7 Examples Of Personal Development That Have Nothing To Do With Work

Do you remember when you were young and so full of joy about learning new skills that would give you independence from your parents and finding things that would help you enjoy life more? Can you think back to being able to tie your shoe for the first time or when you drove the car somewhere alone?

Maybe your special moment was small and unseen to everyone else, but you still remember because it was meaningful to you. The things that we learned when we were young led us to personal growth and development that would last for years to come. Life seemed so fun! Everything was new and exciting.

Now, here we are, wondering how we can be more in life. Sure, our careers are fulfilling and our homes might be functioning well, but what about the development of self? Do we still search for new things to learn that aren’t related to work?

10 Examples of Personal Development

Do we know how to truly enjoy life and the fullness life can bring? Here are 10 examples of personal development that have nothing to do with work, but will get you motivated to find new joy in life.

Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness is probably where we all should begin as we go on our personal development journey so that we can figure out where we currently are and where we want to go in life.

As we become self-aware we enter into freedom. We are free from misunderstandings about ourselves and our placement in the world. Free from being curious about our likes and dislikes. Free from wondering why we behave the way that we do.

Our freedom gives us the power to do more of what we desire to do because we finally understand what our desires are. Lots of work goes into becoming self-aware, but the outcome is so rewarding. There are books, worksheets, videos, and therapists all dedicated to helping people gain self-awareness, so you definitely do not have to do the internal searching alone. After you have insight, you will be able to dig deeper into the things that really matter to you.

Spiritual Development

Spiritual development is very important and might even go together with your journey of becoming self-aware, since knowing who you have been created to be might be your biggest factor in understanding who you are. Your belief system may be set already, but growing your faith is something you can do over and over again, for the rest of your life.

When you are looking for spiritual direction, there are many different ways of finding it. You can pray and ask for direction, read devotions dedicated to self-discovery, find scriptures that speak to understanding will and purpose for your life, or search for a pastor, spiritual director or a counselor who is capable of supporting your quest for spiritual growth.

There are many more creative ways of enhancing your spiritual life, but if you are trying to figure out where to begin, maybe try one of the things listed above as a starting point.

Exercise and Nutrition

Maybe you found out through your spiritual search that exercise or nutrition are things you would like to focus on. The outcome of a great exercise routine or meaningful eating routine can be a big part of a person’s development of self. Many people struggle with finding balance in their life to include exercise as part of their regular schedule. They have motivation one day and lack the drive to continue the next.

Once you truly find reasons to exercise that are personally rewarding, sticking with it might be easier. When you have decided that your eating habits are more than a quick fix diet, you might really enjoy the lifestyle change.

There are extreme differences in people who are committed to being physically fit for reasons that matter to them instead of being focused on reasons that other people define for them. Diets that are quick and seem to work instantly are not the same as having a group of foods that not only taste good but have a positive effect on your body and leaves it feeling good also.

Physical and Mental Health

Your physical and mental health may not be at the top of your list when you think about personal development, but can you really grow personally if you are not paying attention to your health? A moment ago you read about exercise and nutrition.

Exercise and nutrition definitely contribute to our wellbeing, but sometimes we do great at managing our exercise needs and wants and eat great, but don’t put any intentional care into making sure we are mentally or physically functioning on our best level.

You may be wondering how that can be, and thinking “aren’t I taking care of myself by doing two things that keep me healthy?” Yes! Exercising and being nutritionally sound are excellent ways of caring for yourself if you are clear about what you are doing and why.

Being aware of your physical and mental health means digging deeper than what is on the surface and into the unknown. Sometimes we have to work through illnesses that do not have a clear cure or struggle with finding the best way to manage a mental health crisis. At times we are not as connected to our faith as we would like to be, and we worry about what we may find out if we venture to the doctors, so we avoid going.

The fear we have about our physical health may grow into something more, now we need to focus on our mental health before everything gets out of control. When we lack in one area of our life and try to grow in other areas, it is difficult. Our personal development depends on all areas of our life being connected and working together at all times, so we may a whole and complete person who is informed about out the workings of who we are.

Education

Of course, as you become a person who takes charge of your health you may also need to grow in your understanding of what you have heard. That growth may come from some type of education. When you think about doctor’s offices, the many different pamphlets available comes to mind. Why do you think they have those there?

The main reason for the material placed all around doctor’s offices is to provide information for patients so that they can gain knowledge about whatever information they have been given while there.

