Many of us are keen to improve ourselves as much as possible throughout our lives. Of course, the process of self-development is one that would potentially never end; there is always more to do, always another skill to master or foible to overcome. But as long as you are not obsessive about it, personal development is a wonderful thing which can help to open you up to the fullness of life and really take from it what you need and want. It is hard to get very far alone, however. In most cases, you will find it necessary to make use of a range of personal development tools and resources which will help you out. Let’s take a look at some of the best.
Mindbloom
Many of the best personal development resources out there come in the form of web or mobile apps. With Mindbloom, you have a web application that you can use as a social network for your own personal development. Essentially, it is a graphical interface where you create a tree, which you then build branches on to as a means of representing different areas of development in your life. You are then encouraged to look after this tree and ensure it grows, through a combination of inspiration – in the form of the sun – and action, in the form of water. It’s a useful web app for anyone wanting to make a difference in their own lives.
Tarot
Although it is often regarded more as a mystical means of divination, the tarot is actually a surprisingly complete tool for delving into your own unconscious processes. Used in this way, a deck of tarot cards can provide you with numerous insights into how your own mind works, potentially uncovering a range of assumptions and fears that you might not even have known were there. This can be very useful if you are hoping to get out of your own way and to start living more true to yourself. Sometimes, a single tarot reading is all you need to see where your thinking has been previously muddied.
Mentor
If you are lucky enough to have a mentor who can take you under their wing, that is going to help profoundly in ensuring that you can develop much more swiftly and more in line with your actual needs and desires. A mentor can either be working in a specific area, such as your career, or they can be a general life coach. In either case, having that person there to help you through your blockages can be a powerful way to get ahead with any self-development plan you might be thinking of attempting.
Education
For many people, education stops after they leave school – or once they have finished their undergraduate degree. But there are many times when trying to get ahead on your own path can mean that you need to get some kind of further education. That might take the form of a postgraduate degree, a research fellowship, a short course at a local institution, specific vocational training, or an online course. Whatever it is, seek out the education you need so that you can get ahead as best as you would hope to.
Books
It’s a mistake to think that the internet is the only resource you will ever need in order to develop yourself. There is so much information stored away in books that goes into specifics in much more detail than you ever find online, and for that reason you should consider books an essential part of developing yourself. Some well-known personal development tomes are likely to prove particularly useful, such as Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think and Grow Rich’. But just make sure that you get your hands on a book that is going to work for you – visit your local bookstore and ask around for titles that might help you.
Vision Board
Sometimes all you need to do to make something come true is make sure that it is a real part of your conscious life. A vision board is a great way to achieve that. You can make your own vision board on paper, or you can use an online template version like the one at Happytapper. Either way, it can help you to really focus on what you want, and so make it much more of a reality in no time.
As long as you make use of whatever tools and resources are out there, you are going to find it much easier to develop yourself.
