How You Can Take Personal Development To The Next Level
Achieving Goals, Career Enrichment, Productivity
One of the ALV 9 Culture Commandments is Be a Perpetual Student. Even the smartest person in the room has something to be learned. Never stop asking questions. Learning is an opportunity, not a chore.
Always be bettering. Learn. Grow. Develop. Repeat. This is really what personal development is all about, constant growth in pursuit of becoming the best version of ourselves. It’s easy, however, to get stuck in a personal development rut.
So take a moment and ask yourself is my personal development pushing me enough? How can I take personal development to the next level?
Learn
- Explore new resources.
- Consider books, podcasts, blog posts, classes, downloadable resources, or articles.
- Use the internet and search for learnings on topics you are interested in.
- Ask your friends or family what they are learning.
- Find out what your boss or co-worker are currently interested in and try it out.
- Don’t be afraid to download an app that lets you listen to audiobooks. You can still read without taking time out of your busy schedule. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while I’m driving in the car.
- Get inspiration from those around you. If you aren’t sure how, find someone that inspires you to do better and ask them what they are doing. You would be surprised how unique everyone’s personal development really is when you start to discuss the details. Ask others and try what they are doing and see if it sparks any ideas.
- Start looking at every situation as a learning opportunity.
- Introduce yourself to someone you wouldn’t have before.
- Go left instead of right just because.
- Take a spinning class instead of yoga.
- Just start mixing it up and see where it leads you. We are creatures of habit and although there are many great advantages to habit, it can also pull us away from trying new things.
Attend an event
- Attend a conference.
- Join Toastmasters.
- Attend a free online summit.
- Register for a training.
- Join a local business.
- There are so many great, free resources out there, be sure you are taking advantage of the opportunities in your area. If you’re unsure what’s available ask around or do a search. Most likely your peers or co-workers will know of something going on in your area.
- ALV offers monthly Weducation events in Chicago. Check with your coach or click here to learn more.
Write better goals and commit
A couple of years ago I worked with a VP who was eager to become CEO. She hired me, an executive coach, to help get her there. I will never forget the first session we had. I asked her what goals she currently had in place, and she laughed. She told me she didn’t set goals, she just got stuff done.
As someone who has worked with many like her over the years, I understood where she was coming from. Next, I asked her what goals she wanted to set and what she needed out of our coaching relationship. This time she was quiet. She had NO idea. While she knew she wanted to become CEO but was at a loss to come up with more than that. She knew she didn’t want to write her goals down, she just wanted to do the work. This was her number one mistake, and the reason she needed to work with a coach.
What gets written down gets done. This may seem like a silly point, but so many of us don’t actually take the time to document our goals in an effective way. When you go to the grocery store without a list you inevitably forget to buy something. When you don’t make a to-do list for chores you lose sight of the actions and get overwhelmed by the mess. It’s no different with goals. Here at Ama La Vida, we believe in creating EPIC goals.
So, what’s an EPIC Goal?
We developed this framework because we know that goal-setting is incredibly important, but it’s equally as important to set goals that are aligned with your overall vision and can clearly be defined as a contributor to your success.
EPIC Stands for:
- Elevating: Inspiring and motivational
- Practical: Reasonable and Achievable
- Impactful: Meaningful and Life-Changing
- Clear: Definable and Measurable
Coach Danielle further explains this concept in this video!
But, you’re likely wondering why you need to write your goals down. Write them better, get more specific, and make them more challenging. Be constantly reviewing them and adding new ones. Push yourself. Challenge yourself. Be sure you write your goals for you and only you. Write down what is important to you in life and compare it to your goals. If your values don’t align with your goals, go back to the drawing board and write new goals.
Have a focus
I spoke to one of the co-founders of Ama La Vida, Foram Sheth, around taking your personal development to the next level. She pointed out the value of focus. She said, “Focus on one thing and work on it for 30 days before you add on another task. When we get excited about our development, we want to do EVERYTHING. but then it’s easy to lose momentum and get sidetracked. Find something you can do consistently for 30 days, this will help you build a habit and get into the swing of things.”
Plan for a bit of failure
Ama La Vida Career Specialist, John Roccia, shares “If you succeed on your first attempt at something, you almost certainly don’t have a robust framework for your success… You should go into any endeavor with a plan to fail. That means while of course, you’re trying to succeed, failure shouldn’t shock you or catch you unprepared. You should know that failure is a very real possibility, you should expect it, and you should have a clear framework for evaluating that failure and squeezing all the information out of it that you possibly can… gather your data, evaluate your methods, and adjust your course.”
Repeat
Psychologists say that it takes doing/saying something 7 times, 7 ways for it to sink in. This applies to what you are learning as well. Go back and read a book again with a new set of lenses. Anything you have already done or tried don’t be afraid to go back and do it again. You will be surprised what sinks in on the second try.
Get a coach
A coach will always take you to the next level by asking thought-provoking questions and challenging you to think differently. If you are passionate about growth and don’t yet have a coach, it may be time to consider this key change. If you know someone working with a coach, ask them who their coach is and what they are getting from the coaching process. Try a free consultation, you can schedule one with the ALV team here.
Which of these sparked a new idea for you?
What action will you take today to move your personal development to the next level?
When it comes to personal development we are all in a different place. Whether you love it, feel stuck, can’t get started, or are bored by it, there may be something you can do to approach your personal development differently. When it comes to taking personal development to the next level, it’s all about trying something new, doing something different or approaching it in a way you haven’t thought of before.
Ama La Vida Coach, Teague Simonic, reminds us, “Don’t break the promises you make to yourself. It’s easy to put ourselves last – but we are the ones who deal with the consequences of neglecting our own development. You matter, so act like it!”
