What is Personal Development?

blue boat

Personal development is our conscious self-improvement and self-transcendence. It is the aspiration to realise our higher self

The process of Personal development involves several aspects:

  • Transcending our Negative Qualities.

We all have negative qualities such as pride, anger and doubt. Personal development is a conscious effort to reduce and minimise these qualities by focusing on the positive aspects of life.

  • Controlling Our Thoughts.

Control of our thoughts is essential for our own development. If we allow ourselves to be at the mercy of our own thoughts, we cannot hope to minimise our negative qualities and bring our good qualities to the fore. Meditation is the best way to cultivate a silent mind.

  • Self-Transcendence.

Self-Transcendence is the art of going beyond our own self-imposed limitations. This means we aspire to reach new goals and not to be satisfied with what we were in the past.

  • Intuition.

Personal development means we learn to listen to the inner voice – our inner pilot. The messages of our inner voice can only be heard with a silent mind. This inner inspiration comes not from our ego, but our Soul.

  • Minimise Desires.

When we live in the world of desires there is no end to our desires. However, spiritual growth means we learn to reduce our desires. By reducing our desires we discover that the source of abiding happiness is to be found in a life of simplicity and not outer success.

  • To Live in the Heart.

If we can live in the heart many of our problems will be solved. When we live in the heart, we can spontaneously feel our oneness with others.

  • Gratitude.

Gratitude is to make a conscious appreciation of the Source of all things. Without gratitude personal development is very limited

  • Enlarging our Sense of Self.

Self-improvement
Is
A continuous self-offering.

– Sri Chinmoy

Our personal development is not just about ourselves. It is about being aware of a deeper and more meaningful connection with other people and the wider world. When we can extend our sense of identity, we cannot help but implement the golden rule – “Do unto others, as you would have done to you.”

  • Who am I?

The ultimate question of personal development is who am I? Through personal development we learn that we are not the body, we are not our thoughts; in fact, our inner reality is far beyond the comprehension of the mind. To answer this question we need practice yoga. Here yoga means union; union between the human Soul and the Supreme Reality – God.

This post is part of What is Personal development? at the Personal Development Blog by Gleb

22 thoughts on “What is Personal Development?”

  1. Further, Jesus told us to eliminate the sins in our own lives rather than passing judgment or looking down on others. For if we judge other people harshly, we will, in turn, be judged harshly:

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