1. Why are You Trying to Develop?
It is important to understand why you are trying to develop.
The answers to all the questions about ‘what’ and ‘where’ (what should I do? Should I address my weaknesses, or build my strengths? Where should I begin?) all become clearer once you identify why you want to change.
Learning in and of itself can be interesting and fun, but many of us want to develop and improve for a specific purpose. It is important to be clear about this purpose, so that you can assess whether your learning and development activities are moving you closer to your goals. It is also easier to get motivated when you have a clear picture of where you want to be at the end of the process.
Our pages on Developing Your Personal Vision and Refining and Narrowing Your Vision will help you to be clearer about what you want to achieve and why.
2. Planning Your Development
Planning your personal development (and documenting your plan) will help to make it more realistic.
There is something about writing things down that makes the hyperbolic (exaggeration) look ridiculous, and the unrealistic stand out like a sore thumb. Making a plan for your personal development, which includes time limits and stages of development, will force you to be realistic about what you can achieve by when.