PERSONAL GROWTH
Personal development will happen when you make a firm decision to...
Understand yourself
Improve your awareness
Work on your attitude
Believe in yourself and your potentials
Develop your skills
Set your goals
Begin with the end in mind
You need to have a self improvement plan and a system for your personal development and
growth. And then take consistent and continuous actions.
When you know in which direction you want to go, you will work on yourself, do all that you
can and do your best. This is self help. And you will change and grow.
Ask yourself these few questions.
Do you like where you are and what you have become?
Have you ever wished that your life was better?
Is your relationships with others working the way you want it to be?
Are you producing the results that you want?
What makes you feel good?
Why do you do what you do?
What have you been telling yourself about you?
How do you go from here to where you want to be?
PERSONAL GROWTH IN STEPHEN R.COVEY
"We can never really change someone; people must change themselves. But we can help. We can be a
resource."
Personal development in the workplace
The first well-known proponent[citation needed] of personal development in the workplace,
Abraham Maslow (1908–1970), proposed a hierarchy of needs with self actualization
at the top, defined as:[27]
… the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is
capable of becoming.
Peter Drucker wrote in the Harvard Business Review: We live in an age of
unprecedented opportunity: if you’ve got ambition and smarts, you can rise to the top
of your chosen profession, regardless of where you started out. But with opportunity
comes responsibility.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SUMANTRA GHOSHAL
On the one hand the company must allegedly recognize that personal development
creates economic value: "market performance flows not from the omnipotent wisdom
of top managers but from the initiative, creativity and skills of all employees".
career development from a system of predefined paths defined by companies, to a
strategy defined by the individual and matched to the needs of organizations in an
open landscape of possibilities
Personal development programs in companies fall into two categories: the provision
of employee benefits and the fostering of development strategies.
Employee benefits have the purpose of improving satisfaction, motivation and
loyalty.[citation needed] Employee surveys may help organizations find out personal-
development needs, preferences and problems, and they use the results to design
benefits programs.[citation needed] Typical programs in this category include:
• work-life balance
• time management
• stress management
• health programs
• psychological counseling
Typical programs[which?] focus on career-development, personal effectiveness,
teamwork, and competency-development.
How to develop your personal growth plan
by George Ambler on Sunday, July 9, 2006
I first came across the idea of a personal growth plan in John Maxwell’s book “The
Success Journey: The Process of Living Your Dreams“. A personal growth plan is
build upon the belief that personal development is our responsibility and as such we
need to consciously plan our growth.
personal growth plans:
1. Identify the few key areas in your life that you would like to
develop. Looking at your dreams, goals and personal aspirations,
what are the five (plus or minus two) key areas in your life that you
need to develop? What are those few key competencies that will
have the greatest impact on your life, career or goals?
2. Look for resources in these areas. List the resources that you
may need to find that will assist you in developing in each of the
areas you’ve identified. This may include books, blogs, tapes,
seminars or training to attend.
3. Set aside an hour a day dedicated to your personal development.
You will need to create and hour each day to implement your
growth plan. This is a regular time set aside to focus on developing
the areas identified, used for reading, writing and reflecting.
4. Find mentors and build relationships with other growing people.
This is one of the most under-valued areas of personal
development. Look for mentors to support and guide you in each of
the key areas identified, multiple mentors are usually better than
one, as it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find a single person to assist
you in all your key areas.
“If a person will spend one hour a day on the same subject for five years, that
person will be an expert on that subject” – Earl Nightingale
As you develop the areas you identified find a way to apply what you learn. Learning
is only retained and made meaningful through application. The key outcome we’re
looking for, as a result of our personal development, is action.
John Maxwell suggests following three questions:
• Where can I use it?
• When can I use it?
• Who else needs to know it?
Develop your personal growth plan, make it a visual poster and hang it up where you
can see it daily. Then create a daily habit of spending an hour dedicated to your
reaching personal development goals.
Time management skills and techniques
Time management skills are your abilities to recognize and solve
personal time management problems.
With good time management skills you are in control of your time
and your life, of your stress and energy levels. You make progress
at work. You are able to maintain balance between your work,
personal, and family lives.
All time management skills are learnable. More than likely you will
see much improvement from simply becoming aware of the essence
and causes of common personal time management problems
The psychological component of your time management skills can also be dealt
with. The time management skills information below will point at a relevant
solution for your situation.
Get Organized Now!
Ideas, tips, tools and more to help you organize your home, your office and your
life!
How to avoid procrastination
Ability to beat procrastination and laziness is among the most important time
management skills to learn. Identify your causes of procrastination and start
fighting it now.
Decision making skills and techniques guide
Good decision making skills is the foundation for life and time management skills.
Information on decision making skills and techniques with links to related decision
making articles and resources.
