Self-development – is it important in today’s time? In modern world high technology, maybe someone will answer: “No. For what? Everything has already been thought out for us, all that remains is to enjoy the benefits of civilization.” What if famous artists, great musicians or outstanding scientists thought so in their time? Would we have what we have now? Would we know what the Internet is and about many others? useful things, without which it is impossible to imagine our century?
Self-knowledge is a life-long journey that every person goes through on his or her path of development. Self-development is an integral part of every individual, making life varied and interesting. In addition to the fact that a person must go through established stages in his life general development, such as: kindergarten, school and university, it is necessary to do something that would bring moral satisfaction. Be it languages, music, sports, or maybe cooking.
The stages passed through do not make a person an individual. It is formed only through our efforts and efforts throughout for long years. By doing a certain thing, a person creates an improved version of himself. At the same time, it not only satisfies the moral side of life, but also increases its importance in the labor market. Because the more and better skills you have, the higher your professional value.
Right choice
Self-development and self-knowledge can contribute the right choice profession, because by getting to know different areas, studying something new and trying on different roles on themselves, everyone chooses what is closer to them and in which they feel more confident.
Remembering your surroundings, think about how many of them really do what they love and what brings them not only stable and high wages, but also peace of mind. Do you want to make a profit or social recognition while doing what you love, or do you still want to be where you don’t like to be?
From time to time, everyone thinks about the changes that could be introduced into their lives. This is due to the fact that everyone has potential that needs to be realized. One part of people who have decided to change themselves go and do it, despite the difficulties encountered along the way, make every effort, and as a result get the result they have dreamed of for a long time. The other part, not finding support from family or friends, or encountering other obstacles, gives up everything and returns to their previous life, watching the former from the sidelines. You shouldn’t let go and always be in the territory of observers; you can develop yourself, get to know yourself in different areas, and become an example for others.
Walking around the Internet, you can find ordinary people, which attract a significant number of viewers. They found what they like to do, what they are good at. For many, their profiles with beautiful photos, heartfelt posts or motivating achievements become a “kick” to action, to start looking for themselves. Self-development and self-knowledge takes a lot of time and effort. But if you think about it, those people did not become famous with a snap of a finger, they also struggle with their old selves every day, come up with new ideas, develop and enjoy motivating others.
Personal self-development plan
Everyone who follows the path of self-development, strives for something new for themselves, has a certain plan drawn up in their head or on paper. You can call it “Personal Self-Development Plan”. It may consist of the following steps:
- Self-esteem at this stage of life;
At the first stage, you need to determine who you are now? Are you satisfied with everything at this time or does something need to be changed? The result you would like to achieve is not so important here; the desire and desire for change plays a significant role.
- Formation of a clear goal;
Moving to this stage, determine what exactly you want to change:
- find a new hobby, hobby
- try yourself in another profession
- play sports or achieve certain results in it, etc.
When the goal is defined and set, you need to determine how to go towards it, in another way, subgoals.
- Definition of subgoals;
Think of subgoals as small steps towards a big result. For example, if a person studies a foreign language, he does not immediately take on difficult topics, but starts from the very beginning. Having studied the initial level, he moves on to a more complex one, etc.
- Action in practice;
It is important to act and not put everything off for another time or another day. Once a goal has been set and subgoals have been identified, you need to start.
- Analysis of achieved results.
After some time, when the goal has been achieved, or when several subgoals have been achieved, you need to analyze how you or your life have changed.
Forward to the goal!
Working on yourself is daily painstaking work, which, with diligence, will definitely bear fruit. The main thing that needs to be overcome is laziness and the fear that nothing will work out. By putting something off until tomorrow, you can put it off for the rest of your life. And when the realization comes that in your youth you could do anything and everything, you will feel sorry for wasting your life watching TV or wasting it on the Internet. So why not get down to business? If you were good at languages at school, it’s never too late to learn the one that suits your liking. If you want to dance, but embarrassment takes over, fight your fears.
Author of the project “Self-organization and self-management”. I write about planning and goal setting, priorities and results. I observe and experiment a lot. I create custom planners, weekly planners, and diaries. By profession he is an andragologist, by vocation he is an optimizer. I appreciate clarity of thought and purity of thoughts.
“Why don’t my plans come true?”, “Why can’t I do everything I plan?”, “Why doesn’t planning become a habit, but the desire to plan fades away after a few days?”, “How can I plan if I don’t know?” , what will happen to me not only in a couple of days, but also in the next few hours?” - these are the most common questions you hear when it comes to planning.
