Where to start self-development. Where to start self-development? Step by step diagram

Self-development is the most important aspect in the life of any person, but, unfortunately, not everyone is aware of this. Immersed in the daily routine, many of us do not find the time or desire to learn something new, and this often leads to depressing consequences. However, to achieve real success in your personal life, profession and other areas, constant development is simply necessary.

Main directions of human self-development

If we take into consideration certain areas of personal self-development, we can distinguish several main paths:

Mental development– the individual acquires new knowledge, which gradually forms in him an erudite personality, as well as an interesting interlocutor.
Aesthetic self-improvement– in-depth study of art. This may include visiting museums, galleries, exhibitions, theaters and other similar places that have a significant influence on the formation of taste and personal opinion.
Physical development– keeping the body in good shape. Physical training not only has medical benefits for the body, but also improves appearance.
Moral– a person studies the norms of tact and good manners. Such knowledge must be improved throughout life. Moral guidelines and values form a full-fledged personality.
Professional self-development– technical capabilities are subject to rapid growth, introducing new ideas into the life of society. This is why maintaining competitiveness in the labor market is important.

Spiritual self-development as a path to yourself

It is also very important to remember that spiritual self-development is of particular value in a person’s life. Everyone has their own idea of what spirituality is, and if you analyze many of these definitions, you can come to the conclusion that by spirituality people understand several qualities: awareness, unconditional love, faith.

A person who experiences spiritual growth inevitably faces a change in the picture of the surrounding world. Such a person manages to find inner balance and see the world and themselves in it as they are.

Psychology of personality self-development

By deciding to start the path to yourself through self-development, you will get rid of many troubles in life. It is quite difficult to solve any personal difficulties if there is no idea of how to act correctly and where to go. As we begin to understand the world that surrounds us, we begin to understand ourselves. Most of us do not live a conscious life, but simply go with the flow. In turn, a person who is accustomed to self-development avoids many problems, because he has knowledge in various areas of life, and, often, this protects him from wrong actions and judgments.

To achieve good results in a particular area, it is difficult to do without a specific plan, and this is especially true in the topic of self-development. When you clearly understand what you want from life and how you can achieve it, then you can say that a significant part of the task has been completed. Set goals for yourself and go towards them - this is the path of development.

What most often hinders personal growth?

1. Lack of self-confidence

Often we do not dare to accomplish many things, often for only one reason - we do not believe that a positive result awaits us in the end. Meanwhile, self-confidence is of great importance, and it is this that helps to overcome the most serious difficulties. With this doubt, they act completely differently - they destroy our aspirations at the root and do not allow us to get what we want.

2. Laziness

A successful person is not used to putting things off “for later.” At the same time, lazy people tend to postpone most tasks until tomorrow, and often end up completely “forgetting” about their plans. If you mentally constantly look for reasons to postpone work to another day, it will not bring anything good. Realize that there is no tomorrow - you only have today. Your life is a moment in the present.

3. Postponing the implementation of ideas

Even if you have grandiose plans, they mean nothing and bring you nothing until you start implementing them. Moreover, if you have an idea that is not implemented, it can even harm you. Postponing things until another day leads to stress, fear and anxiety - subconsciously you remember some incompleteness, and this does not allow you to “breathe freely”.

How to make a self-development plan

First of all, it is important for you to realize what exactly you want to achieve, in what specific areas you need improvement. So where to start?

1. Analysis

Analyze various areas of your life, and honestly admit to yourself what exactly you are not satisfied with, what skills you are deprived of. It's important to be objective. Now let’s conduct an “audit” in the main aspects.

2. Health, physical data

It is possible that you should get rid of any bad habits, get in good physical shape, switch to proper nutrition, and devote more time to sports.

3. Spirituality

Work on this area is necessary if you need to get rid of irritability, anger, malice, envy and other negative emotions.

4. Material sphere

If you are not completely satisfied with your financial situation, then you need to work in this direction. It is possible that you will need to change your field of activity, attend some courses or trainings. result.

5. Social sphere

It is very important to develop the right communication skills that will help you build your personal life, overcome conflict situations, and relate to your environment.

6. Personal growth

Perhaps you should pay attention to the development of intelligence, attention, memory, and abstract thinking.

After analyzing all these areas, think about which one needs the most thorough development and focus on that first. When you manage to achieve the desired results, move on to another aspect. You should not try to take on everything at once - this way you risk not achieving what you need.

Books are of great importance on the path to new knowledge. You can choose the literature you need both in printed form and in the form of audio books. Sometimes, a good book can perfectly replace quality training, because you will have the opportunity to return to the material covered again and again and study individual points as much as you wish. Recently, many books on self-development have appeared, and we decided to cover this topic in detail in our other article -. Surely, you will be able to learn a lot of interesting and useful information from the information provided.

List of popular science and documentaries for self-development that will change your life

BBC - He and She - Relationship Secrets

The project explores gender differences. Ten people are participating in the experiments - five men and five women. The purpose of the experiments is to establish in what key aspects representatives of the opposite sexes differ.

Participants in the experiments will have to pass tests that cover various areas of life. In addition, tests are expected on the perception of sounds, coordination of the ability to remember what is seen, and much more. The studies are conducted by experienced specialists who can provide a lot of information based on the handwriting of the subjects and many other features. The project will not do without a lie detector...

BBC - Body Chemistry, Hormonal Hell

The film includes various interviews with famous British scientists who talk in detail about the effect that continuous hormone production has on a person. According to studies, progress forces a person to break his usual biorhythms. From year to year we are catastrophically deprived of sleep, devote a lot of time to work, and in general, we significantly disrupt our own routine. What do we have in the end? Constant stress, depression, cancer and much more. Perhaps we can break this vicious circle and change something?

Air Force. Human brain

The documentary film tells how every day the human brain has to solve a number of complex problems, not inferior to the most powerful computers. Once in any environment (queue, public transport, etc.), we involuntarily begin to form a certain opinion about certain people, make guesses and assumptions. The project will tell us exactly how we establish contact with other people, how our inner world is formed and what happens to our brain. You will learn what hidden capabilities your mind has and how you can unlock them.

