5 areas associated with personal development
Life will challenge you at times. It will test your character.
None of us are the final product. (No matter what you see on social media).
We all have parts of our character that may need work if we are to better cope with the changes, obstacles and difficulties of life.
Here are five areas to reflect on:
1- Openness to experiences, both good and bad.
Often we like to stick to the status quo. We like our familiar habits and routines. There is nothing wrong with this but if we’re presented with a different situation/challenge we can find ourselves being thrown off track.
With each life experience comes different emotions. Some will be positive and some maybe more difficult to handle.
You’ll have a better relationship with some emotions than others. It’s common to deny or suppress your uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Often this can be a subconscious coping mechanism.
If you’re able to accept all of your emotions rather than fight against them, you’ll find you can be more open to different experiences.
Life won’t always be good, and difficult times won’t last forever.
The greatest problem we have in life isn’t our experiences or circumstances, it’s our perceptions and feelings about those experiences and circumstances.
Constantly wanting positive experiences is a negative experience but accepting negative experiences is a positive experience.
2- Being receptive to feedback and looking inwards.
You may shut down to both negative and positive feedback because you take everything personally or a lack of self esteem. Having the security in yourself to acknowledge your flaws, listen to others but also deciding not to take every bit of feedback at face value will help you build confidence and resilience.
Feedback might not always come directly from others and might not always be verbal, so becoming aware of others' behaviours and reactions will help you grow.
Another part of growth is being able to look inwards and give yourself rational feedback looking at your own behaviours and previous life events to better understand yourself.
3- Unconditional self esteem.
This means that you’re not reliant on achieving X, Y or Z to feel good about who you are.
You’re able to update your view of yourself as you grow and develop, rather than hold onto unhelpful narratives from childhood or previous experiences.
You have compassion towards yourself and realise you’re trying your best to navigate an imperfect life as an imperfect person. You believe in yourself but are also humble.
4- Willingness to adapt and adjust where necessary.
This could be in your beliefs about yourself, others, or the world. It can also be with your behaviours.
Be optimistic about the future but hold expectations lightly because life is unpredictable and uncertain. Be open to entertaining different perspectives and outcomes.
Trust and believe in yourself and learn to let go of a dogmatic and rigid view of your identity and self perception.
5- Understanding emotions.
Being able to see your thoughts, emotions and behaviours and how they influence each other in dynamic ways is a valuable part of building emotional intelligence and emotional health. It’s about being able to acknowledge your emotions but to not always react to how you feel.
Understanding your own emotions will also help you understand others' emotions better, which will allow you to build healthier relationships.
It’s about developing awareness of your triggers, whether they are other people, certain feelings or thoughts based on assumptions rather than facts. Over time you can build more helpful reactions and coping mechanisms which lead to positive outcomes for you and others.
By building these 5 characteristics you will have better physical, mental and emotional health. You’ll be able to build healthier relationships, be more resilient and will be able to flourish and thrive in your life.