Today the answers seem simple and obvious to me. But once upon a time I also searched for the truth and experimented. Then it seemed to me that the whole point was in my own inefficiency, inability to manage own time. I made to-do lists, set priorities, tried to get more done and accomplished a lot, but this did nothing to reduce the gap between life expectations and reality.
Puzzles logically developed in my life thanks to a coincidence of circumstances. First puzzle - my job. I was lucky with my job for two reasons. IN at a young age I found myself in a system where understanding strategy and tactics were key, and goal setting and planning were an integral part of every business. But then I had not yet projected this knowledge into my own life; it was applicable only to work processes.
The second reason was that the modern education system was on the path of reform and introduction of new methods and technologies into training which form the ability to set goals and independently organize the learning process. Behind these innovations was a lot of work by teachers and psychologists, which I had to study and understand the basic mechanisms of self-organization and self-control. I practiced both in my profession and in my own life. It became easy for me to use strategic plans and tactics for their implementation not only in global work projects, but also in my own life.
Another puzzle is mine the desire for reasonable rationalization. Since childhood, I have loved to structure everything. Schemes, map tables - this is the language in which I could clearly explain various processes and phenomena. It has always been easier and more interesting for me to live with order in my head. I strived for planning and had a passion for different planners, diaries, and bought different notebooks in search of the perfect one. As a result, I developed my own individual one, with which planning became simple, understandable and exciting work.
And the final puzzle that formed the whole picture in my mind was studying a systems approach. Awareness of the importance of an interconnected system of work to achieve maximum results, combined with the ability to see strategically (large-scale) became the basis of my life changes.
Today I like to plan, live according to the plan and achieve the planned results.
A good plan is based on personal priorities, is clear and simple, includes a strategic understanding of how to solve current problems and tactics for regular steps to achieve results.
Do you want to create your own plan? personal development based on these principles?
Welcome to the marathon “Secrets of good planning, or How to create a self-development plan.”
It will take eight days to create the plan. Every day is one step. The ninth day of the marathon will be the final one; on this day we will sum up the results and draw conclusions. And I will give my recommendations.
Running a marathon will have two effects:
1. creating an individual self-development plan
2. formation and development of skills:
Think strategically (big picture);
Work on your own priorities;
Separate the important from the unimportant;
Draw up a work strategy and tactics for daily actions
We will need:
Time - daily 30-40 minutes.
Notepad or notebook.
If you decide to go this route with us, leave a request in the comments. Block out 30 minutes in your planner for the next two weeks to do marathon work, even if it means borrowing time from sleep. Find a quiet and secluded place, perhaps in the kitchen or bathroom so as not to disturb other family members.
With the growing number of motivational and developmental books and articles, not only the author’s personal experience in a particular issue matters, but also the presence of any practical evidence that these methods work. Let's talk today about where to start self-development and in what areas you should develop.
Self-development of personality: experiment
A pilot study was conducted with a group of young people. They were given a condition - they had to spend 2 days alone. At the same time, any entertainment, including gadgets, was not allowed. They could still study, read ordinary books, write something, and so on - a set of ordinary everyday activities. Plus, each of the participants could stop participating at any time.
Experiment results
The results are, to put it mildly, shocking. About 100 people took part in the experiment, but only 3 reached the finals: 2 girls and 1 guy. Later they told how they occupied themselves. The young man devoted time to physical training, one of the girls plunged into the world of art and creativity - read books and wrote a diary, and the other - took up meditation.
The remaining participants simply could not stand the torture, saying that they decided to end their participation. But what's even worse is that each of them has changed internal state– they became more nervous, irritable and developed chronic diseases.
Conclusion
Modern youth are simply not fit to live without what they themselves are accustomed to. They cannot completely abstract themselves from the world and plunge into the abyss of their own consciousness, or even choose more traditional means pastime.
Most young people devote themselves to watching TV, surfing the Internet and social networks, and texting about nothing. At the same time, the concept of “self-development” is either unknown to them or has no meaning.
Self-development - where to start?
Today, the topic of personal growth is no less relevant than the topic of zombies in media culture over the past few years. They keep repeating on the Internet and in books that the pledge successful life, self-confidence – self-improvement.
Nevertheless, many people have a question not about what exactly needs to be done or how best to approach this process, but simply - where to start?
You need to start, as always, with an understanding of what exactly you are doing. Development is the process of improving or changing everything that exists. Life, in essence, is a constant development, which, if it does not concern any qualities, necessarily passes through the prism of growing up, social relations and different views of the world.
Based on these judgments, we come to the conclusion that self-development is purposeful actions, the main goal of which is to change or improve certain aspects of life, be it a career, the ability to communicate, or any necessary skill.
