Self-Development Activities That Will Change Your Life

Personal development is a life-long journey. Let me be the one to break it to you—you’re in this for the long haul. It is practically impossible to remain the same person you were a few years ago. You might not notice but you are constantly changing and growing. Incorporating proper self-development activities can help brighten your future. To avoid being thrown about involuntarily by all the changes in your environment, you have to take an active role in developing mentally and make the decision to leave your comfort zone. This is where self-growth begins…

Any strategic activities that keep you learning and growing in a positive way is a personal development activity. That’s it. The severity of that activity is entirely your choice. Do you want to grow quickly now or grow steadily over time? I think that you should pace yourself with personal growth. Sometimes growing too quickly will cause you to miss important details that will be beneficial to you later in life. Lasting growth takes time and dedication.

Stages of Growth and Development

As human beings, we all go through life stages involuntarily. We start this life through birth and we don’t stop progressing until we get to the end of our lives. What we choose to accomplish during that time frame is entirely up to us. 

Here are the specific physical stages we must all go through— unless, of course, you’re Benjamin Button.

• Infancy – From birth to age one
• Early Childhood – Ages two to three
• Middle childhood – Ages four to eight
• Adolescence – Stage 1 – Puberty – Ages nine to thirteen and Stage 2 – Older adolescence – Ages fourteen to eighteen
• Early adulthood – Ages nineteen to thirty 
• Middle adulthood – Ages thirty-one- fifty
• Old Age – Ages fifty-one and beyond

What Are Examples of Personal Growth?

Every individual on earth has different goals and dreams. Some goals will be similar to others but ultimately they will all look significantly different upon completion. The best place to look for examples of personal growth is your own life. What have you accomplished so far? What are some things that you would never be caught doing now that you’ve enjoyed doing five years ago? The answer to these questions will shed a light on your personal growth. Keep in mind that accomplishments don’t always have to be public—the most meaningful ones can be extremely private.

 

“Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead.” ―Morihei Ueshiba 

Journaling 

This is hands down the best activity to get your thoughts and emotions aligned to elevate yourself. It allows you to uncover a significant amount of information about yourself. By journaling, you’ll be able to identify and eliminate your limiting thoughts which is, ultimately, the main thing holding you back.

Physical Activity

Get your body moving to elevate your heart rate and get your blood pumping vigorously. Exercising is a great way to clear the mind and relieve stress.

Spend time learning from and interacting with people you aspire to be 

Read a book written by someone you admire. It could be your favorite entrepreneur, activist, or artist—the choice is yours. Learn all their lessons and mistakes, it will help you avoid some pitfalls during your journey.

Take time away from distractions

If you are distracted 24/7 you will not be able to properly complete anything. Turn off your phone and be with yourself.

Schedule Self-Care Time

Let’s face it, a little pampering is exactly what our bodies need to unwind from all the insanity we choose to put it through. If you work all the time and don’t allow your body to de-stress,  then you’re setting yourself up for long term problems. Avoid burnout by taking the time to take care of yourself.

Some Self Improvement Ideas to get your brain buzzing

In order to start your self-improvement journey, you’ll need to find your why. Ask yourself these questions:

• Why do you want to create a self-improvement plan? 
• What are you unhappy with about your life? 
• What do you want to achieve?

Be very detailed and specific. It’s okay to take your time answering these questions—they’re not easy and they do require some serious thinking. When you’ve successfully found your answers you will have more than the basics to create your plan and successfully start your journey to improvement.

What is a self-improvement plan?

Simply put, it’s a well-thought-out plan to achieve your full potential through self-discovery. The way you go about making that plan and sticking to it is what will make it effective. Creating a self-development strategy and not implementing it in your life will only be a waste of time.

How to make a Personal Growth Plan

• What is your end game? Be specific!!
• When do you want to achieve that goal? Pick a specific date
• Create a digital or paper vision board that reflects your specific goal
• Break down that goal into categories 
• Break down the categories into smaller achievable tasks
• Set a deadline to achieve that smaller task
• Complete one small task and reward yourself for completing that small task
• Move on to the next small task on your list
• Keep working on your small tasks until your final goal is achieved

Rinse and Repeat for the next large goal in your life.

What Self-Development Activities Are You Currently Engaged In?

If you’re not currently working on anything that will develop your mind, soul, and body then you’re doing yourself a big injustice. Activities could be as small as waking up early every morning to accomplish more goals or practicing active listening. The more you work on yourself, the better you will become.

 

“You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.” ―Henry David Thoreau

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