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What Are the Benefits of Personal Development?

Dan Cavallari
Dan Cavallari

Personal development is the process of a person improving his or her habits, characteristics, routines, attitudes, or practices in an attempt to improve his or her lifestyle or business ethic. The benefits of personal development can vary significantly depending on what type of development activities are undertaken. A person can improve his or her interpersonal relationships, for example, by taking on the task of improving communication skills. A businessperson can improve his or her workflow or change the way he or she interacts with colleagues and customers.

Sometimes, seminars are available that will structure development goals and make the benefits of personal development much easier to achieve. Such seminars are structured and are usually geared toward one or two specific topics rather than broader goals. The cost of such seminars can vary, and a participant will need to do some research to ensure he or she attends a reputable seminar conducted by professionals with proven results. The benefits outlined by the seminar should be measurable, which means the participant should be able to recognize that goals have been met and benefits are noticeable in the short or long term.

Sometimes, seminars are available that will structure development goals and make the benefits of personal development much easier to achieve.
Sometimes, seminars are available that will structure development goals and make the benefits of personal development much easier to achieve.

Many personal development benefits will immediately be noticeable, while others may only become known after a longer period of time. A development goal to be punctual for meetings or gatherings, for example, can be easily measured and the benefits may be noticeable immediately. A person's goal to speak more kindly to his or her spouse may also be measurable in the short term. A goal to save a certain amount of money per week may not be especially noticeable at first, but as time goes on, the money will add up and the person will be better off financially.

A fitness trainer is one personal development tool that people use to have a healthier lifestyle.
A fitness trainer is one personal development tool that people use to have a healthier lifestyle.

Companies may offer personal development courses or activities to help boost productivity of employees or improve the overall atmosphere of a work environment. People who are goal-oriented tend to be happier in their jobs and more productive overall, as opposed to people who do not set goals and tend to accomplish less. The benefits of personal development can therefore be applied to both the employees, who will have a sense of accomplishment, and the employers, who will have boosted productivity and ostensibly profits. Personal development training can also help employees develop strategies for problem solving, dispute resolution, and team building, all of which will improve both the atmosphere and productivity of a business.

Discussion Comments

Windchime

I have a friend with an entie bookshelf of personal development material. She shops for a quick fix but never seems to be able to stick with it and see any benefit.

Reading through this article and the feedback has given me some good ideas for how to help her be more productive.

JessicaLynn

@strawCake - I've heard that advice too. I've never given it a try though. I may one day soon-I could see how focusing on the positive over the negative could make you feel more upbeat for sure.

I thinking maintaining a positive attitude is a worthy thing to work on in your personal development. I feel like I always see articles about how stress can kill you and all this other stuff, and a positive attitude can probably alleviate stress.

strawCake

I've been working on my personal development over the last few years. I'm primarily working on developing a more positive attitude and being more optimistic. It is really hard!

It's easy to be positive when things are going well, but not so easy when things aren't going your way. I really struggle with this! I'm going through kind of a rough spot recently, so I decided to start writing down a few things I'm grateful for every day.

I've heard this (somewhat cheesy) advice a million times, but never tried it. It's only been a few days, but I honestly think making the list has made me a little bit more positive. I think just the act of thinking about the positive things that happened during the day makes me feel more upbeat. Plus, I've been making my list before bed, and I find that I wake up in the morning still thinking optimistic thoughts.

mutsy

@Sneakers41 - You make a good point. I believe that personal development should not be limited to adults. Kids can benefit too. I remember when my daughter was in Kindergarten; she had difficulty focusing on her math and often brought home inconsistent grades even though she knew the material.

I put her in a supplemental math program that allows her to do extra math problems every day which caused her to develop better study habits. She had to time herself and she eventually moved up in levels once she had proven that she had mastered the topic.

Five years later she is still doing this program and is an ace in math. This personal development program gave my daughter the confidence to do math like no one else in her class. She has matured tremendously and has learned to tackle newer more difficult material with a level of zeal that she never had before. I know that this program gave her a lot of confidence and for that I am grateful.

sneakers41

Personal development is really necessary in order to live a fulfilled life. I think that people make the mistake of having tunnel vision and not focusing on other aspects of their life that would also bring them significant amounts of joy.

For example, if you have a person that is a workaholic and develops problems with their health due to excessive stress or eating poorly, they will eventually burn out and might also have problems in his or her relationships.

I think that personal development courses allow us to really hit the pause button and focus on ourselves for a change. When you live a more balanced life in which you have time for work and leisure activities you will probably be more productive at work because you will be generally happier.

People can change many aspects of their life little by little by setting small attainable goals. After a while the change will be significant and so will the rewards. There are many personal development courses that once a person commits to the work involved, they will usually change in a lot of other positive ways.

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    • Sometimes, seminars are available that will structure development goals and make the benefits of personal development much easier to achieve.
      By: Halfpoint
      Sometimes, seminars are available that will structure development goals and make the benefits of personal development much easier to achieve.
    • A fitness trainer is one personal development tool that people use to have a healthier lifestyle.
      By: CandyBox Images
      A fitness trainer is one personal development tool that people use to have a healthier lifestyle.
    • Personal development can help people become more independent.
      By: llhedgehogll
      Personal development can help people become more independent.
    • Personal development in childhood may take the form of participation in athletic activities.
      By: cfarmer
      Personal development in childhood may take the form of participation in athletic activities.
    • Personal development can increase productivity.
      By: Ocskay Mark
      Personal development can increase productivity.
    • Personal development can help someone to be more outgoing while encouraging them to pursue different interests.
      By: nikkytok
      Personal development can help someone to be more outgoing while encouraging them to pursue different interests.
    • Personal development may help an individual learn a new skill and cultivate self-confidence.
      By: Mat Hayward
      Personal development may help an individual learn a new skill and cultivate self-confidence.