Prioritizing techniques save your time and energy
Prioritizing skills allow you to focus on what is most important. Learn to set
priorities wisely, and you will achieve more and will have more of personal or
family time.
What is planning and why you need to plan
Planning as an important time management technique. Planning optimizes your
efforts of achieving a goal.
Action plan techniques
Learn to plan efficiently. Simple and powerful techniques to convert your goals
and ideas into an effective action plan.
Effective delegation skill and techniques
Why delegation skill is important for personal time management, how to choose
delegatee, how to delegate. How to train your delegation skill.
Build coping skills to withstanding life's challenges
Well-developed coping skills help you maintain control and do the best that could
be done when faced with outstanding challenges.
Analyze and improve personal time management skills with a time log
Time log is a very effective time management learning tool. Your minimal effort
and a few tips and techniques can eliminate much of wasted time and help you
reach balance.
A personal digital assistant ( PDA ) outperforms other time management
tools
Advantages of a portable hand held personal digital assistant, or PDA, compared
to paper notes or other personal time management tools
TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Time Management Technique #1: Recognize you can't do it all.
We should all work full-time, spend quality time with our children and spouses and pets,
spend time with our friends, do volunteer and committee work, get involved in causes,
work at staying fit and healthy, and spend time relaxing and rejuvenating ourselves.
Time Management Technique #2: Prioritize.
The other part of the myth that we all can and should do it all is that everything is equally
important. It's not. Just look at your daily calendar on any given day. Is picking up the dry
cleaning really as important as that meeting with a client? No.
Time Management Technique #3: Learn to say "Yes" and "No".
The inability to say "No" is the cause of an incredible amount of misunderstanding and
frustration. Instead of saying "No," people say "Maybe" or "I might be able to do that" or
"I'll see" Then when they don’t do it, the person they said "Maybe" to instead of "No" is
disappointed/annoyed/hurt.
Make it a general rule not to say "Maybe" at all when you're asked to commit to
something. Learn to make quick decisions and say "Yes" or "No" instead.
Time Management Technique #4: Unplug.
Another modern myth that you have to disregard if you want to manage your time
effectively is the idiotic idea that we all have to be reachable and 'connected' all the time.
So recognize this and 'unplug' yourself when appropriate. And make yourself the manager
of your technology rather than being managed by it.
Time Management Technique #5: Take time off.
Many business people in particular fall into the seven day trap. They feel that the more
time they pour into their business, the more successful their business will be.
5 Time Management Techniques Equals More Time?
No. You won’t physically magically get more hours in a day when you put these time
management principles into action.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS
1) Realize that time management is a myth.
No matter how organized we are, there are always only 24 hours in a day. Time doesn't
change. All we can actually manage is ourselves and what we do with the time that we
have.
2) Find out where you're wasting time.
Many of us are prey to time-wasters that steal time we could be using much more
productively.
Tracking Daily Activities explains how to track your activities so you can form a accurate
picture of what you actually do, the first step to effective time management.
3) Create time management goals.
Remember, the focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors, not
changing time. (See Set Specific Goals for help with goal setting.) For a fun look at
behaviors that can interfere with successful time management, see my article Time
Management Personality Types.
4) Implement a time management plan.
Think of this as an extension of time management tip # 3. The objective is to change your
behaviors over time to achieve whatever general goal you've set for yourself, such as
increasing your productivity or decreasing your stress.
5) Use time management tools. Whether it's a Day-Timer or a software program, the
first step to physically managing your time is to know where it's going now and planning
how you're going to spend your time in the future.
6) Prioritize ruthlessly
You should start each day with a time management session prioritizing the tasks for that
day and setting your performance benchmark. For more on daily planning and prioritizing
daily tasks, see Start The Day Right With Daily Planning.
7) Learn to delegate and/or outsource.
Determining Your Personal ROI explains two ways to pinpoint which tasks you'd be better
off delegating or outsourcing, while Decide To Delegate provides tips for actually getting
on with the job of delegating.
8) Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible.
While crises will arise, you'll be much more productive if you can follow routines most of
the time.
9) Get in the habit of setting time limits for tasks.
For instance, reading and answering email can consume your whole day if you let it.
Instead, set a limit of one hour a day for this task and stick to it.
10) Be sure your systems are organized.
Are you wasting a lot of time looking for files on your computer? Take the time to organize
a file management system. Is your filing system slowing you down? Redo it, so it's
organized to the point that you can quickly lay your hands on what you need.
11) Don't waste time waiting.
From client meetings to dentist appointments, it's impossible to avoid waiting for someone
or something. But you don't need to just sit there and twiddle your thumbs. Technology
makes it easy to work wherever you are; your PDA and/or cell phone will help you stay
connected.
ANGER MANAGEMENT
WHAT
Anger is a natural emotion. It’s nature’s way of telling us that something in our lives
has gone haywire. Anger occurs as a defensive response to a perceived attack or threat
to our well-being.