BBC. Human mind

Why is it that one person is very familiar with the feeling of danger, while another pays virtually no attention to it? How does accumulated experience help us in life? How do children learn complex movements? Why do we act one way or another in unsafe situations? The answer to all these questions is hidden in our mind. Our brain is forced to work every second, and often we don’t even realize it. We don’t even suspect how extensive our capabilities are for detailed knowledge of the world around us. The film answers questions about how exactly the human brain works, and how we can use this knowledge most effectively.

“Test your brain. Test 1"

Would you like to know how exactly the sound vibrations of the eardrum and the image on the retina form the visual range of the reality around us? How does our consciousness work? By what principle does it select from a large number of data only those that are most needed at the present time? Our senses have evolved over millions of years, so why are they still so easy to fool? Experienced psychologists, physiologists and neurologists are ready to cover these and many other topics. Find out what secrets your mind hides!

"Peaceful Warrior"

A film based on real facts. So, the plot focuses on Dan Millman, a highly talented and successful college gymnast who dreams of one day competing in the Olympics. The guy's worldview changes dramatically after he meets a mysterious man who calls himself Socrates. It turns out that the stranger has serious capabilities and is able to open up a truly incredible world for Dan. Having survived a serious injury, the gymnast, with the help of Socrates and a certain girl, comes to the understanding that he still has a lot to comprehend.

"Food Corporation"

A documentary exploring the production of various products. You will learn about how almost all the food products you see on store shelves are created, and learn that many of them are unreasonably overpriced. However, many of the products sold pose serious risks to your health.

You will learn about how industrial meat production occurs - how inhumane it looks, although economical. You will also probably be surprised by the production of vegetables and grains. You will learn a lot of interesting things about organizations that produce food products that are dangerous to human life.

"The Great Mystery of Water"

Surely, you understand that water is not just a colorless liquid with which we quench our thirst. In this project, you will be told all the secrets of Water - you will learn that it is a carrier of many data! She is able not only to remember, but also to demonstrate her emotions! A famous scientist in Japan, Emoto Masaru, spent a long period of time thoroughly studying Water, and he managed to make stunning discoveries! Also, talented scientists from other countries took part in Masaru’s experiments, and, for sure, these studies will be able to surprise you.

"Earthlings"

Shawn Monson's documentary explores the controversial themes of humanity's cruelty to wildlife, as well as the commercial exploitation of wildlife resources.

Bullfights, fur farms, poultry farms, slaughterhouses, whale hunting and much more are no longer uncommon. But in our time, is there at least some moral justification for a person who initiates the suffering of other living beings only for the sake of the interests of his own species? Earthlings have long lost contact with the surrounding nature, and this has already begun to bring sad consequences.

“Placebo. Solve the mystery"

The project will tell about the most amazing stories that happened in medical practice. These incredible cases will be discussed in Ireland by several experienced scientists. You will learn a lot of interesting things about the phenomenon that doctors call “placebo”. This word means independent healing, for which a person only needed faith and the power of thought. Research into the placebo effect has recently made a significant breakthrough that has shocked the entire medical world. What is the main secret of this amazing effect?

"Forks instead of scalpels"

Colin Campbell has conducted extensive research that will tell us exactly how diet affects the likelihood of being diagnosed with serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes and others. The study turned out to be truly large-scale - it was carried out for several years, covering one hundred thousand people. As a result of many experiments conducted, which took into account a number of variable factors, it was concluded that a person who consumes animal food in large quantities is seriously susceptible to serious illnesses. Why this happens, and what other stunning facts the scientist provides, you will learn from this project.

"House"

The picture clearly demonstrates to us how beautiful our planet is, as well as what horrifying consequences it had to endure after the destructive influence of humanity. The earth has long suffered from deep scars caused by various wars, industrial production, and global environmental problems. The viewer will finally find out what the real situation is on our planet. The creators of the project visited many countries in order to convey as much as possible the features and beauty of the Earth - you will probably be surprised how beautiful nature is in some remote corners of the world, and how much harm human activity causes to it.

"Secret 1"

In 2006, the “Secret” project was demonstrated for the first time. Many years have passed since then, but the painting continues to make its triumphant march across the Earth, covering many countries. Millions of people who watched the film made interesting conclusions that radically affected their destinies. It is difficult to find a person who was left indifferent by this project. So, what changes have occurred in the worldview and lives of viewers who took The Secret seriously? Can a popular documentary really change your destiny?

"Secret"

"Lord of the World" Nikola Tesla

A film that tells the story of one of the greatest scientists and inventors in the history of mankind. We are talking about the amazing genius known as Nikola Tesla. A lot of time has passed since his life and death, but to this day there is reason to believe that in many fields no one has managed to surpass this scientist. At the beginning of the twentieth century in Central Siberia, many people witnessed a fantastic spectacle that was almost impossible to explain. However, there was a person who knew what happened, because he was directly related to what happened...

“Why do we burn our lives” Denis Borisov

Many of us do not notice how we spend precious years of our lives on drinking, social networks and other things that only eat up time but do not provide any development. The author of the project is ready to tell you how to begin the fight against destructive activities that harm our development. How to find the right motivation for this confrontation and is a person able to quickly give up a pastime that has been interesting to him for a long period? The advice will undoubtedly be of great benefit to people who find it difficult to resist giving in to unhealthy temptations.

“Iron Will of the Hunter” Denis Borisov

In his project, Denis Borisov will teach you to achieve significant results in the “building” of your own body. You will learn the most important strategies to help you on your path to success. It has long been known that not all people who decide to go to the gym get the desired results. Why is this happening? Is it a matter of lack of motivation, or are these people simply missing something really important? This video touches on absolutely all areas of human life. Why are some people able to make significant progress in working on themselves and achieving their goals, while others fail to do so? Denis Borisov is ready to cover this topic in detail.

“About treason and betrayal” Denis Borisov

The word “treason” is fraught with much more negative meaning than it might seem at first glance. Is there a difference between treason and betrayal? Why do some people still decide to do such things towards their loved ones? Why do some guys and girls start cheating on their lovers? Why are politicians ready to betray their voters? Why is this phenomenon so common in friendships? Where does real betrayal begin? The author of the project will teach you to understand these issues, as well as use the information received to your advantage.

"On Our Minds" Dan Dennett

The basis of the documentary project was the philosophy of Dan Dennett, who spent a significant period of his life trying to prove that we are not able to fully understand our consciousness. In addition, according to the philosopher, consciousness often lies to us. These theories are widely known in the philosophical literature, but most of Dennett's colleagues do not support his statements. Be that as it may, the hypothesis also has adherents. Despite rather harsh criticism, the philosopher does not deviate from his theory and is ready to talk about its key aspects to a wide audience.