Theory is always important, so it would be even more correct to refer to the dictionary: self-development is intellectual or physical development a person on the basis of independent studies and exercises, on his own initiative, without the assistance of any external forces.
Understanding your own actions is the first step towards self-development. Now, specifically about where to start.
Self-development plan
If a person is standing in the middle of the forest and does not know where to move, the first thing to do is to determine where exactly he is.
It's the same here. Having realized that it is necessary to develop, you need to understand at what point this development will begin, and what specific efforts need to be made in order to achieve a certain result. A series of questions will do this.
Ask yourself questions
- What doesn't suit me?
- What doesn’t suit people whose opinions are important to me?
- What would I like to achieve?
- And so on.
Wheel of Life
It happens that it is difficult to immediately determine which problems prevail in life, so the “Wheel of Life” will come to the rescue. It will consist of 10 sectors, each of which is responsible for vital aspects of the existence of each person.
The main thing here is to approach the implementation as objectively as possible. You must see your shortcomings and gaps that need to be corrected, and not create the illusion of a good life.
Let's look at some of the sectors.
Health
One of the fundamental sections on which success in other areas of life depends. Proper daily routine, healthy sleep, exercise and good food.
Spirituality
The ability to hear yourself, control emotions and direct them in the right direction. A minimum of negative emotions and continuous positivity. Meditation is one of the methods that can help achieve spiritual balance.
Finance
This is that section of a person’s life that, when we feel dissatisfaction, prevents us from sleeping soundly at night and, accordingly, has a very detrimental effect on existence as a whole. Many people devote to problems financial well-being all my life, but sometimes it’s enough to make a little more effort - to show your perseverance at work or find a new one, start your own business or improve your qualifications.
Sociality
People surround us everywhere, so a lot depends on the ability to communicate. Put yourself in the right position and treat truly important people with dignity.
Personal growth
Pay attention to your own skills and abilities, develop memory, creative thinking, fight procrastination, smart time management.
As you can see, there are really many areas, so you need to make a clear choice in favor of one direction or another. If it is very difficult to decide, then you can go in order. By improving your health, finding a common language with yourself, stopping worrying about the financial side of life, learning to communicate with people and constantly developing, you can really achieve great success. The main thing is not to scatter yourself on everything at once.
Be honest with yourself
In order to benefit from the process of self-development, you need to determine where it is really needed, and to do this, take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses.
You looked the truth in the eye, and with tears identified your own mistakes. But this was not done to show how bad life is. On the contrary, to fix it. First, you still need to decide where to start.
Dividing the goal into subgoals
The solution to the problem of each sector should consist of one global goal, which can be divided into several smaller ones in order to make it easier to approach the implementation of that single one. In order not to get confused about what you have to do along the way, it is better to write down each stage.
How to set a goal
It also happens that it is difficult to set a goal. There are several for this general rules, which will simplify the process. It is necessary that the goal be measurable, it can really be achieved and the deadline for achievement must be clearly understood.
For example, let's draw up one action plan. For example, you decided to become better by acquiring new skills and decide financial questions of my life, having found new job. The problem is a lack of knowledge, inability to concentrate and poor productivity.
What can and should be done for this?
- Take advanced training courses;
- Learn to focus on business;
- Learn to plan your time, attend a training about this or read a book;
- Write a resume, sending it to all the places where you would like to get a job.
Full list of things you can work on:
- Formation of useful and getting rid of bad habits;
- Development of personal and professional character qualities;
- Improvement financial situation, increasing financial literacy;
- Development of useful skills;
- Work on appearance: style and figure;
- Lifestyle and attractive lifestyle;
- Work on voice and speech;
- Work on behavior, gestures and gaze;
- Motivation and discipline;
- Development of thinking and intelligence;
- Psychological and physical health;
- Relationships with the opposite sex and friendship;
- Development of charisma and communication skills;
- Interesting hobbies and interests;
- Sports: development of strength and endurance.
On our website you can find useful information on each of the items (see menu).
- What is self-development
- Willpower
- Motivation
- Memory
- Time planning
- Discipline
- Psychology
- Self-esteem
- Self confidence
- Relationship
- "Secret"
- "Pay someone else"
- Lao Tzu "Tao Te Ching"
What is self-development
A person’s personality is an unstable quantity. Over the course of life, it undergoes many changes depending on what tests we withstand and what tasks we set for ourselves. And even living in the same rhythm and adhering to a stable schedule, we change. Often – not for the better, since lack of development almost always leads to degradation.
