My first job, which I happened into while walking home from the tennis court with a friend at the age of 12, payed one dollar an hour, and all the Slurpees I could drink. I killed them on the Slurpees. After that I rototilled yards, pounded nails, sold vacuum cleaners, ski bummed and, among other things, worked at McDonalds for one day. They say that the average person of my generation will have ten to twelve different jobs during their lifetime. My kids, who are part of the so called generation Z, are predicted to have fifteen to twenty jobs through their working years. Each job I have had has allowed, or forced, me to learn a new skill set. At 17, while trying to sell the very expensive Rainbow cleaning system my father directed me to How To Win Friends And Influence People, by Dale Carnegie, which, although I didn’t label it as such at the time, began my personal development journey.
How do you measure your personal development? In the context that I first heard the term it was promoted as a necessary ingredient for success in a particular business. The leaders within that company plainly said that if you were not getting the results you wanted it probably meant you were not pursuing your “personal development” earnestly enough. Even though I feel that I failed at that business my rigorous training in other areas of my life allowed me, after much reflection, to grow from the experience. Matt Morris on his very expansive blog (mattmorris.com), says “ Become a Master in the Art of Living where people can’t tell if you’re working or playing because, to you, you’re always doing both”. I think that expresses the idea I mentioned in a previous post of making a game, or personal competition, out of mundane tasks. In his 10 Tips for Personal Development I particularly value the advise to Start now, Learn from other people (both their successes and failures), Be grateful & recognize your worth, and Keep going and NEVER give up. I would modify that last point to state Never give up on yourself, but it is okay to switch lanes. I ended my business association with the personal development encouraging company; although I still fully believe in the value of the service they sell and am still a customer, I choose to pursue different business opportunities.
The website skillsyouneed.com presents advice in many important areas of life. They promote Personal Development as a life long process with benefits which can “enhance your employability prospects, raise your confidence, and lead to a more fulfilling, higher quality life”. They also cite Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Presented in a pyramid form it states that only when lower, fundamental needs are met can you explore the higher realms. At the bottom are the basic physiological survival needs of food, drink, sex and sleep. Next you have safety and security, both physical and financial. Above that is the need for love and belonging, followed by the need for self-esteem and self-respect. The top three areas of need are cognitive,the need to understand, aesthetic, the need for pleasant, calming surroundings and self-actualisation, the need to reach our full potential, at the top. Maslow states that all people need to see themselves as competent, independent, and self ruling. My personal journey down this path has been marked by many side roads. I do however, appreciate every lesson I have learned, and am more aware than ever of my need to keep growing, for the sake of my career, and full and complete enjoyment of life.