"How to Be Happy" Dan Gilbert

Dan Gilbert, who wrote the book Stumbling on Happiness, confidently challenges the idea that we cannot be happy unless we get what we truly desire. The philosopher is convinced that a person can easily find a feeling of true happiness, even when events in his life do not unfold at all the way he wanted. At first glance, this hypothesis seems completely unfounded, but Gilbert is ready to convince you of the veracity of his words, giving very convincing arguments. So, how can you find happiness, despite everything?

"Why We Make Bad Decisions" Dan Gilbert

Surely, you have more than once encountered unpleasant situations that were the consequences of your wrong decisions. At such moments, a person understands that if he had acted just a little differently, the result would have been much more positive. Many in such cases say that “such is fate” and do not believe that the negative outcome could have been prevented, but in reality everything is different. We can truly improve our lives significantly if we learn not to be influenced by many factors and make the right decisions. In his project, Dan Gilbert will tell you how to achieve this.

“Sign language. Body language shapes your personality"

An exciting project in which experienced social psychologist Amy Cuddy shares with her listeners information about the impact body language can have on a person’s life. According to the speaker, it is this aspect that largely determines how others perceive us, how we feel about ourselves and who we become in the end. Cuddy will also show you special poses that you can use when conducting a dialogue with a particular interlocutor. According to the psychologist, there are certain gestures that can help us achieve success. In addition, there are postures that have a repulsive effect on others, and this is also very important to be aware of.

"How to Learn Anything in 20 Hours" Josh Kaufman

It is often difficult for us to take on new knowledge because... we believe that this may take too much time and because of this it is likely that the matter will be left halfway through implementation. In turn, the author of this project is convinced that there is no need to be afraid of new horizons, because a person can master many disciplines, hobbies and other things, devoting only 20 hours of his life to it. At first glance, such a statement seems simply incredible, but Josh Kaufman is ready to prove the opposite. Undoubtedly, this extraordinary technique will be useful for many of us!

"The Magic of Thought" by Kate Berry

Kate Berry has no doubt that the human mind is capable of deceiving the body, and in her project she clearly demonstrates this hypothesis. Once you start watching the film, you will witness incredible and slightly shocking psychological tricks. According to Berry, for her, thought magic is a type of magic that is based on amazing methods of mind reading. The author of the project is convinced that using the power of words, non-verbal communication and other techniques, we can achieve stunning results. So, how can you learn to manipulate someone else's mind?

"How to Learn Any Language in 6 Months" Chris Lonsdale

"What Goes on in the Minds of Lovers" by Helen Fisher

Professor Helen Fisher, who is the author of several books and numerous scientific articles, gained popularity after conducting a series of painstaking studies of the behavior of people in love. The anthropologist is convinced that people have a dual reproductive strategy. Fischer will also tell you about three behavioral patterns that are ingrained in the human brain. We are talking about aspects such as attraction, romantic love and attachment. The professor explains why we choose certain people as partners, and what stages the relationships of lovers go through.

"10 New Facts About Orgasm" by Mary Roach

The plot of this documentary project focuses on the research carried out by Mary Roach - the writer began to study Nature in the most romantic sense of the word. Roach tried to learn as much as possible about the phenomenon of orgasm through many conversations with doctors and scientists. The works of a writer are a wonderful chance to discover new facets of your body. After watching the film, you will learn about such facts as infant menstruation, orgasm when stimulating eyebrows, the Lazarus reflex in dead people and other amazing phenomena. Roach includes everything you need to know about orgasm in his project.

"The truth about health"

From this film you will learn that our body is constantly changing, and this has certain consequences. Different parts of the body have a clearly designated service life, which can change when exposed to certain factors. Also, you will probably be interested to know that not a single atom of those that were present at our conception remains in your body. However, there is something in us that is unchanged - information. Find out the whole truth about your own health and how to maintain it longer.

Interesting and useful sites for self-development

For self-development, you can not only watch documentaries and get acquainted with relevant literature. There are many useful sites that will help you discover new facets of your personality. Let's look at some of them.

Coursera- everyone can find useful courses here that can be taken online. The educational platform works with materials from leading universities around the world.

Universarium- participants in this large-scale project can receive an excellent education by working with the most experienced teachers in Russia and the best domestic universities.

Khan Academy- This educational site is completely free. It offers its users more than four thousand short lectures covering various disciplines.

Udemy- a resource for those who really want to enrich their own knowledge. The site has been used by more than ten million students located in different parts of the world. The program included more than forty thousand exciting courses.

UNIWEB- the site provides online training for students, collaborating with the best universities. The purpose of the platform is to disseminate quality language among Russian-speaking students.

University without borders- Using this resource, users can share their knowledge. The Russian-speaking audience fully receives valuable and useful information, regardless of place of study or work, economic and social status and other aspects.

HTML Academy- the platform will prove to be an extensive source of knowledge for users who want to understand all the intricacies of web development.

Lumosity- an indispensable site for those who want to develop their mental abilities. Using a special application, you have the opportunity to take an individual training course that will be useful specifically for you.

Eduson- the resource offers high-quality online training to students who want to succeed in business. The courses are taught by famous professors and established businessmen.

Wikihow- thousands of users of the World Wide Web worked on this colorful resource, wanting to create the most useful step-by-step guide. An integral part of the wiki community, thanks to which you can find out a lot of relevant information and learn something new.

HSE Internet School- for those who are interested in courses related to the socio-economic profile, history, mathematics and other subjects.

Lingualeo- learning English can be not only effective, but also fun! By visiting this site, which has already attracted over 12 million people, you will see this.

Memorado- the creators of this free application call it quite succinctly: “gym for the brain.” In this game you will find a large number of different levels containing puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty.

Duolingo- a free site that will help you learn the language and with translations. The platform is designed in such a way that after completing the material, users themselves help with translations of articles and various documentation.

4brain- a free resource for those who have long wanted to develop the skills of speed reading, creative thinking, mental arithmetic, and so on.

Brainexer- a platform that includes a large number of tests and exercises for attention, memorization, etc. You can take tests even if you don't register on the site. Note that the site was created in English, but there is also a translation into Russian.