Many people experience an identity crisis at the age of 30-35. At these moments we understand that simply living and working is not enough. That we want something deeper and more global from ourselves, that minimums do not suit us, and that not everything can be measured with money and other tangible measures.
Some people come to this earlier, some later, and some don’t come at all. For some people, the trigger is shock; for others, insight occurs naturally and gradually. As a result, there is a desire to take the path of self-development, stop making demands on the world and start working on yourself, engaging in self-development.
What is self-development? This is a constant and comprehensive process of working on oneself, developing one’s positive qualities in different areas - physical, intellectual, creative, emotional, spiritual. Self-development is characterized by voluntariness and self-control, when a person learns new information and applies it in practice without any external coercion.
Why is it important to engage in self-development?
Really, why all this torment? Learning new information, tiring sports, constant stress... After all, you can calmly relax on the couch, watch TV series and enjoy “doing nothing.” But idleness is imaginary happiness, the other side of which is fraught with depression and disappointment in life.
Man is designed this way: he needs constant growth, searching for something new. Stopping moving (not only in the physical, but also in the mental sense), he begins to degrade. Swimming can be used as an example - in order to stay on the water, we must make an effort. Having relaxed and lost control, the swimmer immediately goes to the bottom.
Look around and compare happy and unhappy acquaintances. What is the difference? Happy people open a new business, attend training courses, play sports, travel constantly, and learn something new. Unhappy people work at the same job for decades, have fun only with the help of beer and are constantly looking for someone to blame for their failures.
The answer to our question is simple - you need to engage in self-development in order to become happy. Anyone who has set foot on this path understands that both the process itself and the results bring pleasure. And that this resource is inexhaustible, because the upper level of perfection simply does not exist.
Where to start self-development and self-improvement
The very, very first step that precedes any action is thought. Desire, idea - call it what you want. They are individual and formulated differently for everyone. From the vague “I don’t want to live like this anymore” to “I plan to learn five languages and earn at least one hundred thousand a month.”
The first thing you need to do is want it. Moreover, you need to want it long, persistently and continuously. At first, you won’t understand how to even get down to business, doubt your abilities, wander in the dark due to a lack of guidelines...
Then the answers will start coming. They manifest themselves in a book that someone gave, in an unusual person, in new opportunities (for example, going on a multi-day camping trip).
At this moment, you need to accept all constructive suggestions and all unexpected challenges. But you yourself need to constantly look for these answers, strive for them, and not sit idly by. Read articles on the Internet, watch videos on self-development, look for books, try some of the recommendations in practice. From all this, a methodology will begin to emerge, the first results will appear, and you will see your path.
This may take a lot of time - it all depends on the person himself and his starting position. For some, a month will be enough, while others will be searching for a year or two. The main thing is not to give up and remember that the search will definitely be crowned with success.
8 reasons why people don't develop
It would seem that everything is simple - you take it and develop. You bought a book and read it. Or go to the gym, pick up a barbell, and lift yourself whatever you want. But no! If everything were simple, there would be a lot more people involved in self-development.
There are many factors, the absence of which prevents us from improving.
Willpower
Psychologists have long argued about what willpower is, why some people have it and others don’t, and what to do about it. We conducted a ton of experiments and research and came to the conclusion: willpower is such a thing. personal quality, which can be developed like a muscle. And its presence is mainly determined by upbringing and habits established in childhood. Lucky were those who had disciplined and strong-willed parents who developed these qualities in their children. If this is not the case in the family, well, the path will be long, but everyone is capable of going through it.
What is important in defining willpower as a concept is this: thanks to this personality quality, we can follow our decisions and do everything necessary to achieve our goals without succumbing to laziness, reluctance or procrastination.
How to develop willpower? There are two main methods: doing and not doing. Doing is performing unpleasant or boring, but useful actions, for example, exercising in the morning. Non-doing is the conscious refusal of actions that cause harm. For example, from smoking or overeating.
By the way, church post This is precisely a practice aimed at training willpower: through refusing certain foods, we learn to control ourselves. If you dig even deeper, you will find that all religions have similar practices of renunciation - food, comfort, property, certain thoughts or actions. This is because the technique of not doing strengthens willpower much more strongly.
Willpower is a spiritual quality premium, one of the most important for a person. By developing it, you can radically change your life. Have you heard the phrase: “I know what’s right, but for some reason I do the opposite”? This is what people with undeveloped willpower say.
Motivation
Motivation is a powerful force. When a person wants something very badly, he is ready to move mountains. Did something go wrong? That means they didn’t want it well. After all, when you really want a cake, are you ready to walk three kilometers to a late-night supermarket to get it?