Domestic abuse, road rage, workplace violence, divorce, and addictions are a few of
the external examples of the results of poor anger management.
The Sequence of Anger
Anger is usually “triggered” by an occurrence, like stubbing your toe on an inanimate
object or by something that someone says. Next, you think something like “what did I
do to deserve that”. However, at this point, emotion takes over your mind and the
“pain” of the situation leads you to believe the answer to your question is “Nothing.
I didn’t deserve that at all!” Feelings of hurt and betrayal further try to override logic
and you’re ready to act on your anger by either suppressing it or expressing it.
Suppressing your anger may lead you to believe you have it under control.
Anger needs to be expressed. Yet, aggressive displays of anger can result in violent
eruptions that further hurt you socially, mentally, and physically.
The goal of anger management is to help you find healthy ways to express your anger
and resolve the problems that ignite it.
Anger Management Tips
• Find a safe spot.
Finding a safe spot to act our your anger can relieve the majority of your
stress, calming you enough to solve the real problem at hand. Stomp on a few
aluminum cans. Throw a tennis ball at the garage wall. Buy a punching bag.
• Breath Deep.
Anger often begins when we feel weaker than we really are. Molehills loom
like mountains. Taking a few deep breaths calms you, makes you feel stronger
both mentally and physically, and can cut those mountains down to size!
• Count to ten.
Sounds simple, but counting to ten is an anger management tip that has
worked for centuries! The Roman poet Horace (65 – 8 BCE) said, “When
angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, one hundred.” Counting to
ten (or one hundred) helps you to step back from the situation.
• Give yourself a break.
It’s easier to think when you’re calm than when you’re agitated. Leave the
room, take a walk, ‘whistle a happy tune’.
• Look for the sweet spot.
Learn to act and not react. Although every cloud doesn’t have a silver lining,
when life hands you a lemon, you can make lemonade and when you get
angry, you can find a positive way to express it!
Anger Management Techniques - The Roots of Anger
Excessive anger can be caused by health problems, family issues, drug or alcohol abuse,
financial despair, extreme fear or stress, and spiritual void.
Anger Management Techniques - Effects
Uncontrolled anger has long-term emotional and physical effects on our body.
• Physical effects: Anger causes injury, increased adrenalin surges, high blood
pressure, and increased heart rate; possibly producing stroke, and heart attacks.
• Emotional effects: Anger creates intense guilt, feelings of failure, depression,
constant agitation, violent rage, and possibly suicide.
Anger Management Techniques - Choices
Anger is a very strong emotion. Uncontrolled anger is a life-long pattern. It is not easy to
overcome anger; it requires determined commitment. It requires honesty, courage, and
tremendous inner strength. It also requires help from others. To overcome anger, these steps
are important:
• Consciously determine to be calm. Don't react, think! Remember your goals and
respond appropriately. Choose to remain calm!
• Communicate. When someone upsets you, tell them. Calmly talk to them about
how you feel about their words or actions. Learn to express yourself better -- clear
and composed. Choose to!
• Remove yourself from the scene until you can respond without anger.Your
success will not happen overnight. Take it one step at a time, one day at a time.
Remember to relax. Relaxation exercises or music can be helpful. Keep in mind you
can reach out to someone you trust for help. Choose to!
• Frequently take time for yourself. Do something you enjoy like walking in the
park, swimming, reading the Bible, or seeing a feel-good movie. Do something nice
for someone you admire. It's okay to feel good about yourself. Choose to!
• Look for the positives. Don't dwell on the negatives. "Don't sweat the small stuff."
Learn to be forgiving. This is difficult, but we need to start by learning to forgive
ourselves!
Anger Management Techniques - Gaining Perfect Peace
Anger against ‘wrong’ is not sin! It is no disgrace to admit we have a problem and seek
outside help. Peace, and the solution to life's problems, can only be found by turning to God.
The following is a summary of Dr. Fiore and Dr. Novick’s
eight anger management techniques:
Anger Management Technique #1 — Recognize Stress.
This anger control tool emphasizes the importance of understanding how stress underlies
anger and how to reduce stress before it turns into anger.
Anger Management Technique #2 — Develop Empathy.
This anger control skill focuses on the relationship between empathy and anger
management and how one can reduce his/her anger by learning how to see things
from the perspective of others.
Anger Management Technique #3 — Respond Instead of React.
This anger management technique enables one to respond rather than automatically
react to anger/stress triggers.
Anger Management Technique #4 — Change That Conversation With Yourself.
This anger control technique involves learning to recognize and modify one’s inner
conversations. Learning to change that “self-talk” empowers you to deal
with anger more effectively in terms of how strongly you feel the anger, how long you
hold onto your anger, and how you express your anger.