Memrise- the site uses the most advanced methods of working with memory in order to help visitors to the resource remember any information with the greatest efficiency.

All10- with the help of this online simulator you will learn how to touch-type text on the keyboard, using all ten fingers. The platform will keep your statistics and also demonstrate the performance rating of other visitors to the resource.

Project Gutenberg- in this electronic library you can find many masterpieces of world literature. The site began its existence more than forty years ago.

School Yandex- many electronic lectures, the main purpose of which is high-quality training of specialists for the IT industry.

Curious- on this platform, students, teachers and simply talented people have the opportunity to share their own experiences with others. In addition, everyone can find additional income on the site.

Sentences- with the help of the resource you will learn to memorize English words faster. We also note that the platform includes a system that promotes greater learning efficiency and also monitors the level of language proficiency.

Intuit is a large Russian online university that provides an excellent opportunity to obtain a higher (or second higher) education. In addition, here you can improve your skills and undergo professional training.

Lectorium- the platform contains a large number of lectures in Russian that cover a variety of topics. Here you can also find interesting video materials from various scientific conferences.

You can achieve certain results in self-development through play - in the literal sense of the expression! It is enough to have access to the World Wide Web, and this will allow you to perform new interesting tasks every day that will have a beneficial effect on your skills and various areas of life. With the help of such games, you will achieve significant improvements in concentration, memory, and more. To do this, just enter the phrase “Games for self-development” into the search engine. You can easily download many of them to your smartphone and spend time on them outside the home - while traveling, in queues, and so on. You will find many interesting games on some of the sites that we recommended to you in this article.

Ways of self-development

Browse self-development blogs

Self-development blogs are regularly updated with new, relevant information, and if you check them periodically, you will certainly be able to find something valuable for yourself. Choose a few blogs that really excite you and check back for updated content periodically. Of course, it’s also worth paying attention to new sites.

Attend trainings and courses for personal growth

Most often, motivation arises when we see examples of other people who managed to achieve the desired results. By attending various trainings and courses, you will learn more about such people and increase your chances of becoming one of them.

Learn new things and work on yourself

It is impossible to achieve any development without doing painstaking work on yourself. Only by comprehending something new do we take a step forward on the path to our improvement. Analyze all areas of your life and identify your “weak spot”. Don't be afraid to admit to yourself that some aspects need improvement.

Online video: 10 quick self-development methods

This article contains several useful practical exercises, which, by the way, are sold in some places for a thousand dollars. I will save you money by describing these instructions simply and without water. Believe me, this will not make them any less effective, and you can be sure of the enormous power of these exercises. Tested on many people. So, if you are wondering where to start with self-development, not just out of curiosity, but want to really improve your life, before reading the article, take a notepad and pen to do the exercises.

What is self-development

Before we find out where to start self-development and self-improvement, let's think about what self-development is?

Self-development is a very broad concept and each person puts his own meaning into it depending on his value system. Some people understand self-development as developing their business and increasing their cash income, some as losing weight, for other people self-development means relationships with people, the ability to love and be happy, and communication skills. We can say that a person is engaged in self-development if every new day he becomes a little better than he was yesterday. And what kind of person to be - everyone decides for himself.

Whatever goals you pursue, all paths of self-development have one common principle. Self-development needs to begin with this single principle. I will talk about this single principle at the end of the article. And now let's talk about everything in order.

Step 1. Where to start self-development - the current state of affairs

Self-development must begin with a sober assessment of the current state of affairs. It can sometimes be very frustrating to admit that you have a specific problem, but it is a necessary first step. The situation you are in now is the result of your past efforts or lack thereof.

Let's call this situation “point A”.

Practical exercise.

This exercise must be done in writing on paper or in a word processor on a computer. But it's better on paper. Describe your problem in as specific detail as possible. For example, if your problem is low income, then write this: my income is ... rubles (substitute the exact figure for your income). Or you are overweight and you consider this a problem, write down: my weight is ... kg (substitute the exact number of your weight). If the problem cannot be expressed in numbers, describe it in words. For example, when I try to speak English, I get the tenses mixed up.

When you have decided on the problem, you need to understand: what do you want to change in the current situation, that is, set a goal. Goals also need to be set clear and specific. There is a good exercise for this.

Step 2. Set a goal for self-development

Exercise for clear goal setting:

Take a piece of paper and a pen. Now we will describe the ideal experience of achieving a goal. Visualize the day you achieved your goal and describe in detail one specific moment of that day. It's like you're writing a script for a movie.

Write what number this is. Set realistic deadlines for your goals; don’t think that in one day you will lose 50 kg or increase your income 100 times in a month.
What time is it now? (not now when you do this exercise, but at that ideal moment in the future).
Where are you in this ideal experience?
What other people are present in this ideal experience?
What are you doing at this moment? What do you feel?

Describe this experience in detail.

Be careful, this exercise is called “goal achievement experience” for a reason. It is the experience that needs to be described, not just an abstract goal.

For example, “I make a lot of money” is an abstract goal. But “I look at my bank’s mobile application and see in my account $100,000 that I received for selling a successful project, my dog Busya is sitting next to me, and my wife Katya is packing our things into a suitcase, because we have a flight in three hours to the Bahamas, where we rented a 120 sq.m house on the seashore for a month...”, etc. it is a concrete experience. To ensure you are doing the exercise correctly, remember that you are writing a script for the director to use to shoot the scene.

We will call this experience of achieving a goal “point B.”

Step 3. Making a self-development plan

So we know where we are and where we want to go. We have also determined the exact time frame by which we will get from point A to point B. Now we need to do one more practical exercise. We will need paper and pen again. This time we will write an ideal scenario for achieving the goal.

Imagine that you have already achieved your goal in self-development and are at point B, in that ideal experience that you described in the previous step. Now, in your imagination, look from this ideal future, when the goal has already been achieved, into the past and answer the question: how did I achieve this goal? The fact is that if you have a clear goal, your subconscious mind already knows the easiest way to achieve it. You imagine that experience when the goal has already been achieved, but being in your imagination in that experience you understand that all this did not come out of nowhere. Some events must have preceded this experience. And you simply “remember” what happened before. Write down on paper the chain of events that led you from point A to point B, starting with more recent events and moving back in time to earlier ones.

