I have always loved developing myself, I’m very passionate about personal development. It started when I was on the graduate scheme for my current company, they sent us on lots of development programmes and I realized how much I enjoyed learning about myself and how I could improve. This interest has stayed with me ever since, always looking for ways to learn. I think it is of great importance to grow as an individual. I realize there is so much out there that I don’t know and so much that I want to learn. Everyone has things that they can improve. I feel that through improving myself I get more out of life.

I have listed all the things that you can do to support continuous learning:

1) Read as many books as you can

Make a list of all the books you’d like to read, there are some great ones out there. Get recommendations from friends and on personal development blogs. Don’t just read the book, implement the ideas you read about. Click here to access Bestselfology’s You Tube site where you can find some great book recommendations.

2) Ask for feedback

‘We all need people who will give us feedback, that’s how we improve’

Bill Gates

Receiving feedback helps you to become more self aware and you should encourage it. Listen to the feedback and act on it.

3) Get a mentor

You can enroll on a formal mentor programme, but as Sheryl Sandberg says in her book ‘Lean In’ some of the best mentoring comes from people you meet and form a relationship with and ask for help from. Either way, having someone who can offer you advice and guidance can be critical for your development.

4) Spend time with inspiring people

You can learn so much from those around you. If you spend time with inspirational people, they will not only help motivate you, you can also learn from them and how they approach things.

5) Create a development plan

To be able to grow and develop it can be beneficial to create a development plan detailing the specific areas you are working on.

6) Create dedicated thinking time

It can help to dedicate a good amount of time to personal development. If you are busy, this is something that can take a back seat, so allocating specific time can be beneficial.

7) Challenge yourself

Set yourself challenges to stretch yourself and learn. 30 day challenges are an excellent way to develop over a short amount of time.

8) Write morning pages

Morning Pages come from Julia Camerons book The Artists Way, they are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. Cameron explains that there is no wrong way to do morning pages, it is just about capturing everything that pops into your mind, for your eyes only. They provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. They can help you with your development as they help you focus your thoughts and explore.

9) Stop watching TV

Depending on the sort of programmes you are watching, you might find you are not learning much from watching TV, that your time could be much better spent on other activities.

10) Read personal development articles

You can subscribe to personal development blogs and read up on personal development ideas to give you inspiration for your own development.

I’d love to hear your comments about personal development and continuous learning in the section below.