So, it turns out that you need to teach yourself to want correctly? Exactly! Our cunning brain is aimed at saving energy, as Mother Evolution ordered. And he will come up with excuses to dissuade his owner from unnecessary work: “Well, why is this necessary? We're already doing well! Oh look, there's a new message in the messenger! Look, look, there are kittens in the picture!”
Therefore, you need to use cunning against the attitudes of your own subconscious, which is lazy and only wants to have fun.
How to motivate yourself to work? First of all, you need to set the right goals, because even the best motivation will not work when you do not understand what you want or set false goals imposed by society. For example, money or status. By listening to yourself, you may suddenly discover that what you really want to do is hitchhike or volunteer in Africa, and not spin around like a squirrel in a wheel to satisfy other people's needs.
So, having set the right goal, we concretize and visualize it. Business - what? What will you do, target audience, idea, team, slogan, theme colors? What kind of house? How many floors, is there a garage, basement, sauna, how many rooms?
For example, you want to start your own business, but have never done business. Create conditions in which you can understand how suitable this activity is for you: for example, register withfree business game"Your start" . This is a business simulator where you can game form start and develop your business, gaining a lot in the process useful information about entrepreneurship.
Once concretized and visualized, we must remember our goal and its positive emotional components. Constantly imagine how you will practice interesting projects as part of a business or choosing curtains for the bedroom in your home. Think positive.
Do not doubt your abilities, believe in victory and do not assume other options. People who have achieved high results in life are often asked: “How were you able to implement such a complex project?” In response, many of them say: “I made the decision that I must follow this path to the end, whatever it may be.”
Memory
Memory is very important for a harmonious personality. We constantly need the ability to remember information and operate with it: in study, work and even entertainment. You can only carry on a conversation if you have something interesting to say. How can you do this if you don’t remember the plot of the book you read or the ups and downs of your own journey?
For successful work, memory is one of the main tools. The more a person achieves, the greater the flow of information rushes through him. How to deal with it if the flash drive does not hold large volumes? Write everything down? Well, no, this is not an option.
Memory, like all other qualities, can be developed through exercise. For example, readhow to become smarter in 15 minutes a day, and apply this information in practice.
Time planning
It is impossible to complete complex and multi-stage work without planning all its steps. This also applies to self-development. Anyone who wants to change their life for the better must have a plan for the year, month, week and day.
But you also need to be able to plan. Not everyone is able to make realistic and feasible plans the first time. Therefore, we recommend studying25 rules for planning timeso that this skill makes the job easier, not more difficult.
There are planning secrets that optimize work so much that you wonder - where did I spend so much time before? To learn how to use all 24 hours wisely, go throughfree course to help improve productivity.
Discipline
Discipline is another pillar of self-development that you can’t do without. All practices aimed at improvement require constant and routine repetition. Anyone can go for a run once, every third person can last a week, and only a few can turn running into an integral part of their schedule.
Discipline is necessary both in order to give up bad habits, and in order to adhere to a daily routine, and to accustom yourself to proper nutrition.
Discipline is also needed in order to fight one of the worst enemies of development - laziness. Finding the answers to the questionhow to overcome laziness, we become closer to our goals.
Psychology
Our results depend greatly on our mindset and attitudes. If you think “I won’t succeed anyway,” then that’s what will happen. If we consider all rich people to be thieves and scoundrels, then we will never become rich - we don’t want to be bad. If you are sure that “all men are assholes,” then you will meet such a companion.
How to think and what to think is up to us. Find out,how to think effectively- and you will save a lot of time and effort that you spent on soul-searching, worries and destructive emotions.
Self-esteem
A person accepts only what he considers himself worthy of. Everyone sets their own level of income, attention from the opposite sex, and other life criteria.
Unrealistic self-esteem (overestimated or underestimated) prevents its owner from realizing himself in life. We do illogical things and choose to lose, subconsciously believing that this should be our fate. Failures, suffering, communication with toxic people - these are all the choices of a person with unhealthy self-esteem.
To correct the situation, you need to understandreasons for low self-esteemand try to eliminate them. Often they are hidden in deep childhood, associated with parental divorce or bullying at school - letting go of such things is very difficult, but necessary.
Self confidence
I will succeed - they tell themselves successful people. They are confident that they are capable of achieving more, and even in case of failure they continue to believe that they will succeed, but next time.
A person’s most important resource is himself. You need to trust yourself, believe in yourself, respect yourself and love yourself.
But how many people hate themselves... They don’t even want to buy themselves beautiful clothes because they “don’t deserve it.” Before you start developing, you need to find the answer to the question:how to love yourself? Self-improvement without self-love is impossible...