Now you have a step-by-step plan for self-development in the chosen direction with intermediate goals.

I will soon write a separate article about this amazingly effective system for achieving 100% goals, stay tuned.

Choosing a priority direction for self-development

Now let’s talk about how to determine in which area of life to start self-development, if it seems that there are too many problems: not enough money, and you need to improve your physical shape, and you need to learn English. There are so many things to do that you don’t know what to do.

The bad news: you won't be able to get everything at once. And it’s better to set a goal in one direction and gradually move towards it, giving it priority.

The good news is that by regularly engaging in self-development in one area of your life, you will quietly begin to improve in all others.

Each person chooses the priority direction for development himself. For some it is a career, for others it is personal life, etc.

Psychologists identify eight main areas of life that are most important to most people. It is convenient to depict them in the form of a circle divided into sectors. Each sector is allocated to one main life area.

Right now you can rate each area of your life on a scale from 0 to 10 and connect all the ratings with lines. As a result, you will see a clear example of how balanced your life is. Here is one example:

A frequently encountered example of a person who spares no effort in making money, forgetting about health, friends, spiritual growth, and communication with family.

In fact, thanks to a huge amount of psychological research, we can confidently say that a person feels happy when there is satisfaction in all areas of life. There is no point in putting all your efforts into one area and forgetting about others. Yes, you can achieve good success in this area, but why if you feel unhappy at the same time? Unfortunately, this is most often understood too late, when precious time is irretrievably gone.

Therefore, it is better to start self-development from the area to which you gave the lowest rating.

20 things you can do in everyday life for your self-development

Read about what you want to improve in your life. Do you want to develop a specific skill? Read about it every day.
Find a mentor. A mentor can be anyone who knows how to do what you want to do. In turn, remember to help those who have less experience than you. Mentoring is by far the fastest way to develop.
Keep a journal at the end of the day. If you're really serious about self-development, you need to constantly know what you can improve about yourself. And the only way to know this is to reflect and ask yourself every day what and how you can change in yourself to become better.
Create strong habits. It's your habits that reveal your strengths, not the other way around. You can't live one life and expect to have another. Today's habits create your future life.
Find like-minded people. In fact, it is difficult to develop alone. Spend time with people who share your values and support each other. Try to avoid communicating with those who demotivate you.
Create a system of rewards and punishments. This is necessary for those who are struggling with their laziness and bad habits.
Be honest with yourself. No amount of empty talk will lead to change. This is the hardest part. It’s much easier to buy a book about self-development or read an article and tell yourself: “I’m working on myself.” But is anything really changing? Be your own judge. But never judge yourself by comparing with other people. You should only compare yourself to your past self and judge changes objectively.
Find yourself an example. You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, but looking for inspiration for self-development in other people can sometimes be very useful.
Measure your progress. One of my teachers said: if you can't measure the outcome of an action, don't do it. No matter how ephemeral the things you do, you must find a way to measure your progress. This is the only way to know if you are going in the right direction and if you need to turn around.
Regularity is the key. Self-development does not happen overnight. This happens slowly and gradually. Consistent and regular effort is what creates truly meaningful change. And this is what makes self-development so difficult. There is no magic pill that you swallow and everything will be fixed. Self-development is a daily routine practice and way of life.
The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. The next best time is now. No matter how far away the goal may seem, start acting now using the resources that you have.
Take small steps. Imagine that there is a long staircase leading to a big goal, and think only about how to climb the next step. It will be a small victory that will inspire you. And then there will be another step in front of you, and another, until you reach the original goal.
Learn from other people. Whatever skill you develop in yourself, there are people who have walked this path and willingly share their experience. Your own experience is a harsh teacher, so it is better to learn from the mistakes of others. Find a good mentor and read more books.
The world is changing all the time. And you change too. Even if you do nothing, you are forced to change every time the world turns upside down again. This cannot be avoided. Success is achieved by those who adapt to change the fastest.
Take responsibility. You are responsible for your development. You are responsible for where you are now and what you are doing right now. Don't blame anyone, and don't blame yourself. Be aware. Mindfulness is responsibility without guilt.
Be grateful. The nature of our mind is to always focus on troubles. We quickly get used to good things and immediately begin to desire better. Thanks to this we grow. But still, we should not forget about all the good things that we already have. And feel grateful for it every day.
Use the power of intention. If you are 100 percent sure that you want to achieve something, then very soon it will become your reality. The entire reality around you is the result of your conscious and subconscious intentions. The ability to feel your subconscious intentions and “erase” them if they are not leading you where you consciously want to go is an important component of success in self-development.
Set realistic goals. Goals that are too easy will prevent you from feeling empowered and enjoying the joy of success, and goals that are too difficult can drain your confidence. When setting goals, it is important to find a middle ground. Then, when you achieve a goal of moderate difficulty and are confident in your abilities, move on to those goals that previously seemed impossible to you.
Listen to your heart. It is impossible to develop for a long time in an area that you do not like. Choose the path that is in your heart and that aligns with your values. Become a Master on this path so that people around you cannot tell whether you are working or playing, because you are doing both.
Keep going and never give up. The only way to fail at a goal is to give up on achieving it. If you do something and it doesn't get you to your goal, just do something else. Look for new approaches again and again and one day you will find the key to your dream.

Conclusion

And as usual, after a general overview of the topic, I will write my personal opinion. Decide for yourself whether you agree with him or not. I believe that self-development should begin with developing the skill of managing your mind and your attention. In my opinion, this is the basis for the success of any other self-development activity. After all, it is the lack of self-control skills that most often becomes the reason that a person cannot regularly engage in self-development.

How many times have you started losing weight, doing fitness, or learning English and giving up? In the modern world there are too many distractions: TV series, social networks, television, the Internet, a huge flow of information and information noise. Thousands of signals around are trying their best to attract our attention and pinch off a piece of energy.

And the most unpleasant thing is that most of this information is simply useless and often harmful. If you hear good information, it means they want to force you to buy something. If you hear any news about events in the world, then they most likely want to intimidate you. And every little bit of information is trying to evoke at least some emotion in you.

To achieve your goals in self-improvement, you simply need to learn to direct your energy in the right direction, and give a tough rebuff to everything that tries to distract your attention without your permission.

