Over the past few years, I focused on my own development and that changed my life in a monumental way. I learned a lot about myself, like what I was good at and where I struggled. I found my passion for psychology and human potential. It moved me to go to school to get a degree in psychology and become a life coach. I finally had the confidence to start my own blog, a lifelong goal of mine, and empowered myself to do it!
Development is a process of growth by acquiring new knowledge and skills.
There are quite a few benefits to development besides reaching goals that are equally as important. It is a great way to build yourself up, expand your mind, become more self-aware and diversify your skillset.
One of most impactful benefits of developing yourself is the positive correlation of development to increased self-confidence and empowerment. Self-confidence is how assured you are in your own abilities such as knowledge and skills. In other words, it’s faith in yourself. Empowerment is taking control of your life. It is confidence in action!
When you develop yourself, that changes everything. You achieve a new sense of self-awareness because you become aware of knowledge and skills you have opportunities to grow in. You can also learn what your strengths are. Knowing your strengths is tied to increasing your self-confidence. While learning contributes to higher self-confidence, putting into practice what you learn is what really builds confidence. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes confidence.
High self-confidence empowers you to take control of your life and goals. You become more assertive in what you know and humble in what you don’t know. People who lack humility often lack self-confidence. When you feel empowered, you can jump into projects at work, work toward personal goals, give and receive feedback constructively and become “obsessed with finding a better way”.
From a life coach perspective: Development helps you get past a rut or “funk.” When you learn new things, you can use that to view your situation differently. It’s a fresh and informed new perspective. The big obstacle becomes smaller when you can work around or through it with new skills.
It was through my focus on developing myself that I gained confidence in my skills at work, both strengths and opportunities, and to raise my hand to work on bigger projects. I have been able to take my ideas and move them into action. I have also learned to become a better teammate by improving my emotional intelligence and communication style. I learned how to give and receive feedback effectively to keep growing in my craft. None of this would have happened if I just kept doing what I had been doing.
Everyone can benefit from development, regardless of what your goals are or your path is. If you want to reach your full potential, you have to be proactive in your growth.
There are plenty of free or low-cost resources to help with your development:
- Coursera offers free courses (you can pay for a certificate)
- Udemy also offers low cost courses (check the ratings though)
- Books/Audio books are another great resource
- Podcasts by reputable people and institutions
- Shadow people you work with to learn about what they do
- Ask someone you respect to mentor you
Remember: Knowledge is power!
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