action to get you closer to a goal.

Think about any time in life when you’ve improved at something. Doesn’t it feel awesome? It’s an antidote for stress and anxiety, low-mood and lethargy.

Imagine an athlete shedding seconds from a personal best. The hours of training that went into that achievement is a definite example of personal development. The effort, coupled with the reward at the end, is what it’s all about.

Growth trumps negative energy. If you’re in a slump, then endeavor to achieve.

2. It Sparks Motivation

There’s often a snowball effect with personal development.

Take the first steps and enjoy exponential improvement as you continue down the path. Motivation is one such example.

You may be at a point in your life where motivation is absent. You’re at a crossroads. Taking a positive step forward is tough. Start small. But as you carry on, your momentum increases and motivation goes up with it.

Feeling motivated is immensely powerful. You feel like anything is possible. That’s the power of self-development. It inspires you to push forwards.

3. It Improves Skillsets

Talents shine when you embark on personal development.

How could they not? It’s the very name of the game.

Again, it doesn’t matter what field you’re in, or area you’re trying to enhance. You may feel inspired to start something totally new. You may never have noticed your entrepreneurial side, for instance.

But that personal development course you took inspired you to start a new business, or write that novel, or pick up your old guitar…

Through inspiration and ensuing hard work, you improve, develop, grow, and achieve.

4. It Maximises Potential

Each one of us has something totally unique to offer the world.

Every single person has potential. We’re born thinking we can take on the world and make a difference. It’s only as we age, and life throws us challenges, obstacles, and insults, that we begin to question that assertion.

Those once-held aspirations get side-lined, and we settled for a normal life. And it’s a waste.

Personal development offers the chance to get back on track.

5. It Clarifies Vision

What happens when you feel hopeless? The future looks bleak. It may not even seem worth the hassle.

But think of the words we’ve used in this post.

Motivation. Inspiration. Achievement. Potential. Growth.

Each of them is intrinsically positive, virtuous and hopeful experiences. They’re the antithesis of hopelessness.

And in consequence, they provide a vision of what the future can hold. Suddenly you start looking forward positively to what might be just over the horizon. You can’t wait to get there. Hope, combined with clarity and concrete goals, is a powerful mix.

6. It’s Good for Business

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a successful business person who hasn’t invested in their personal development.

It simply makes you more effective at what you do. There is always room for improvement. Maybe it’s in your confidence, negotiating style, public speaking, networking or pitching. It doesn’t matter. Personal development helps improve your abilities.

Individual personal development plans can work wonders in a staff workforce too. It isn’t all about you. Think about how the people around and beneath you may benefit from personal development as well.

7. It Builds Confidence

Success isn’t a recipe for confidence.

After all, everyone has their own understanding of what success means.

But what about failure? It would be difficult to argue against the toxic, self-defeatist connotation that feelings of failure create. Failure crushes confidence in the average individual.

Growth and success offer the opposite. Feeling the pride that comes with achievement helps breed confidence. Confidence helps create further success. And the cycle repeats, strengthening every time.

Time to Wrap Up

There you have it: what is personal development and why it’s so important.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on personal development every single year. And that’s no bad thing. As we’ve seen, progress, growth, and self-development all-round are immensely powerful, positive experiences.

Investing in the personal development of yourself and others helps you become the best version of yourself.

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