And from all this I want to conclude that you need to start self-development and self-improvement with meditation. Meditation is training to control your mind. Meditation is a platform that ensures the effectiveness of self-development, be it learning foreign languages, public speaking, or physical development. We can say that the mind is a tool that we use to change ourselves. You shouldn’t be like the fool in the parable who spent three hours sawing a log with a dull saw because he doesn’t have time to sharpen the saw. Prepare a good tool first, and then with the help of it things will go much faster.

Developing your mind, the ability to manage yourself, your attention through meditation - this is where you need to start self-development.

Have you always wanted to engage in self-development? But they kept putting it off because they didn’t know where to start? No problem. This article will talk about...

Where to start self-development - 10 steps

Step #1. Set goals

If you don't set goals, you continue to exist aimlessly.

Or you work long and hard, and in the end you realize that you have not become the person you wanted. "We got into the wrong building."

Start simple. Set goals for the week. For example, read 1 book, take a self-development course.

Gradually make the task more difficult. Set goals for 3 months, for a year, for 3-5 years and for life.

Step #2. Plan your day

The next step is planning. To achieve your goals, you need to make a plan for achieving them and follow it.

Also start with the easiest one. Plan your day:

Take a piece of paper, a notebook or a smartphone;
Put the date;
Write a list of things you want to do tomorrow;
Letter your priorities. Things with the letter A are the most important. With the letter B - less important.

Step #3. Start reading

All successful people read.

Bill Gates reads 50 books a year. He publishes the best ones on his YouTube channel.

Warren Buffett reads 200-300 pages of magazines and reports on investing and the economy every day.

Step #4. Lead a healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle is also self-development, only in the area of maintaining health.

Eat no more than 25 grams of sugar per day - this is the recommendation of the World Health Organization.
Eat no more than 5 grams of salt per day - also a WHO recommendation.
Exercise 30 minutes a day - running, pull-ups, squats, etc.
Don't overeat. Overeating shortens your life by 20 years. Scientists from the USA came to this conclusion.
Sleep 6-8 hours a day. Sleeping less increases the risk of nervous system diseases, obesity and diabetes.

Step #5. Master your communication skills

Read the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. With its help, you can easily win the favor of people and make useful connections.

Tips from the book:

smile;
listen carefully to your interlocutor;
Praise him sincerely, do not flatter him;
call the person by name more often;
talk about what he likes.

Step #6. Find a hobby

People who have hobbies are less likely to suffer from depression and those who do not have hobbies feel happier.

Find something you love to do. Maybe you like to go fishing. Or maybe sing.

Step #7. Gain financial independence

The book “Money. Master of the Game" by Anthony Robbins - millionaire and business coach. It talks about how to achieve financial freedom. To do this you need:

save part of your income;
create multiple sources of income;
improve your skills in your professional field;
invest funds;
etc.

Self-development. This word can be heard more and more often in modern society. And the word “self-development”, as a rule, means such a wide range of activities that people with completely different worldviews, goals, values and capabilities can engage in self-development. The word “self-development” today means everything from pumping up muscles in the gym to very strange religious rituals. What is “self-development”, and most importantly, why do you need to do it at all and how to do it in order to benefit both yourself and others?

In fact, how many people ask themselves the question “Why do you need to engage in self-development?” Self-development is a fashionable trend, and anyone who engages in self-development is a priori considered a self-sufficient person, or aspiring to become one. But one of the main principles of sanity says that before every action we take, we need to ask ourselves why we are doing it and what benefit it will bring.

All living beings (and not only people) in one way or another strive to find happiness and want to avoid suffering. The only difference is that the level and quality of happiness is different for everyone. It’s hard to argue with the fact that the pleasure of delicious (and most often unhealthy) food and the pleasure of creativity or helping other people give us a feeling of happiness. But it is already difficult to agree with the fact that this happiness is of the same quality. Firstly, in the case of tasty and unhealthy food, we get pleasure in combination with harm to health, and secondly, happiness is short-term, and from the point of view of emotions and sensations it is rather flat. So to speak, the happiness of the 2D format. The same cannot be said about the happiness that we get from creativity with some positive message or from helping other people - such happiness benefits everyone around us, and most importantly, it is longer lasting and more emotionally intense. Well, everything is clear with happiness - the higher its quality, the longer it lasts and brings more joy. But what does this have to do with self-development? The most direct.

The further a person moves along the path of self-development, the higher his level of happiness becomes and, importantly, the less his happiness depends on external conditions. In the modern world, self-development most often means development at the physical level, less often at the mental level, and extremely rarely at the spiritual level. No one, of course, calls for inspiration to be inspired by the example of the repentant robber from the famous work of Nekrasov and “to submit the body to torture”, saving the soul. In everything you need to avoid extremes, but the emphasis in self-development only on the bodily level - unfortunately, most often leads to spiritual degradation. And how to determine which path of self-development is harmonious? The main sign that a person is moving in the right direction in terms of self-development is when his happiness becomes less and less dependent on external conditions.

How to engage in self-development

How to engage in self-development and where to start? As mentioned above, self-development can be on three levels: physical, mental and spiritual. And if one of these aspects is a priority, and the other two are incidental, then such self-development cannot be called harmonious. And one of the main aspects of self-development is motivation. Why does a person strive to become better? To impress others? To please someone? To improve the quality of life? To become more effective in school, work, sports, family life? If a person’s motivation is purely selfish, such development will also not be harmonious. Because the world is structured in such a way that everything in it is interconnected, and one person cannot become happy when everyone around him - friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors - is deeply unhappy. And another sign of the right path to development is when the reality around a person begins to change for the better. If a person notices that his self-development is little by little changing the lives of those around him for the better, then he is on the right path. Therefore, before you think about how to engage in self-development, you must first decide why you need it.

Therefore, the first thing that needs to be done is to create at least some kind of daily routine, or at least eliminate the most time-consuming actions that do not bring objective benefit, but are performed rather out of habit. You will be surprised how much free time you will have when you approach each of your actions consciously, honestly wondering what the real benefit is in this action. It will also be useful to go to bed early and get up earlier. The hormones necessary for a full life are produced from 10 pm to five in the morning. And it is advisable to sleep at this time. The time before midnight is especially important: it is believed that it is at this time that the body’s physical and mental strength is restored, and if a person is awake during this time, the body and psyche are subject to exhaustion.

