Formerly reserved for elites in search of power and glory, personal development has logically become more democratic by advocating harmony and happiness for all those who have the motivation to become better. Do you want to progress and improve to reach new goals? Follow the leader…
the personal development (“self-improvement” or “self-growth” in English) appeared in the United States in the early 1980s? It is therefore not a new discipline, but its field of action and its audience have profoundly evolved since the 2000s.
From financial success to real personal well-being…
Initially, personal development was specifically oriented towards frames and the business decision makers. It corresponded to the almost exclusive quest for success, success, power and money.
Today intended for Mr and Mrs Everybodyhe more generously offers the keys to a personal happinessof a couple life harmonious, with welfare contagious and of a real accomplishment professional.
The books of personal development have also experienced a real craze and colonized the shelves of bookstores. The same goes for online training (example of theUnow organization) and Youtube channels like David Laroche which has hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
The topics covered are most often associated with the register of soft skills (emotional and behavioral skills): the self-confidenceself-esteem, relationship problems, social relationsstress and time management, or well-being in everyday life or at work…
The key themes of personal development
Getting to know yourself better, feeling good with yourself and with others, developing your human and creative abilities, that’s all personal development. Techniques and exercises, bringing together practical experiences and steps to progresspersonal development methods are attracting more and more people.
This work on oneself stems from an elementary observation: each of us can accomplish great things in life. In a word, we can become better for oneself but also for others.
The fad gone, it is now a social phenomenon. We assess what we are worth in this or that field, generally by passing tests, and we progress in the fields where we find ourselves limited. It is the increasingly pressing need foraccess to “wellness” which explains the success of personal development. The premise is appealing: to believe in people and their ability to improve.
Developing self-knowledge and progress responds to a need that is not new. The era is surfing on a nihilistic wave that personal development helps to negotiate. Coaching, oral expression, stress management, feng Shui, body-language, or even emotional intelligence, we are fond of everything that helps us to better situate ourselves on the chessboard of life and to orient ourselves on a daily basis. Normal, we all want to be happy and show it.
Read also: Emotional Intelligence: 5 exercises to boost it
Get to know yourself better to grow
Previously, there was mainly meditation to lean into his deep “I” and probe what was wrong, what needed to be corrected. Religious, mystical or otherwise, the spiritual state is no longer the only way to access a better self-knowledge. In the 80s or 90s, you had to succeed quickly, today you have to give meaning to one’s life.
The success of the 2020s has certainly remained personal and professional, but it has also become family, social and community: we act on ourselves to inspire others. run for win time and make money no longer makes sense, we first want to give meaning to our lives and favor the quality-time (quality time).
Personal development is based on the idea that everyone can act on themselves and on their life to live better and help others. His goal is to try to change his life to get better and move towards more wisdom. It de-dramatizes the obstacles that are difficult to overcome.
It allows us to find meaning and coherence in our lives and to bring ourselves into harmony with our core values.
Personal development enthusiasts have the will to undertake work on themselves in order to know themselves better. It is a personal process to open your mind and explore the field of possibilities.
