Personal development – what is it?
Personal development is nothing new, with theories being documented as early as the 20th Century. Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung (Psychology of the Unconscious, Modern Man in Search of a Soul) is best known as the thought-leader on this subject. Personal development is not a quick fix as it can take place over the course of a person’s life. It is defined as activities that improve awareness, develop skills, and introduce new ones, increase employability, and enhance the quality of life.
Have you ever heard the saying ‘IQ gets you hired but EQ (emotional intelligence) gets you promoted’? Personal development is the secret to separating yourself from the pack by advancing not only your career development but your relationships at work and in your personal life.
Invest in yourself
We are all guilty of spending time investing in ‘things’ that rarely benefit our lives. Activities that numb or distract such as scrolling the internet for hours on end or binge watching Netflix after a long day. We live in a world where we are taught that multitasking is the key to success so, it’s inevitable that we need a little down time to decompress. But how does that leave time to develop ourselves as individuals? How often do we set aside time for personal development so that we can learn and grow in a way that defines our existence?
Related: self-development webinars
Maya Angelou said, “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” The key to living a whole life and becoming a great leader is to find some time to invest in yourself.
In this article, we’ll start by looking at 15 of the best personal development quotes. After that, we’ll look into this theme in more detail before helping you to think about who you want to become and how to get there.
Personal development quotes to live by
“Be the change you want to see in this world.” – Gandhi
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
“What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao Tzu
“The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.” — Martin Luther King Jr
Positive personal development quotes
“A good criterion for measuring success in life is the number of people you have made happy.” — Robert J. Lumsden
“Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.” — Jim Rohn
“Let this be the criteria by which you measure all things: Is this an act of love?” – Unknown
“We are what we frequently do.” – Aristotle
“For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be. What is once well done, is well done forever.” — Henry David Thoreau
Motivational quotes about career development
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” — Will Durant
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” — Napoleon Hill
“Ability may take you to the top, but it takes character to stay there.” — William Blake
“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” — John D. Rockefeller
“The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear.” – Socrates
What does personal development mean to you?
Personal development is an individual experience and whilst we may find comparisons in other people’s stories about childhood, relationships, and journeys; no two are ever the same. This is no truer than when we look at personal development. What is right for you may not be in line with someone else’s career goals. For example, You may desire a promotion into a more specialised field whilst your colleague dreams of transferring to an overseas office for a happier work-life balance.
If you are not sure where to start with determining your career goals, a great place to begin is with your personal values. Knowing what we value most at work, in our relationships and in life allows us to respond to opportunities and resolve conflict or avoid it entirely. By reflecting on what is important to you, you can start to look at daily situations more wholeheartedly. This is where the journey towards the life you want begins. Find out what your personal values are by using in this free Value Sort tool.
Self-development: are you ready for greatness?
When we are children, our futures are shaped by experiences and relationships with family, friends and teachers. As adults however, our motivations to develop ourselves are powered by our desire to fulfil certain needs. This can be seen in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s theory is based on the idea that people are motivated by five basic categories of needs:
When our fundamental needs are not met, other areas of our life cannot advance. We may start to feel unfulfilled or demotivated as a whole. By taking steps to improve each of our fundamental needs, we can advance onto the next need until we reach self-actualization. This is where personal development really comes into fruition.
But before getting there, we all need to show up, give things a try, stumble, learn from those falls and stand up a better version than the one before. When we fall, there are generally two types of people and they each respond differently to the situation. Type A responds with “Why is this happening to me?” whilst type B responds with “What is this lesson trying to teach me?“
The fundamental question is, are you going to be type A or type B? Discover how you can start your own personal development journey with us today.
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