Anger Management Technique #5 — Communicate Assertively.
This anger management skill is about being able to honestly and effectively communicate
how you feel and to respond to things without getting angry or hostile about it.
Anger Management Technique #6 — Adjust Expectations.
Anger is often triggered by a discrepancy between what we expect and what we get.
Learning to adjust those expectations—sometimes upward and other times
downward—can help us cope with difficult situations or people or even cope with
ourselves.
Anger Management Technique #7 — Forgive, but Don't Forget!
Resentment is a form of anger that does more damage to the holder than the offender.
Making a decision to “let go” (while still protecting ourselves) is often a process of
forgiveness—or at least acceptance—and a major step toward anger control.
Anger Management Technique #8 — Retreat and Think Things Over!
This anger management tool consists of removing yourself from the situation and taking
a temporary “time-out” while sticking to some basic rules that are described
in Dr. Fiore and Dr. Novick’s acclaimed book, Anger Management for the 21st Century.
ANGER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Anger Management Strategy #1: Changing Your Environment
1. If you usually spend your day indoors, make a point to spend some personal
time outdoors.
If you work mostly outdoors, spend some personal, private time indoors.
2. If you spend the day in physical labor, give yourself a “quiet time”. Sit on a
park bench and watch the world go by or sit in your favorite chair and let your
tired muscles relax.
If you spend most of your day in a sit-down job, get those lethargic muscles
moving! After work, take some time to walk, run, exercise to feel a surge of
renewed energy in both mind and body!
3. If you spend your day in noise, make sure your “quiet time” is quiet. Give
yourself a chance to calm down and clear the chaos from your thoughts.
If you spend your day where the silence is deafening, go home and pump up
the volume! Listen to the radio, play a CD, watch an half-hour of television.
Get your mind off your problems!
Anger Management Strategy #2: Learn to Recognize Your Anger Activators
When you’re reasonably calm, take a few minutes to examine recent times when your
anger flared. Jot them down. Don’t relive each; just look for what triggered your
anger – your anger activators.
Each day, “log” occurrences of your anger and their triggers. You’ll likely find that
many of the same things are making you see red everyday.
Anger Management Strategy #3: The Serenity Prayer
You may have heard the platitude, “You’re either part of the problem or part of the
solution.” However, to paraphrase Abe Lincoln:
“You can solve all of the problems some of the time and some of the problems all of
the time, but you can’t solve all of the problems all of the time. ‘
“God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things we can,And the Wisdom to know the difference."
If anger is affecting your relationships, your work, or your health, consider seeking
help. An anger management group, class or private counseling may be your best anger
management strategy.
One of the greatest detriments of anger is that it makes us feel helpless and out of
control.
Anger Management Technique #1: Accentuate the positive.
Your partner or spouse is late again and it’s making you mad as a hatter. Picture
yourself at the “Mad Hatter’s tea party”, the White Rabbit making his entrance “I’m
late - I’m always late”.
• Use the time to file your nails, read that magazine article you don’t have
time to read, file your nails, check your e-mail…
Anger Management Technique #2: Put your anger on hold.
Your partner arrives an hour late and full of excuses. You’ve managed to stay
reasonably calm, but you can see your anger rearing its head. Say, “I know White
Rabbit. Let’s talk about it later and smile! You are still in control of your emotions
and the situation; that’s what’s important. Timing is often critical to keeping anger at
bay.
Anger Management Technique #3: Let humor calm you down.
• Ex: Another driver “cuts you off” in traffic. Break it down to the ridiculous.
Lean back in your seat and take a deep breath. Breathe a sigh of relief that you
at least still have your legs! Picture how silly you must look to other drivers,
tooling down the road in your “cut off” vehicle.
Anger Management Technique #4: Don’t react to anger – respond.
A major anger management technique is in changing the way you think and learning
to respond to anger instead of reacting to it. Reacting to anger is a learned, impulsive
behavior that becomes instinctive. Responding to anger allows you to examine
various solutions and gives you the opportunity to choose the one that works the best
for you.
Anger Management Technique #5: Take care of you.
• Make personal time each day to reflect on issues and consider solutions to
problems.
• Work for balance in your life. Try to leave work problems at work and
personal problems at home.
• Although we tend to often separate mind and body, they work together to
make each of us into one unique being. Regular exercise, healthy eating, and
adequate sleep are as essential to your emotional health as they are to your
physical well-being.
Anger Management Technique #6: Don’t look back, move forward.
Yelling, “This blasted machine never works!” doesn’t make the machine work.
“You’re always late!” doesn’t change what happened in the past and makes no plans
for change in the future, except maybe for a destroyed friendship. When you put the
lid on past problems, you free up time now to find solutions for current and future
problems — anger management techniques to secure the lid on that grumpy
dormouse!
