What the heck is personal development? You’ve been working all these years and you didn’t even realize it was a thing!
You just now stumbled across some articles about it. Can you believe that you’ve actually been involved in personal development for most of your adult life?
It’s true. Maybe you haven’t been so formal about it up until now. You’ve read a couple books that you didn’t even realize were in the personal development category. You’ve watched some Ted talks and have been listening to podcasts about investing or leadership.
There’s really no end to the amount of personal development categories that are out there. Any time that you are doing something to make yourself better, you are working on your personal growth and self improvement.
But now, you are ready to get serious.
That’s why you’re still reading. You’ve realized that this whole personal development thing may be worth your time.
Let me tell you, it’s definitely worth your time. You really can’t put it off any longer. You only have one shot at life, and you need to make the most of it.
That’s why I developed this community. I know that the more people that I can introduce to personal development, the more people that will be able to reach their dreams.
I want to help every person to realize that they can live a happy and fulfilling life.
So, now that you realize that personal development is a real thing, let me talk to you about the 6 major categories that you need to focus on.
1. Family
This one is pretty self explanatory. Your family are the people who have been around since day 1. They may not always be your favorite people in the world, but you know that they will always be there to support you.
You’ve had arguments, you don’t always agree with each other, you can’t stand to be around them sometimes, and you can’t believe that you share the same genetics, but there they are each and every day to lift you up when you’ve fallen.
You will be around these people for the rest of your life. You would do anything for them.
That’s why it’s so important that they are a category in your personal development journey. If you only worry about your own personal growth then you might leave these people behind.
You need to set aside time to spend with them. And you need to really think about how much of a priority they are for you.
2. Friends
Your chosen family! We talked about the people that you are born with, now let’s talk about the people who you choose.
Recent studies have shown that loneliness is as detrimental to your health as smoking.
A good group of friends can literally make you live longer and be healthier while you do it. It’s not always easy to find quality people to surround yourself with.
There will be times when you want to curl up in a ball at the end of the day and not talk to anybody, but it’s better for you to have some friends who you can reach out to when you reach times like that.
You can make friends all over the place. Just simply be yourself and go to gatherings that like minded people are at. If you’re having trouble finding some of these gatherings, then look online for local meetups for things that you are interested in.
You can use meetup.com or Facebook to find groups in your area that gather to talk about stuff that you like as well. Whether it be investing, dogs, DIY, or reading, there will be a group for you.
3. Finances
Isn’t it crazy how much money can cause you to be stressed? Living paycheck to paycheck and paying debts every month is not a fun way to live.
Sure, in the moment you might be enjoying things. Like that new car or the vacation you took. But it’s not sustainable to continuously live like you will never run out of money.
It’s easy to overspend and get yourself over extended. We’ve all been there before, but you must get yourself on track with your finances if you want your personal development journey to be as fulfilling as possible.
One of the best budget tools out there is Mint. It has a web based user interface as well as an app. You can link all of your accounts in one place, and it will track and categorize your spending.
Money isn’t everything, but it is one thing that you can control. Your goals probably include travelling and retiring at some point, so it’s better to go ahead and get them in control right now.
4. Fun
What’s life all about if you can’t have a little fun every now and then? We can’t be serious all the time. You’ve got to plan for fun in your life, because if you don’t there’s a good chance that you will work so hard that you forget to have fun.
Fun doesn’t have to be something spectacular all the time. It could be a drive down to the river or a movie on a Friday evening. Maybe even just reading a book.
Fun can be had anywhere. If you are keeping your thoughts positive and you are working towards your goals, then your daily life should be “fun.”
Make time for vacations and hobbies. You don’t want life to get away from you.
5. Health
Healthy people have all the goals in the world. Sick people only have one goal: to be healthy again.
This personal development category isn’t even a question as far as priority goes. It’s number 1. You really can’t understand what an impact your health has on you until you’ve gone through a serious illness.
Just think about the last time you had a cold or strep throat. It probably took you down and out for at least a day.
Now think about the future. If you don’t take care of yourself now, then you could run into major health issues down the road.
For me, health encompasses many things. Fitness, mental health, diet, and exercise.
They all work together synergistically to keep you in top condition.
Meditate, keep yourself moving a little bit every day, eat natural foods, and take a walk every now and then. Health is not that complicated, it’s just not a priority for most of us like it should be.
6. Work
Even if we don’t realize it, we need work to live a fulfilling life. It seems like we all romanticize this image of laying on the beach with a drink in our hand and not a care in the world.
But even if this is a way to have fun like we talked about before, it is not a way to lead a fulfilling and meaning life. You would be bored out of your mind if you just laid around all day every day.
One of the most important developments in life is maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the top of the needs pyramid is self actualization. You can’t achieve all of your needs without work.
Work doesn’t have to be an 8-5 job. Work can be building a new fence in your yard or tending to a garden.
When you are building your personal development plan don’t overlook the work column.
If you are searching for a guide to help you figure out your goals for each of the categories of personal development, then take a look at our 12 Week Progress Made Simple Goals Planner.
Closing it out
If you are looking for other personal development category ideas, check out these 15 tips that will help with daily growth.
Personal development isn’t hard. It’s just something that will take a little bit of work every day.
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