Personal development is, in the simplest of terms, the concept of you consciously evolving as a person– and regularly improving your life mentally; physically and spiritually.

Personal development is an extremely important aspect of life, as it presents an opportunity for you to experience new things- and an excuse for you to grow as a person.

In today’s society, it’s especially important that we work on developing ourselves as individuals. The world around us is moving much faster than it ever has before, and it can be easy to neglect our own physical or spiritual needs while trying to keep up with the chaos surrounds us.

However, personal development can be key to your wellbeing, and to your success in this struggling economy. If you’re physically, mentally and spiritually advanced- you are more able to deal with the challenges that life presents you. Likewise, if you’re regularly working on bettering yourself as a person, then your improvements will be obvious to those closest to you. This means that by prioritizing your personal development, you could not only improve yourself, but you could also build on the relationships that you have with others.

Personal development can be key to your wellbeing, and to your success.

Personal development isn’t a short term process. It’s a “lifelong process” and a commitment that can help individuals “assess their skills and qualities, consider their aims in life and set goals in order to realize and maximize their potential”. The process of actively growing as a person can be difficult, but the perseverance that you learn by trying is just one of the many profitable skills that can result from personal development.

Personal development can allow you to flourish in your academic world, and in the world of employment. Click to Tweet

Many experts agree that personal development is no longer restricted to your personal life. Personal development can allow you to flourish in your academic world, and in the world of employment. The skills that you learn and hone by working on your mind and body can easily be applied to the corporate world that surrounds you. In fact, personal development can provide “the skills you need to set life goals which can enhance your employability prospects, raise your confidence and lead to a more fulfilling, higher quality life” (a good quote from Skills You Need)

Spiritual Growth

Many people underestimate the value of spiritual growth, although it’s an extremely relevant part of your personal development. Developing spiritually means opening your mind and heart to the possibility of achieving a belief system that can improve your outlook on life; better your personality and make you appreciate what you already have. Many experts also believe that spiritual growth can help you establish your “highest calling and life purpose”.

You don’t have to be religious to achieve spiritual growth, and if you aren’t a member of any particular faith, then this isn’t a problem.

The process of achieving spiritual growth could mean finding spirituality in the first place, and as each journey is unique to our own personal requirements, it’s no better or worse to begin from a place of religion.

However, achieving spiritual growth is difficult- especially when done alone. For this reason, there are a number of resources available (both for free and at a low cost), that can help you develop your spirituality. Developing spiritually can be beneficial to your everyday life. Using meditative techniques like yoga, for example, you can achieve a more calm and level outlook. This means that you’re less easily stressed or irritated, which in turn can help you solve problems better in your personal or professional life.

Meditation is an excellent way to develop your spirituality.

Yoga, in particular, is effective at detaching you from reality and helping you grow spiritually. There are two varieties of yoga: asanas and pranayam. These are both extremely useful for spiritual growth, and in fact, according to the Spiritual Research Foundation “ If yogic asanas and pranayam are complemented with other forms of spiritual practice to purify the mental body and other bodies then a person can achieve rapid spiritual progress in his lifetime.”

Yoga classes are available at most recreational centers, but also online. Many qualified yoga instructors are now offering video tutorials on websites such as Youtube, and these are typically free. This means that for no cost at all, you could begin your spiritual development immediately. According to Greatist, the best free programs for yoga beginners and intermediates are Yoga For Dummies and Dr Melissa West’s Chanell. These two teachers focus more on practicing yoga with regularity, and on making meditative exercise an important part of your daily routine.

In addition to taking yoga classes, a more traditional approach to spiritual growth is attending a spiritual retreat. Spiritual retreats are private sessions held, usually over a number of days, in a remote location removed from everyday life. They are an opportunity for you to disconnect from reality, and to focus on your self-improvement. Some retreats can be ‘silent retreats’, which can “allows us to relax and rejuvenate on a very deep level”.

In general, while most spiritual retreats are reliant on a fee being paid, retreatfinder.com can help you find a free or not for profit retreat in your local or national area. This may involve you living in a natural reserve, or practicing a meat free diet, but new experiences are an important part of personal development.

Mental Growth

Personal Development is highly regarded in the world of psychology, as it presents an opportunity for people to work on their mental health, and develop the tools necessary to handle their emotions; their relationships and their perspective on life. Consistently working on your mental development enables you to enjoy your life, and avoid or manage mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.

