Hello, and welcome to another summary of an article I found on the web using the tag ‘self development articles.’
You can view all the previous summaries in the series by clicking on this category link. And here is a link to my Personal Development page for your convenience.
The series of summaries of self development articles works like this – I find an article on the web using the tag ‘self development articles’ and I summarize it for your convenience. It is intended as an aid to find worthwhile self development articles on the web and condense them for you. It saves you time!
I got the idea from using the Blinkist app. I can hear you saying “what the hell is that?”
It helps you work smarter and be smarter! It is an aid to self development.
To find out more about Blinkist click here.
Today’s Self Development Article – The Difference between Personal Development and Self-Improvement
Like yesterday, this is not an article but a question posed on the Quora forum.
Favorite Quote from the Author In the Article
Summary of the Article
The answer given is relatively short so I reproduce it here in full:
The two definitely go hand-in-hand. Personal development involves building character traits or skills that will help you advance socially or professionally. For example, if I would like a career in the culinary arts, I would study culinary trends, focus on cooking techniques, and learn from others in the field. Many personal development activities can be in the form of volunteering, odd-jobs, or supplementary classes.
Self-improvement involves the critical analysis of internal characteristics that need improvement. They don’t have necessarily have to be negative traits, but traits where there’s room to grow and develop. For example, if I feel like I’m not as ambitious as a could be, I’d focus on ways to motivate myself to work harder. I don’t even have to necessarily be lazy in order to strive to be more productive. But I want to find something within myself to push me to do better.
I think the former is more career/goal oriented while the latter has a deeper self-reflective element to it. But both are needed to become the best person you can be.
Reading Time of the Article
1 minute
About the Author and Lesson(s) Learned From The Article
Josiah Larkin writes about Visiting and Travel, Self-Improvement, Health, Community Service, Karate, and 4 more subjects. He is a San Francisco Luxury Car Service owner.
The lesson I learned from this answer was that common sense answers are often the best. Now, if a professional had answered that same question then you can bet it would not have been so succinct.
Likewise, Larkin speaks from life experience. It is the wisdom forged in life’s battles that is most valuable especially compared with some professional hypothesis.
My Take
A common sense answer and one that is valid. Yet, I ponder the reasoning behind the question. I remain to be convinced that there is a worthwhile debate about the definitions of ‘personal development’ ‘self improvement’ et al.
It’s the need to improve that matters. Or, a desire of the need to improve. Self awareness is the key. Look at yourself in an honest fashion. Do I need to change? Am I happy with the way I am? What do I need to do if I need to change? How do I achieve that change?
These are the real questions.
Personal development is such a wide term. It covers a multitude of situations.
Conclusion
A short read but a well thought out answer to the question.
I do hope you find this series of self development articles useful. If so, then bookmark this page.
This is a further post in what has become a series about self development. The idea is that I take an article or perhaps a video or an infographic and summarize what it really means. I have always been a believer in self development even before it became trendy!
Shucks I even write about self development in my About page! And if you need to know more then please check out my Personal Development page. Self development? Personal Development? C’est la même chose!
If you have a thirst for information like me then I can help. I believe I have found part of the solution through Blinkist. It is an app that if used properly can be a tremendous aid to self development.
One of the advantages of me going through many hurdles of trying to create and improve myself in my retirement is that I have discovered things that work. Things that aid productivity.
One of those things that aid productivity is Blinkist.
The aim of this series is to summarize to you articles that I believe assist in self development. Damn it! More than that – help you achieve, be a better person. Blinkist does that too. It will give you a synopsis of excellent books written by experts in their respective fields.
It helps you work smarter and be smarter! It is an aid to self development.
To find out more about Blinkist click here.
Formal Education vs Self Development
Indeed, I am a great believer in self development. Formal education can only teach you so much. The rest is up to you. Learning is within the capacity of all. We do it as soon as we leave the womb and it should be a continuous process. You are never too old to learn.
Through my passage in life, I feel qualified to pass on my wisdom about self development. I feel so strongly about it that I intend to eventually offer one to one consultations to help anyone who is prepared to listen. Listening and learning are the easy bits. You as an individual have to implement those lessons. No one can do it except you!
You can be the most intelligent person on earth but without self- awareness and self development then you run the risk of stagnating. Even worse, you could go backwards.
To search for all personal development books at Amazon.com click here.
For a general search of Amazon.com click here.
For UK readers please click on this link for Amazon.co.uk
Sometimes though it can be a case of a specific problem holding a person back. For example, some people suffer terribly from shyness or social anxiety. If that applies to you click here and read on.
Feedback is always welcome.
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