Next you should pay attention to nutrition. And this relates not only to the bodily level: it has long been noted that the food we consume greatly affects consciousness. And if the diet contains harmful, artificial, refined food, as well as food that is the result of violence against animals - meat, fish, eggs, seafood, and so on - this will have an extremely negative effect on our consciousness. The fact is that everything in the human body is interconnected, and what enters our stomach and intestines is carried by the blood throughout the body, including the brain. Can a brain poisoned by some chemicals in refined foods or hormones and antibiotics in meat foods work smoothly and efficiently? The question is rhetorical.

What to study for self-development

So, everything is clear with the initial stage of self-development. You need to adjust your daily routine and nutrition. And even this alone will make you happier and healthier. But this is just the beginning. How to directly engage in self-development? To do this, we need information that at the initial stage will tell us the right path. As mentioned above, self-development is a very fashionable trend in our society, so many books have already been written on how to become happy and successful, and even more will be written in the future. How much can all of them be trusted? Let's try to figure it out.

If you observe our society, you can come to the conclusion that the motivations of people in it are most often purely selfish. Therefore, any kind of self-development also most often pursues selfish goals - to become healthier, richer, more successful, and, as a rule, at any cost. Therefore, most modern books about self-development are written on the principle “demand creates supply.” If people are much more interested in how to become richer and more successful, how to make a career, and so on, then this is what most literature will be focused on. There are, of course, worthy books, but, as they say, a fly in the ointment.

What to do? No one is calling for giving up reading books altogether. There is a simple principle: the text from which we want to draw some information must be time-tested. And, based on this theory, you need to read the most ancient writings, because if the text has already survived several centuries, or even millennia, it is probably not just some kind of pseudo-philosophical writing. From this point of view, the most relevant will be the Vedic scriptures or any sacred scriptures of world religions. However, if these are some relatively young texts, then there are also many questions for them. The most interesting in terms of knowing yourself and the world around you will be texts such as (part of the Mahabharata).

Buddhist sacred texts may also be of interest. For example, which is considered the quintessence of the Buddha's Teachings. And Buddha himself said that this sutra is “the first among all sutras.” A very inspiring philosophical text can be called written by the monk-philosopher Shantideva. At the initial stage, such complex texts may seem difficult to understand. Then you can start with something simpler. For example, many of Paulo Coelho’s works make you think about life, its values, the search for purpose, and so on. The same can be said about the works of many domestic writers from the times of Tsarist Russia. Therefore, the choice is incredibly large, and everyone can find something that will resonate in their heart.

How to learn self-development

How to engage in self-development and not “cool down” after a couple of weeks, as often happens? This happens due to weak motivation. At first the person “lights up,” and then more and more often he is overcome by doubts: “Why is this necessary, everything is fine, why all this effort?” and so on. That's why motivation is important. At the initial stage, motivation can be very simple: improve your health, financial situation, relationships with others, and so on. But the fact is that if you have chosen an adequate development path, then you will achieve these goals very quickly. If you just correct your diet, replacing it with a healthier one, adjust your daily routine and begin to behave more consciously, then, as a rule, problems with health, finances and the people around you will, for the most part, be quickly resolved. And here, oddly enough, a difficult period arises - what to do next? The suffering has stopped - there is no motivation to move on. And here a person has two options: he either stops developing (and as you know, if there is no evolution, degradation occurs), or he generates a new motivation in his heart - he has a desire to help others based on the experience that he has acquired himself.

When a person embarks on the path of self-development and reaches a point where most of his own suffering has ceased, this means that he can effectively help others. And at this stage there is often a period of fanaticism, when a person strives to “catch up with everyone and do good to everyone.” In principle, this can be said to be a certain stage of development. Then the person understands that not everyone needs help and many are happy in all their problems and suffering and simply do not want to change anything. Therefore, you should not fanatically impose the path of self-development on everyone. But if you see that a person is suffering and is ready to change something, then based on your experience you can help him. And the motivation to help others will also be a new level of development for you, which will allow you to move on - to new horizons. In general, this is what everything was originally started for - to develop in order to be effective in helping other people.

1 What is self-improvement
2 Self-improvement: where to start on the path to a new life
3 How to engage in self-development today
4 Which books to start self-development with
5 Tips on where to start working on yourself

In our ever-changing world, the worst thing you can do is stop developing. Successful people remain successful only because they never stop learning and developing. The path to balance and success always lies through self-improvement.

At any period of his life - in adolescence, youth or adulthood, a person thinks about where to start self-development. Let's figure out how to answer this question.

What is self-improvement

Ushakov’s explanatory dictionary defines self-improvement as “the conscious development in oneself of some positive (primarily moral) qualities, abilities, skills.”

Here the emphasis is on the positive moral qualities that determine a person’s character. These include:

responsibility;
humanism;
honesty and openness;
love to motherland;
loyalty;
spirituality;
intelligence;
goodwill;
tolerance;
hard work;
respect for someone else's personality;
politeness;
sincerity and empathy;
culture of behavior.

The list can be made long; here it is determined individually what qualities a person wants to develop in himself.

Self-improvement: where to start on the path to a new life

Personal growth is a necessary aspect, changing personal potential for better interaction with the world and opening up prospects. From one point of view, there are three types of human relationships: relationships with oneself, with the outside world and people, and self-development.

Relationship with oneself allows a person to know himself and understand the mechanisms of interaction with himself, to realize the strengths and weaknesses of his personality.

Relationships with the outside world will ensure the presence of connections necessary for development and self-realization.

Self-realization will raise self-esteem and change the individual’s attitude towards himself, will help a person realize the goal for which he lives.

To achieve success on the path to self-improvement, you need to upgrade and develop in all three directions.

How to start self-development today

If you are thinking about self-improvement, do not put it off until later. As they say, “later is a consoling form of the word “never.” Let's figure out how to engage in self-development today.

The first and most important thing is to start working today, and not put it off for a long time. Even if it is a small step towards the goal, it is better to do something than to do nothing at all.

Secondly, don’t try to be better than your girlfriend or boyfriend, neighbor or your idol. Compare yourself only to yourself. Your task is to be at least a little better every day than yesterday.

What is really important to a person (and not what he considers important) is achievable under any conditions. But sometimes, realizing your real purpose sometimes requires deep introspection.

The brain will reject false goals and will not implement them.