According to Psychologist Anywhere Anytime, there is no uniform way to achieve mental growth. Everyone has a unique mental condition, that may require different amounts of counseling, or perhaps a different treatment altogether. They state that “The approach to help must be individually assessed and applied on a personal basis. It may include a variety of interventions, ideas skills, and behavioral techniques.”

Your mind is a powerful entity that can be trained, through different exercises. Click to Tweet

One large part of achieving mental and personal growth is to practice strengthening the mind. Strength of the mind can include improving your memory, and improving your general cognitive functions. Physical exercise is an excellent way to improve your mind. Boston.com research suggests that “A short, sweaty session of jumping rope, running in place, squat bends can quickly improve blood flow to the brain, helping to improve the transmission of signals through the nerve cells”. Furthermore, Boston suggests that participating in “steady activity” throughout the week and picking up “a new skill” can help strengthen and develop your mind.

However, as well as physically strengthening the mind, there are things you can do to improve your mental wellbeing that don’t involve exercise. This idea focuses more on you redirecting your mental energy and changing your perspective on life.

Eliminating negativity from your life help you appreciate what you already have. Click to Tweet

An article by Forbes titled “5 Powerful Exercises To Increase Your Mental Strength” discusses internal exercises you can perform to strengthen your mind. It talks about the power of you “expending your mental energy wisely” and “[replacing] negative thoughts with productive thoughts”. These two topics are particularly important, as they both focus on eliminating negativity from your life, which can improve your perspective and help you appreciate what you already have. By expending your mental energy wisely, Forbes discusses the importance of not wasting your mental energy worrying about things you can’t control. Instead, they suggest, it’s better to focus on problems that you have the power to manage and change.

If DIY self improvement seems a little daunting, there are lots of tools and courses you can use to develop your mental wellbeing. One modern way to work on mental development is by using an app. There are lots of applications on the market that can challenge and inspire you to develop yourself mentally. For example, in a recent article, Popular Mechanics discusses 5 of the best “shrink” apps available to consumers. They state, that according to their research “There are hundreds of apps to track, analyze, and improve physical health, and even some tools to diagnose them. Now, researchers are exploring ways that your smartphone can improve mental health, too”.

Physical Growth

As we’ve already established, mental growth and physical growth are closely connected. In order to achieve a stronger and better mind, you need to exercise, as your body relies on exercise to supply vital chemicals to the brain. Likewise, physical growth is highly dependent on mental growth. The determination to improve your body begins with your mind, and the attitude you hold on self improvement affects the physical results you will ultimately achieve.

It’s difficult to grow emotionally or spiritually, if you’re constantly distracted by physical pain or fatigue.

Personal development focuses on physical development, as feeling physically fit is necessary when trying improve yourself as a person. What’s more, physical exercise is an essential part of treating mental health problems. Many sources, including the National Center for Biotechnology Information, believe that exercising is key to relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression.

So what can you do to achieve physical growth? The first step to developing yourself physically is to focus on what you hope to achieve. Having direction is key to success, as it gives you something to work towards. Prior to even establishing goals, it’s essential that you understand what “wellness” means for you. In Vietura article “Steps to achieving personal wellness”, an author comment on the idea that “It all starts with knowing exactly what you want to achieve. What are the sustainable health and wellness changes that you want to make in your life? How do you picture wellness in your mind?”. These are important questions, as personal development is all about making “personal” choices in keeping with what you expect for yourself.

One tool you can use to help begin your journey of physical wellness is an assessment tool. Many websites and companies now offer free assessments to help you determine your wellbeing, and understand what lifestyle adjustments you should be making to improve your physical health. The University of Wisconsin-Madison, for example, offers a large lifestyle questionnaire on their website UWell. This free analysis is available in several different varieties, that you can choose according to your age.

One great way to achieve physical wellness is to take an expert led class on fitness.

Once you’ve established what it is you hope to achieve through your physical development, you need to determine how to make this vision a reality. This could involve you adjusting your diet and exercise routine, in an attempt to improve your physical wellbeing. One great way to achieve physical wellness is to take an expert led class on fitness. Fortunately, with the rise of online education, there are a number of different options for you to choose from. The benefit of taking a professional class is that you can rely on guidance from experienced professionals. Instead of constantly questioning whether your methods for physical development are worthwhile, you can listen to the advice of those who have experienced based techniques.

Learn It Live is one example of the many online classrooms, that offer physical wellness classes for free. On this website, you can select classes that are relevant to your wellness goal. For example, they offer lessons in healthy eating; in exercise and in balance training. All of the courses take a unique slant on the ultimate objective, which is teaching you the skills necessary to manage your own body and mind.