Personal development courses in the UK

Why is personal development important?

Self-development is the process of taking steps towards improving yourself whether by learning new skills or improving existing ones. Personal development often varies drastically depending on the person and their values.

Personal development is important for a number of reasons. The act of setting and accomplishing goals and skills helps us to continuously grow throughout out lives. Having something to work towards helps to keep you on track, driven and motivated and in the long run, happier.

But how do you go about accomplishing goals? Put simply, personal development involves goal setting, planning how you will accomplish these goals, and executing your plan. You can spend hours planning how you will achieve your goals but if you want to see results then execution is key.

While it may sound overly-simplified, the surprising truth is that people are actually not great at setting goals and many people struggle to follow through and fall short at the execution phase. Here, will power and discipline are key to your success. It is all very well saying that tomorrow you will start your diet but what actions have you put in place to ensure you follow through. Have you thrown out junk food? Or done healthy food meal prep? These small actions can help set you up for success.

Maybe you want to improve your public speaking skills, in truth, this is not something you can work on every day. So why not sign up to a public speaking class, or even acting classes to ensure you're committed or find ways that you can do this more in your current job. 

Before worrying about enhancing employability, improving verbal communication or upgrading your interpersonal skills, start by exercising your technique in setting goals. Many people go wrong by setting goals that are either too easy or too ambiguous and this often doesn't translate into something concrete and actionable. Goal setting is something that your life coach can help you do.

Develop your skillset with a coach

Personal goals differ depending on the person. Someone highly career motivated may set themselves career orientated goals but these are not the only types of goals people may set for themselves. Learning to speak a new language or starting a new hobby like sewing can also come under the category of self development - if you're learning something new then you are improving yourself!

While career goals tend to involve things like IT skills or pubic speaking skills, individual goals fall under elements such as exercise and mental health.

• Career goals may focus on:
  • Professional skills
  • Job skills
  • Conflict management skills
  • Leadership skills
  • Improving IT skills or technical knowledge

• Personal goals may include:
  • Fitness skills
  • Mental health skills
  • Developing a positive mindset
  • Facing social anxiety
  • Learning to play the guitar
  • Learning a new language
  • Working on bad habits

Where can you find a personal development coach?

You can find accredited personal coaches (also known as life coaches) online. There are a number of platforms, such as Superprof, that have a huge range of life coaches all over the UK. During your first meeting, your coach will help you develop an actionable plan with clearly labeled goals. By the end of your first meeting, you should leave with a concrete plan and your life coach will be there with you every step of the way to help you succeed!