Accelerating the self-improvement process

Personal development, although a rarely mentioned term, is critical to making an individual proactive. Personal development means to invest in oneself for effective self-management. Making this commitment to personal development is the first step to personal fulfilment. Rather than waiting for good things to happen to you, it is necessary to go out there and make them happen on your own before you lose your edge alongside some great opportunities. 

Personal development begins with self-awareness. Understand your own worth and choose a purpose based on that rather than following the trend or the popular culture. With a clear sense of direction, you can eliminate anything that does not take you to that direction. The 80/20 rule can help you identify the vital things that will take you to your desired direction. The 80/20 rule states that roughly 80% of results can be attributed to only 20% of all causes, which means if you can identify your most crucial tasks, you can accomplish most of what you desire.  

Personal improvement comes with clarity and clarity comes with focus. The biggest obstacle to focus is distraction. This happens when one fails to see the difference between the benefit that will be received from the actual activity and the activity that causes distraction.

Personal development cannot stop bad things from occurring but will help you deal with bad situations by making you confident, resilient and adept at personal and interpersonal skills. When personal development is important to someone, they make sure that friendships are mutually beneficial, enabling both parties to be the best they can be.

Self-improvement is about taking the time and making the commitment to improve an individual's best resources. The ability to manage oneself in a variety of situation makes one adaptable to change and improves one's self-monitoring abilities. At the end of the day it is important to remember that self-improvement is a continuous journey.

Nabila Hossain is a senior at Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka. Reach her at  nabilaanima@gmail.com.