Choosing Your Personal Development Setting

Though the phrase "personal development" hints at an activity that one does alone, this is not always the case. Many people find that the best way to develop personally is to learn from others. To be successful in your personal development goals, you must first figure out which style of personal development is best for you. Once you do that, you can begin your journey.

A great way to decide if a group setting will work for you is to think about the past activities that you have enjoyed. If you have tried learning focused group activities such as a book club, a community class, group fitness classes and other activities in which the goal was to learn something new in a group setting, then there's a good chance that you are a candidate for a social-centered personal development strategy. If the opposite is true and you find yourself uncomfortable of uneasy in such a setting, this is a good indication that you will probably do better with a more private approach to personal development.

One factor that many people find works better in a group setting is sticking with goals and deadlines. For a lot of people, it's easy to put things off and delay if they are doing it on their own with no one expecting anything from them or relying on them. In a group setting there is a certain amount of peer pressure and the sense of letting others down that spurs us on to not quit and to not put things off. If you are prone to this kind of procrastination and not following through, you might be better off working with others to develop yourself.

Of course, if you find yourself enjoying groups that have a more laid back attitude and have trouble staying on track as a group, then you might be better off going it on your own. Perhaps the procrastination and delay is not your fault, but rather a consequence of being around others with this tendency.

If you decide a group approach is best for you, making sure you attend the group meetings and events regularly is extremely important. If you don't then not only are you not working on things yourself, but you are getting a false sense of accomplishment of belonging to a group. You aren't doing anything, but by being part of a group you feel that you are.

For a small group of people, the best personal development strategy consists of a little bit of both approaches. Perhaps the majority of the plan will be individually based, and you only occasionally attend group events to see what others are doing so you can gauge your success. This often helps with motivation and with keeping and open mind in regards to what works best.

Good personal development is a continuous and ongoing process and you must constantly reevaluate your plans success and progress. If things become stagnant, do not hesitate to change the plan. This might be a good time to either join a group or opt out for a while, depending on the current approach.

There is no one best method for personal development. Each person is different and will benefit from a different approach. What's important is that you recognize that there are multiple approaches and then find the one that works best for you.