The most difficult thing is to determine your goal and start your journey towards it today. Make a sketch in a notepad, scribble a couple of lines in a notebook, write a block of code, read a few pages of a book, etc. The next goal is not to quit. Over time, this goal will become part of your life, and achieving it will become a matter of technique.

What books to start self-development with?

First, you should ask yourself the question “how to change your way of thinking in order to start changing,” and not the question “which books to start self-development with?”

Books are a treasure trove of useful advice and psychological techniques (especially books written by professional psychologists and psychiatrists), but they are useless until your perception of the world changes.

There are no books that everyone should start with, because everyone’s goals are different: wealth, fame, recognition, satisfaction from activities, helping people. But we list some effective books for self-development below.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" - Stephen Covey.
"Buffettology" - Mary Buffett.
"Where's my cheese? » — Spencer Johnson.
"Black Rhetoric" - Karsten Bredemeier.
“How to Read, Remember and Never Forget” - Mark Tigelaar.
“Be the best version of yourself” - Dan Waldschmidt.
“Anything can be agreed upon!” — Gavin Kennedy.
“Get out of your comfort zone” - Brian Tracy.
"1 Page a Day: A Daily Planner for Creative People" - Adam Kurtz.
"A Life of Purpose: Key Skills to Achieve Your Goals" - Les Hewitt, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen.
“This Year I...: How to Change Habits, Keep Promises, or Do Something You've Been Dreaming of” - M.J. Ryan.
“Speed Reading: How to Remember More by Reading 8 Times Faster” - Peter Kamp.
“Here and Now” - Osho.
“Tibetan Yoga of Sleep and Dreams” - Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
“The Sage and the Art of Living” - Antonio Meneghetti.
“Shaman’s Laughter” - Vladimir Serkin.
“Goal: Process of continuous improvement” - G. Eliyahu.
"Supertraining" - Mike Mentzer.
“Body language” - A. Pease.
"Games People Play" - Eric Berne.
“Critique of Pure Reason” - I. Kant.
“The Consolation of Philosophy” - Boethius.
"Strength of will. How to develop and strengthen” - Kelly McGonigal.
"40 Studies in Psychology" - Roger Hawk.
"Essentialism" - Greg McKeon.

It is worth noting that all books should be taken with a healthy dose of criticism. Books that encourage a person to constantly smile and be joyful can ultimately lead to clinical depression. It is human nature to be sad, upset and experience failure.

Harmful self-development books teach you how to manipulate other people for your own purposes. The euphoria of everyday victory in any interaction with another person can become a dangerous barrier. A sense of false importance can stop the development process.

“Bad advice” that will help you sort information into categories and understand where to start working on yourself.

First, to begin to change, you need to determine which areas you should focus on. An important method of controlling the process is self-analysis, which should be given at least a couple of hours daily. This disciplines and helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses.

If keeping a diary helps, you should definitely take out a notebook and pen. Write down on a piece of paper those qualities that you would like to develop in yourself and those that you would like to get rid of, in two columns.

For each quality, come up with a description and outline a strategy for improving the skill. For example, I need to develop speed and agility, for this I need to run for an hour in the morning and evening. Or I need to learn to remember more English words, for this I need to memorize 10 new phrases or expressions every day.

As for spiritual qualities, they, of course, need to be improved continuously.

A useful habit would be to analyze the past day. On a piece of paper you need to write down all the situations that happened during the day and analyze your behavior in them. Did you manage to act in accordance with your moral and spiritual guidelines? If it didn't work out, then why? And what could be fixed?

It is important not just to write down, but to summarize every evening: what you have done to develop your mental and physical qualities, and note for yourself what needs to be adjusted.

When the goals are determined, it is worth drawing up a work plan. When you have clear deadlines, it will be easier to achieve your goals. There is no need to set yourself cruel, unattainable limits - for example, learn Chinese in 2 weeks. Agree that for the average person this is an unattainable goal. And the feeling of guilt experienced when breaking a promise to oneself can discourage all desire to move on.

Here again, self-analysis plays a big role. You can evaluate your strength in a test flight. If I can really reliably memorize 10 hieroglyphs a day (for example, since we started about languages), then I set this goal for myself. If five, then five daily. Exceeded the norm - great. The main thing is to develop your intended plan every day. This needs to be done day after day to form a habit. And the goal of “learning Chinese to an elementary level in 5 years” will become much more realistic.

Gradually increase the difficulty level of the game. If at some point in time I realize that I can do more work every day with the same amount of effort, I will raise my daily bar. Lowering your goals and giving yourself slack is a bad idea. Successful people have a strong will.

Make time for rest. Our nervous system, muscles, and sensory organs are not configured to work 24/7; from a biological point of view, this is impossible. In order to fulfill the planned plan for tomorrow, rest is necessary. Daily full sleep (everyone determines the required amount of time individually) will allow you not to give up what you started. If the daily self-development plan is depleting, the body will begin to sabotage, and even the most steely will will not save you.

Don't make too big a task list. First, accustom yourself to 2-3 daily rituals. For example, from the list of mental qualities, select the development of attention, physical - the development of strength, spiritual - honesty. And do the necessary exercises every day. It will take a little time, but it will make it easier for you not to give up what you started. When such actions become a habit, add 1-2 more points and continue working.

Come up with a reward for yourself. Rigid boundaries and restrictions do not contribute to the daily repetition of necessary actions. In the end, the body will break down and break all the prohibitions and the feeling of guilt will return again. For your success, you can reward yourself with something interesting. Man is a highly organized animal, and all activities are based on conditioned reflexes. The “carrot and stick” method works for us too.

Every day ask yourself the question: what will happen if I continue to develop this or that quality and what will happen if I give it up? Life priorities change, and we, too, must quickly adapt to changing conditions.

Learn from your own experiences, those of your friends and strangers. There are no two identical people, as well as two identical stories and ways of achieving goals. What makes one person successful may be another's failure. It is important to review, read, analyze and draw your own conclusions. There is no universal way of self-development - the point is to find your own.

Do not be afraid to violate the designated deadlines. You should not abuse this rule, otherwise there will be no self-discipline. And where there is no discipline, there is no development. Constant stress from missing deadlines will gradually lead to a state of denial and apathy, which will lead to abandonment of the development process.

The most difficult point is not to give up daily repetitions. Every day, analyze the significance and benefits of your goals, do not stop and always check the truth of your goals.