A harmonious personality is strong in all planes of life at the same time. To develop yourself evenly, you need to draw up a step-by-step plan that will include all the main growth vectors.
This plan is individual for everyone. One solves integrals in his head, but has not yet learned how to build relationships with the opposite sex, the second throws a two-pound weight with one left hand, but has read only one book in his entire life. And the third may even come to the understanding that he really doesn’t know how to do anything and has not developed any of the vectors.
When building a plan, you need to take into account all areas, but at the same time carry out supporting work where you have already achieved success (so that there is no bias in the opposite direction) and devote more time to those aspects that have not yet been developed.
Spirituality is a complex and multifaceted issue. We will not talk about religion and philosophy now, these are too complex topics to discuss now. Let's talk about those aspects of spirituality that make a person happy.
Gratitude. By learning to be grateful for every little thing, we always experience joy even in difficult times. A grateful person can find a ray of hope in the trembling spring leaves and kitten games. He easily forgives the shortcomings of his loved ones, remembering that they were there when he needed help. Gratitude is wealth.
Love. Loving unselfishly, without possessive manners, of course, without demands - this is a high art. It brings joy, just like playing your favorite instrument or looking at the ocean. True love knows neither fear nor pain.
A spiritual person always feels responsible for his actions, lives consciously, and strives to be better. He does not lose faith and does not allow himself to fall into despair, he strives to explore the world and be free from passions, addictions and negative thoughts.
What do you mean by “personal growth”? This is the improvement of indicators responsible for intellectual activity and the richness of the inner world, improving the quality of life at the mental level. Achievements of goals, positive thinking, development of memory and intelligence - all this is included in the concept of personal growth.
To make it completely clear, I will say that the results of personal growth remain with us forever, even if we find ourselves completely bankrupt without a roof over our heads. A mature person will have enough knowledge and skills, fortitude and motivation, determination and self-confidence to withstand the most difficult situation. A person with low personality indicators is dependent on material possessions, and therefore lives in fear of losing what he has.
People who have gone through illness or lost their ability to work understand the importance of health more than anyone else. You can work, study, develop, love and explore the world only if you have the strength to do so.
Young people often neglect their health. It seems to them that they will always be strong, no matter how they eat, drink alcohol or smoke. In adulthood, feeling the consequences of their frivolity, they grab their heads and bite their elbows. Some people come to their senses in time and manage to restore their health, but it is often too late.
We have enough information and understand wellhow to be healthy. We know very well that we should not indulge in bad habits, overeat, work until exhaustion, or be nervous a lot. But how often do we use this knowledge in practice?
The problem of modern busy people is especially common - they do not know how to relax properly. But rest is the key to productive work. Breathing exercises, meditation, relaxation in nature, voluntary solitude, quality sleep - points that need to be given enough attention.
You definitely need to introduce physical activity into your life, at least walks in the park. We’re not talking about professional sports – it’s more of a traumatic activity than a useful one. But light physical activity puts the body in a state of vigor and gives energy. Let it be dancing, badminton, cycling - whatever brings you pleasure. The main thing is that they should be regular.
Relationship
Each has its own type of relationship. They are different, but equally require constant work: building frameworks, expressing love, caring, spending time together. Unhappy is the one who earns a lot of money but does not see his children grow up.
The relationship with one more person is very important - yourself. In fact, it is from them that the building of all other connections begins. Anyone who respects and loves himself knows how to respect and love others. Anyone who cannot find a common language with himself will never make friends with others.
All people need to realize their potential at work, make a difference to others, and do something they are proud of. This is such a deep-seated need that ignoring it makes a person unhappy, even if outwardly everything is going well for him.
Therefore, it is important to choose a business for career development that is fun and enjoyable to do. When you wake up with the thought: “Hurray, there is so much interesting work today!”, the issue of money and promotion will be resolved by itself.
Of course, not everything in this world can be bought with money, and in general, their role is too exaggerated. But it’s impossible without them. Having financial freedom, we feel calm and confident, we can afford to travel, spend money on cultural and mental development, eat right, provide for our family, and help our parents.
Most of us are employed. You can earn a good income from such a job, especially if you are a good worker and are constantly moving up the ladder. career ladder. But this is not always the case, and many specialists, having reached the career ceiling in some organization, come to the conclusion that it is time to go free. You just need to understand how to start correctly.
To do this you can gofree training to help you start your own business. By working for ourselves, we can achieve much more financially.
How are you spending the New Year? I’ll try to guess: put up the Christmas tree, set the table, buy champagne and ring your glasses as the chimes strike, making wishes. There are brave souls who break the system to smithereens - they do not cook Olivier salad and herring under a fur coat.
