How to start your self-development journey

Feb 13

Self-development is a very important part of equipping yourself to be successful in your professional and personal life. I’ll be sharing some tips and my own experience on my self-development journey.

Let's start with the definition of self-development: efforts toward self-fulfillment, either through formal study programs or on one's own (Source: Your Dictionary )

Early in my career, I learned the importance of self-development. It was key for me to prioritize and invest in honing my skills in different ways. For example, I learned by reading, taking classes and trying to do new things. I am a firm believer that self-development is a continuous process and I know how hard it can be to motivate yourself or keep yourself going on this journey of self-development.

To kick-off your successful self-development journey, let’s discuss four steps to get started with your self-development journey:

Step 1 : Create a self-development plan.
First things first: this is a flexible plan that can be revisited and revised – the important thing is to start somewhere.
My self-development plan typically has a list of capabilities I want to learn and a rough timeline for when I want to cover them. Some items on your list might take a few months to accomplish. I’ll encourage you to attempt to map out a year with three to five growth areas.
At the moment, improving my writing is at the top of my self-development plan. My timeline to complete my first formal training was the first quarter of 2018. I did my research and found the best way for me to improve my writing was to take a course where I learned basic principles and got an outsider's perspective on my blogs.

Step 2: Invest in your learning.
You will need to make an investment in your self-development journey. Investments might be money, your time, social life, etc. Sometimes you are lucky enough to find some free resources that help you learn what you want. However most of the time it'll take a little investment to learn something new.
Bonus: To ensure I have the financial resources, I always add a line to my monthly budget and save towards my learning budget. Some of you have learning budgets with your employer. Don't let it go to waste – use the resources available to you.

Step 3: Select one area and Start learning.
As with everything you need to take the first step. Your first step might be buying/renting a book for self-study or starting a new course. Start working towards your self-development goal. It is important to be consistent, dedicate time weekly, and adjust your plan as you go. After you complete the first development area move on to the next and then the next.

Step 4: Build a support network of "self-developers."
Research shows that we increase the probability of achieving goals when we are surrounded by like-minded people and share our experiences on our journey. It’s key to share experiences, encourage one another and serve as accountability partners. I strive to always share what i am currently learning with my trusted group and i also check on other's progress.

Final thoughts: