What is Personal Development?
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You have a unique calling
God uniquely created you to become someone special and to do something special. This is the calling. Calling is not just for certain people. Every believer has a calling in at least three areas of his or her life: a calling to character or personal holiness (Ephesians 1:4), a calling to a relationship with God (Ephesians 1:5), and a calling to ministry – a unique contribution to God’s Kingdom (Ephesians 2:10).
2. You are responsible for your own development
You are responsible for your own development and learning. Don’t wait to be taught. Find ways to learn and grow. Opportunities are everywhere. As a disciple of Jesus Christ we are to be life long learners. There is wisdom in a multitude of counsel. Confucius said something interesting when he said, “Put me in the company of any two people at random – they will invariably have something to teach me I can take their qualities as a model and their defects as a warning.”
3. You must develop holistically
Many people focus only on skills that come easy to them. They can become unbalanced, with the weaker areas causing trouble in their life. Jesus developed his disciples in a holistic way. Luke wrote, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Four areas of personal development are mentioned in this verse: intellect, physical, spiritual, and social. Mark 12:28-31 says we are to love the Lord with all out heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor. These two examples teach holistic development.
4. Others can help you
The body of Christ is essential for your growth. The Apostle Paul wrote that we become mature through the service of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). The writer of Hebrews instructs us to keep meeting together to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24-25). You cannot grow and mature all on your own. You need other people to help you, think with you, ask you hard questions, and to encourage you. That’s the way God made humans.
5. Be learning focused, not teacher focused
Adults learn better through dialogue and discovery rather than someone teaching them. The normal method of a student passively listening to a teacher is not the best learning style. The learner should be active in choosing the learning topic, reflecting, asking questions, searching for answers, and applying the learning. Coaching facilitates this kind of learning.