|
10 Must-Have Personal Development Goals to Help You Live a Life You Love
Rev. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, NBCT, RScP
Heart-Centered Career Transition & Job Search Coach | Certified Life Strategies Coach
Bookstores are filled with personal development and self-help books that point to how to improve yourself in every area of your life. From weight-loss help to how to find and keep a loving relationship to how to be a better leader, it's all there. The advice is prolific, and you can find whatever it is you may have a taste or a need for.
The same goes for the Internet. You can find an online expert who can help you with every area of your life.
These resources are available to those who are all looking to live happier, healthier, more prosperous lives.
If you want to improve your own life, a great place to start is by setting goals for yourself. Setting goals will help you achieve your dreams, whatever they may be.
At the end of the day, you need to take control of your life. The idea is to strive toward ongoing self-improvement. It is not only an admirable thing to do, but it is also necessary for self-growth and developing a greater sense of purpose.
Personal development goals enhance your life in many ways. They allow you to achieve more and become happier and healthier.
Here are a few examples of personal development goals that can have an enormous impact on your life.
1. Cultivate a growth mindset. Shift your attitude to one of constant renewal and growth. Doing so will help you recognize that life is a journey. It is an ongoing process of learning and developing along the way. The job of becoming the best version of you is one you have the opportunity to work on every day of your life.
A growth mindset keeps a positive focus on change and renewal. It will help you continue to strive to learn and change over time.
2. Embrace your fears. Understand what causes you to feel fearful. We are all fearful at one time or another. Sometimes, we fear things we do not understand. So embracing your fear may take away the power the fear holds over you.
Know that people who have shown courage in their lives often felt fear. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is taking action in the face of fear. Mark Twain wrote, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear-- not absence of fear.”
3. Become resilient. Your ability to overcome adversity is referred to as "resilience." Resiliency--also called "grit" by some--helps you overcome problems and tackle obstacles head-on.
Vow to become more resilient, then actively work toward that goal. It will allow you to become more self-confident and courageous. Resiliency helps you feel confident to continue, even after a failure, as well as after a success.
4. Work on your body language. How you feel about yourself is conveyed in how you carry yourself. Your body language is made of all the non-verbal cues you send to people about what you think. Focusing on this can help you communicate more effectively.
If your facial expression and gestures don't line up with your words, people will be confused. You may notice their reaction to you and feel a little frustrated. Focus on your body language and make sure your facial expression and movements are in alignment with your thoughts and feelings. This can help you develop your confidence in all kinds of situations.
5. Get up early. Early risers experience many benefits over those who sleep late. Those who awake early are more likely to make time for exercise in their daily routine. They start their day off with goals set and priorities made. And they manage their time better in general.
Getting up early leads to increased productivity and reduced stress.
6. Practice mindfulness. Striving to be more mindful is an essential personal development goal. When you are aware of yourself in the moment, you recognize the good in your life, and you can celebrate it. Mindfulness roots you in the present, not the past, which you cannot control. It also allows you to enjoy your life as you are living it, not just focus on the future.
People are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of practicing mindfulness in their lives. Some schools are even teaching it to students, and teachers are seeing positive results. Children who are taught to be more mindful act out less, are more empathetic, and develop greater self-control.
7. Develop healthy relationships. Creating relationships with others is an essential life skill. Work on relating to others through honesty, transparency, and kindness.
The goal of developing a healthy relationship is not to manipulate others but to experience less conflict in your life. Conflict inhibits your growth rather than expanding it.
It is also helpful to strive to develop friendships with people who have different points of view or come from different backgrounds. There is much to be gained from appreciating the perspective of others.
8. Read. Reading as much as you can is useful for increasing your knowledge. It exposes you to new ideas and opinions, and it can help you find solutions to your problems.
Reading promotes happiness and greater satisfaction in your life in general. Read more.
The new skills you develop from reading can help you achieve more of your personal goals.
9. Get your stress under control. Managing stress is important to your physical and psychological health and wellbeing. Many of the activities you can do to lower your stress are beneficial in other ways, as well.
Know your stress triggers. Work toward eliminating them to the extent that it is possible. This is an excellent self-care strategy for everyone. (For more help on getting your stress under control, take advantage of the free cheat sheet I have worked up by clicking here.)
10. Let go of limitations. When you limit yourself by your beliefs and fears, you can never achieve your goals. Ignore your self-imposed limitations. Try new things, take new risks, and stumble in the process.
Allow yourself to experience failure as well as success. By doing so, you can grow and expand your skills as well as let go of the fear that may be controlling you.
No matter where you are in your life, there is probably at least one area that you feel you could improve. Most of us can identify more than one!
Recognizing that we want to make a change and develop ourselves in a positive way is a good first step. If you are serious about making these changes, however, you have to start with a clear goal (or goals) and then you need a game plan.
Nothing will happen by accident. If you want to change things in your life but do nothing about them, nothing will change. Just identifying areas of improvement won't get the job done.
Instead, you have to take the proverbial bull by the horns. You have to make a decision that you want to make a specific change, and then you have to determine the steps you need to take to make the change happen.
Millions of people have undertaken the goal of improving their lives all around the world. Some have already been successful in making changes, and we can learn from their examples. Who knows? As you change and improve your life, you may someday share your experiences so that others can learn from you!
It has been said that "Life is a journey, not a destination." Where do you want your life to take you? What kind of journey do you want to experience? It is all up to you.
Until next time.
P.S.
Is one of the improvements you want to make a new job or a career change? If so, I would offer to you that it is Open Enrollment time for the spring Group Coaching Cohort.
I am offering two opportunities for group coaching support. The first call that has been scheduled is for Monday, March 4th at 7:00 PM EST.
The Saturday group hasn't been scheduled yet, but Saturday's will be an option for those prefer a Saturday session as opposed to Monday's
This 10-Part, 16-Week “Jumpstart Your Job Search” Coaching Program will get you unstuck and on your way to the next job or the career of your dreams!
Here’s what you will discover with this program...
- Uncover or discover your natural talents, aptitudes, and gifts with a variety of assessments designed to help highlight the things you love to do, are naturally good at, and may want to use in your next job or career.
- Gain focus and clarity on what you need to do next and how to set goals that will get you started on the career transition you want for yourself.
- Understand how to write a resume that will give you an advantage over other candidates and will make you a “stand-out” from the mountains of resumes that are received every day
- Learn how to write a cover letter that will be read, not trashed without a second glance.
- Discover how the Applicant Tracking System works and why it is NOT your friend when you are uploading your resume into electronic systems. Learn the “work-around” so that the ATS doesn’t sink your chances at getting the job you want before you even get started.
-
Optimize your LinkedIn profile in such a way that it attracts recruiters who are looking for talented people like you with your background, level of education, and work experience.
- Understand the importance of auditing your social media platforms other than LinkedIn
- Create (or re-create) your personal and professional brand so that you make the most of the talents, skills, and abilities that you have.
- Learn how to interview with skill, ease, and poise. Practice with an expert!
The next Group Coaching Cohorts will start in March, so now is a perfect time to get started.
To make your purchase, click here: https://boitnottcoach.samcart.com/products/jumpstart-your-job-search-group-coaching-program/
You can get the full program for $997 or $177 in 6 equal payments.
Have questions? Email me at kittyboitnott@gmail.com or make an appointment for a 20-minute complimentary Discovery Session to determine if this program is something you might benefit from.
| 