Why not order a quest for the whole family? Or go to the forest, light a fire and decorate a real Christmas tree? Or do something else crazy?
And we would like to, but we don’t know how, right? So it turns out that our imagination is enough to refuse Olivier at the New Year's table.
Many interesting adventures and unprecedented undertakings do not require serious expenses, physical training or a lot of time. We just don't have enough ideas. In order to turn into a person rich in inventions, you need to know How develop creative thinking.
Making your life bright is not as difficult as it seems. This is not a whim or a luxury - our soul and brain need emotions, impressions, joy, delight. All this makes our personality richer, nourishes us like a sweet elixir.
In the process of self-development, not only the mood is important, but also the quality of information. We mainly get it from books and films, which we will discuss below.
10 best films for self-development
Films useful for development can be divided into three categories: feature films, where deep philosophy and motivation lie; documentaries, where you can learn more about the world around you, human psychology and the path of civilization; and biographical - about people from whom you can take an example.
You can bring a wholelist of biographical filmsO outstanding people, but I will remember only one thing: this is a BBC documentary about the greatest scientist who discovered many physical laws. He unraveled the nature of light and gave us the law of universal gravitation. But what kind of personality was Newton, what allowed him to become the most enlightened mind of the era and what secrets did he hide?
A film starring the unsurpassed Jim Carrey. This story is about a loser named Carl Allen, whose life passes him by. Karl always answers “no” to all proposals and is content with the existence of a hermit, because he is afraid to even leave the apartment. But an event happens that forces Karl to say “yes” to any, even the most insane proposal. And this is where his new life begins.
A comedy film about life priorities and how important it is to be attentive to your words. The main character in the role of Eddie Murphy brings a special charm - he’s the one who can chat endlessly and with great speed. Successful literary agent Jack McCall, who knows how to persuade even the dead, pushes family and love into the background, devoting all his time to his career and money. But after learning that there are only a thousand words left in his life, and that after saying the last he will die, Jack begins to think about what is more important to him.
We can see the beauty of wild nature in all its scale, and the traces of human exploration of the planet - so small from a bird's eye view, but so globally changing the appearance of our Home forever. Who are we, and what is the role of each of us in the destruction or creation of the Earth? Are we ready to take responsibility for preserving our monastery?
"Secret"
"Secret" - a documentary interview about how a person attracts events with the help of thought, about the power of desire and the materiality of information. The film consists of a series of interviews with different people, outlining the philosophical basis of the “law of attraction” using examples from their own lives.
"Pay someone else"
"Pay someone else" - a touching film about the boy Trevor, who invented interesting system mutual assistance. He did good deeds absolutely unselfishly, but at the same time asked to “pay someone else,” that is, to do good to a stranger. So the chain of good deeds grew and went not only beyond the city, but also beyond the state. One child changed the lives of many, and this makes us think: after all, we too can change the world, we just need to want to.
This mystical and deeply psychological film is based on the book of the same name by Stephen King. It tells about the final place of prisoners, where they are prepared for execution. Death is in the air, everyone becomes real in front of its face: someone demonstrates nobility, someone demonstrates baseness of spirit. Staying true to yourself and helping even your executioners - only a strong person is capable of this. It is he who changes the worldview of everyone who meets him.
10 best books for self-development
It is known that the most successful people read a lot, mostly specialized literature - on psychology, self-development, and their profession. Fiction books should also be read - they enrich our lexicon and develop imagination.
You need to read a lot and regularly - it is advisable to create a schedule for yourself and set reading standards for each day so that the work moves in the same rhythm. Your schedule should includelist of books on meditation, psychology, business and finance, history of the country and the world, biographies, philosophical literature and motivational books.
And so that you can cover large amounts of information without much stress, we recommend taking a free course"Reactive Brain" . Its developers took speed reading techniques as a basis and enriched them with exercises to speed up thinking and structure information.
The author of the book independently walked the path to success from scratch. Even without finishing school and starting his work as a laborer, he became the vice president of the company. By exploring his own experiences and the stories of others, Brian Tracy became a famous psychologist and wrote many books about success and how to achieve it.
Have you ever wondered how much resource we spend on being nervous, worrying, suffering from failures and worrying about the future. Our nerves and emotions also require energy, and by ceasing to worry about the inevitable, we free up a lot of time and energy for work. Mark Manson teaches us how to achieve goals without being held back by unnecessary emotions, and to move on even after the most epic failures.
