Investing in Personal Development
Investing in Personal Development
Some thoughts
Image by ijmaki from Pixabay
Ok, so we’re coming to the end of February and I am wondering what may have happened to any of your New Year Goals you may have set yourself?
The challenge in terms of Personal Development sometimes is in being able to justify the investment in time or resources (money).
However, if we turn the question around, it seems to me that can you afford NOT to invest in personal and professional development.
Have you heard of Warren Buffet?
Warren Buffet’s current net worth in 2022 is $108.6 billion in U.S. dollars making him currently the ninth richest person in the world at 91 years old.
The story of Warren Buffet is no secret.
He is the most successful investor of our time.
He’s made billions for decades.
He is excellent at what he does.
And his investment advice is timeless.
Warren Buffet has spent 80% of his career reading and thinking. He takes reading to the extreme. And that habit has paid off for decades.
Just working hard isn't the answer if you want to find success in any aspect of life.
Warren Buffet’s daily routine typically starts at 6.45am, after getting 8 hours of sleep a night.
Instead of coffee, tea, or even water, Buffet’s go-to drink first thing in the morning is a can of coke.
“If I eat 2700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce servings. I do it everyday.”
On his way into the office, Buffet also likes to stop by McDonalds to grab breakfast,
“When I’m not feeling quite so prosperous, I might go with the $2.61, which is two sausage patties, and then I put them together and pour myself a Coke,” he revealed in an 2017 HBO documentary,
When Buffet arrives to work at the Berkshire Hathaway offices, a majority of his time is spent reading, “I just sit in my office and read all day.”
In fact, he estimates that 80 percent of his daily work routine is spent on reading materials ranging from financial statements, journals and business reports, to newspapers and books.
While teaching an investing class at Columbia Business School, Buffet held up a stack of paper and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day,” in response to a question about how to prepare for success in investment.
“That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”
He has given half of his vast fortune to charity and plans to unload most of the rest during his lifetime or upon his death.
Buffet also largely lives a modest lifestyle by billionaire standards; he still resides in the spacious house he bought sixty years ago.
“My needs are simple,” he explained in June 2021. “What made me happy at 40 makes me happy at 90.”
Investing in Your Personal Development This Year
Consider, where you want to be end of 2022?
What are your goals for success in work and life?
Achieving your goals starts with investing in your personal development. You can’t reach your goals if you don’t develop yourself and your abilities.
According to psychologists, personal development is the process of defining your goals and how to achieve them.
Personal development includes:
· What is Important to You
· What You Want to Achieve
· Your Strengths
· What You Need to Improve or Develop
Individual goals vary from person to person. One person may want to achieve business success while another may hope to accomplish something completely different, like having a better relationship with their partner or finding a way to afford college for their child.
Even though people’s goals aren’t the same, the process of personal development follows the same pattern and requires the same dedication. Using this new year to invest in your personal development can help you reach any goal you chose.
What is Important to You
Before you decide what you want to achieve, you need to understand what’s important to you personally. Right now, do you value money, traveling, relationships, or health? Your goals can change throughout life, but what you value today helps you define areas for personal development.
Changing your life begins with small steps. You will find it hard to change everything about your entire life all at once. Personal development helps you determine what area you want to focus on this year.
What You Want to Achieve
Now that you’ve determined what’s important to you, it’s time to set goals. To be effective, goals must be specific, measurable, and obtainable. “By the end of the year, I want to earn more money” isn’t very specific or measurable.
You might get a cost of living raise next year. Is that the level of improvement you were hoping to achieve? If not, set a more specific goal like a percentage or dollar amount. Be sure to make your goal obtainable, too. You need to decide if it’s possible to double your salary, for example, or if you need a more modest goal next year.
Your Strengths
The next step in personal improvement is to determine what your strengths are and how you can use them to achieve your goals. By looking at what’s important to you and setting goals, you can match your strengths to your plan for achievement. You may already possess many of the skills and abilities you need to reach your goals. This step helps to improve your self-esteem and self-confidence by reminding you that you can carry out your plan and move forward.
What You Need to Improve or Develop
Once you’ve determined your strengths, you will also know what you need to improve. You may have the skills to complete an intricate protect but need to develop the patience and time management skills to follow through to the end.
Even if you want to eat healthier, you may need to improve your knowledge of which foods are better for you. Knowing what you need to improve or develop gives you guidelines for what to focus on in your personal development with year.
Taking these steps to personal improvement will help you grow. It also helps to categorize your goals into areas for improvement based on what is important to you.
When you are considering what to focus on this new year, think about these areas for personal development.
Professional Goals
If you plan to focus on your professional growth this year, your personal development may include several professional goals. Consider which of these goals will help you obtain success and decide if you need to improve or develop the skills required to achieve them.
Build Your Professional Relationships and Network
Improve Your Time Management Skills
Find New Challenges that Showcase Your Strengths
Develop a Growth Mindset
Develop Your Professional Skills Through Workshops and Classes
Learn How to Motivate Others
Lifestyle Goals
Your goals may be more focused on your personal life and happiness this year. A change to your lifestyle may mean you need to improve or develop the skills required to achieve success throughout your life.
Improve Your Health
Strengthen Personal Relationships
Practice Patience
Let Go of Limiting Beliefs
Become a Better Listener
Investing in your personal development can help you achieve greater goals and find more happiness in life.
By taking the necessary steps to identify what’s important to you and what you want to achieve, as well as determining your strengths and areas for improvement, you can move forward.
Choosing the right goals starts with your personal development!
You might like to explore some of the ideas in my book, The Secret to Your Future History.
If so, you can signup for information about the Seven Keys to Success here.
If you want to find get access to more of my content and information, have a look here.
Thanks for reading
Alan /|\