Did you know that human beings live in a constant search for growth and improvement? That’s right, even if we don’t realize it, every time we feel uncomfortable, sad, or depressed, it’s because our inner being or consciousness is knocking on the door and saying: “Hey, I’m not liking something here, what if we move, and if we change it?
Did you know that human beings live in a constant search for growth and improvement? And it is that this is how we human beings are, non-conforming by nature, in the eternal search for our personal development.
And there’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, with the right tools, it becomes one of our best defense mechanisms for finding our own emotional well-being. For this reason, today we will be talking about personal development because it is summarized as the constant search for the best version of ourselves, our self-realization, and improving our personal life.
And how will we achieve it? Going through a transformation process that includes self-knowledge, the creation of new habits, and leaving our comfort zone, to finally achieve personal development and improve our quality of life.
But calm down, it is important to emphasize that each process is different and depends on each person and they’re their own objectives. Let’s get to know what yours are and find together the best way to achieve them through personal development. Go for it!
What is personal development?
Personal development, like almost everything we know, is the invention of the human being. In this case, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was one of the first to talk about the subject, creating a psychological theory of motivation called Maslow’s Pyramid, where he ordered the needs of the human being into 5 levels, from the most basic to the most complex:
Physiological needs
They are the first step to traveling the path of self-realization, and they are all those needs that we must cover yes or yes to survive since they are biologically obligatory. For example, Food, water, rest, sleep, breathing, and shelter.
Security
When the base of the pyramid is covered, we move on to the next link, which is security. As people, we need to feel safe in many ways: physically, by protecting ourselves from external agents such as cold or heat; economically to ensure our livelihood; by having a home to rest and satisfy all our needs.
Affectivity and need to belong for personal development
At this point, as the statement indicates, Maslow refers to joining other people, through clubs, sports, family relationships, friends, or with a partner, everything that encompasses being social and making us feel loved and connected to others.
Recognition personal development
We are already at the tip of the pyramid! At this point, we have covered all the previous stages and are ready for more. And what does Maslow mean when he talks about recognition? It is a more personal issue, as we said before, it will depend on your own desires, but it is usually related to the trust you generate in others, personal independence, your reputation, financial stability, and even the feeling of freedom.
This stage is strongly linked to our self-esteem and can be divided into two sub-categories:
Inferior recognition: it is when we want to obtain respect, fame, attention, reputation, and dignity from others.
Higher recognition: it is when we manage to trust ourselves, our achievements, and our abilities, finally feeling free and independent.
Self-realization personal development
Being at the top of the pyramid becomes the ultimate goal of the human being on his path of personal growth. It is when we finally feel that we have reached and found what we were looking for. It is a very abstract level because it depends on your main objective, it can be to have reached a maximum ability, the realization of dreams, your physical well-being, and personal growth.
Can you imagine reaching this goal? Do you think we can achieve it together? Let’s keep reading and find out!
Social and professional personal development
Personal development is a transformation process that starts from the inside: when we work on ourselves to find our best version, and then it is externalized: when we relate to others and put it into practice in our day-to-day, in the field social and professional. And how does the social differ from the professional?
Social personal development
Human beings are social beings by nature. In the movie « Into the wild », we see a clear example of this. It is about a young man, Christopher McCandless, who embarks on a journey in search of happiness, moving away from society, and going into nature to survive as in the most primitive times.
Being aware of our actions and how we act together with others. Positively influence your environment, being an agent of change.