In the world of therapy, psychoeducation is the term that is used to describe when more information is given during or after sessions about the topics discussed. People are curious about things that they hear, so education is the next step in the process of understanding.

What about other types of learning experiences? Part of expanding your personal knowledge may happen by learning something you have always wanted to know.

Many young people take a class to learn a new language in high school to prepare for college, but what would it be like to pick a new language to learn? Maybe learn how to play an instrument. Education is valuable because it introduces us to a whole new world.

This article is about personal development that is not related to your work, so you may be thinking we will not mention anything about higher learning in a technical school, college, or university because as an adult, most people go to school for a desired job.

Guess what? We will be discussing higher learning because you can go back to school for many reasons, not just to get a better position in the workplace.

Think about some of the personal goals you have and how you can reach them. Sometimes getting an education is the beginning step. Maybe you have always been curious about how to be a volunteer mentor to youth and would like to learn about getting into that.

Or perhaps you have a family member who is struggling with an illness and you would like to be their caregiver, so you want to take a few classes to understand the care they will need. Possibly you want to learn how to write grants and support a friend who is getting ready to start a non-profit organization.

With all of the options out there now you could do get your education in person, online, or even through the mail.

There are lots of programs to help with financing if money is the determining factor, so maybe even taking a free class on how to find the different scholarships available might be helpful.

Thinking about free classes; there are tons of free classes available for a variety of topics. Maybe the word “free” can be the motivator to beginning your education.

Hobbies and Interests

Okay, with all of that great education you might have chosen to pursue, maybe a love for a new hobby or interest was discovered. Maybe you have a hobby or interest you want to bring back to life? Having something you really enjoy that can also double as a coping tool is great too! Often people search for something to do when they have something they love in their life, but they have forgotten about it due to the busyness of life.

Maybe you enjoy knitting, but haven’t had the time or you have always wanted to write poems, but don’t know where to begin. Writing is something you can try at any stage in life and do it however you want because it belongs to you.

You can grab some paper and a pen (or maybe all you need is your phone or laptop) and just let the words flow. What a joy it will be to go back and read what you wrote at the beginning stages compared to what you write in a few weeks, months, or years later.

You might not feel called to writing just yet, but you are interested in reading what others write, so a good book might be in your future. Or you might be the type person who rather draws out your thoughts and feelings, so a blank canvas might be your best tool.

Either way, hobbies can be so much more than something that just fills the empty time in your day. You can gain so much mental freedom and peace by really getting into things that you love and enjoy. Sometimes we struggle to find those things, so exploring and trying out new activities is helpful, but so is thinking about to your childhood and remembering what was fun to you back then.

Culture: Your Own and Others

Well, we have made it through quite a few examples of personal development that have nothing to do with work. One area we have not touched on yet is culture. Some people would define culture as being ethnicity or background only, while others may say that it is based on where and how they live only.

You can define culture however you would like, but a few ways Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines culture are “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time.” and “ the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.”

After seeing one way the dictionary defines culture and taking what you believe it to be, how can you grow culturally? Part of our personal development should include understanding our own culture along with understanding the culture of others.

Maybe you have decided that you do not have a culture at all because you haven’t looked deep into who you are and where you come from. What do you think you would find if you dug a little deeper?

Cultural diversity is something that can be very beautiful when people are fully aware of who they are and where they come from so that they can share their culture with others. There are certain traditions you may carry dear to your heart and not really identify your culture as being the reason why you continue doing it.

Where you live is your culture. You may have grown up in the Pacific Northwest and move to the East Coast and say certain words that are unfamiliar to them, but very familiar to you and other people who live there who are originally from the Pacific Northwest as well. That is your culture showing up! It is in those moments where you can be curious about the words they use in place of what you said.

Now you taught them something and they taught you. Curiosity and respect go a long way when interacting with others and learning about who they are, so maybe intentional exposure with an open mind might be a great thing to try as you develop your understanding of who you are.

There are differences in economic culture as well. Sometimes engaging in activities that with exposure to the economics of the people in your community is helpful when trying to give back through volunteerism or giving financially. It opens your eyes to the needs of others leading to healing in their lives as you reach wholeness in yours.

Examples of Personal Development with a Counselor

If you would like to go further in your personal development with a counselor, we can help you do that here at Seattle Christian Counseling. We have tools to help you explore who you are and where you would like to go on your journey. Personal development outside of development is rewarding and beneficial in so many ways. You will feel free and ready to live your best life!