A long time ago, in the 1960s, in the vastness of Mexico, anthropologist Carlos met the Yaqui Indian Don Juan, who turned out to be a magician. He passed on all the knowledge to his new student, and Castaneda wrote it down in the form of field notes, later published in ten volumes. We don’t encourage you to read all ten, but we recommend volume three, “Journey to Ixtlan.” It contains a summary of don Juan's philosophy - the path of the warrior, relationships with the world and oneself. An important concept is the sense of self-importance that slows a person down in achieving goals. Advice: think of the book itself as a fairy tale with a moral, since the main thing in it is philosophy, not plot.
An autobiographical book by an American journalist who managed to change her life and make her dreams come true in a situation from which there seemed to be no way out. A girl from a family of 11 children, Regina went through difficult trials in life and managed to cope with them. These tips are about learning to live with your past and let go of grudges while moving forward.
Robert Kiyosaki: "Rich Dad Poor Dad"
It's always interesting to read books by people who have lived colorful lives. Robert Kiyosaki was a marine, a pilot, a sales agent, a businessman, and a teacher. Today he is a successful investor and writer whose books have become bestsellers. He teaches not how to make money, but how to change your thinking, because that is what master key to wealth.
Bruce Lee "The Way of the Leading Fist"
Who hasn't heard of the legendary Bruce Lee? We know that he was a martial artist and famous actor, but we forget that he was also a philosopher and reformer in the field of martial arts. His notes were published in 1975, after the author’s death. They seem to be dedicated to martial arts, but in reality they are full of deep reflections on the development of the warrior’s personality.
We have already talked about willpower and its importance for development, and now let’s pick up a book about the method of cultivating this property in ourselves. Psychologist and teacher Kelly McGonigal has carefully studied this issue and came to the conclusion that in attempts to develop willpower, we are often guided by false ideas and are captive of stereotypes. The book talks about research, experiments, people who put Kelly's advice into practice and the results they were able to achieve.
Lao Tzu "Tao Te Ching"
It is not for nothing that this book is placed at the very end - it is better not for weak minds to mess with it. Lao Tzu is an ancient Chinese philosopher who is credited with authoring a treatise on the two principles of life: Tao and Te. It is better to read it little by little, several sentences a day. You can study Lao Tzu all your life, but never fully understand it. Therefore, do not be alarmed if at first his sayings seem like sheer rubbish. Even one meaningful idea from the treatise will bring a lot of practical benefit to the reader - for example, about non-action as an important component of activity.
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It is read that a person’s personality is formed by the age of three. This statement is only partially true: on the one hand, spiritual values, lifestyle, and the foundations of a worldview are laid precisely in childhood(even if not by the age of three, but certainly by the age of five or six), and on the other hand, self-education and the formation of conscious principles have not yet been canceled. Yes, a child’s consciousness perceives the norms laid down by parents much more easily, but this is only the starting point from which the path of self-development in adulthood begins.
What is a personal self-development plan?
The process of self-development involves permanent job over yourself, the desire to change your life for the better, maintain health, while constantly moving forward. Any development of personality can move in two directions: the constant desire for self-improvement implies the growth of moral, spiritual and healthy principles, and passive contemplation without any goal sooner or later leads to regression. Nature is complex and unpredictable, but this principle has no exceptions - all living things, including humans, either develop or gradually degrade.
The path of self-improvement is difficult and thorny. Not only external factors sometimes prevent a person from becoming better, but also his inner “I”. Awareness of the problem does not guarantee its successful resolution: self-development, like a puzzle, is made up of many disparate and equally important pieces. The essential components of success are:
- the right direction;
- firm confidence in the desired result;
- motivation for personal growth;
- strength of will;
- willingness to sacrifice established habits in favor of a new, healthier lifestyle;
- progressive but continuous movement towards the set goals.
The main assistant in achieving this goal will be a personal self-development plan. It will help you clearly outline the desired results, break down the difficult path to a ghostly distant goal into short-term steps with individual achievements, outline the boundaries of what is permitted at each stage of the path, and think through methods that will help you get closer to your dream. It is not necessary to immediately develop a plan “for the next five years” - it is enough to think through just the first few steps, and the rest will follow in the process, when the body gets the taste and appreciates all the delights of a healthy lifestyle. In addition, if the plan is successful and a healthy lifestyle becomes an obligatory part of the daily routine, this plan will be adjusted and supplemented constantly, because self-development is a dynamic, never-ending process. It’s enough to take the first hesitant steps, and the rest of the progress will seem easy and self-evident, because it won’t work out any other way!
How to make a self-development plan?
The key to self-improvement is correctly formulated goals. They should not look unrealistic or exorbitant. Each person takes this path for a good result:
- achieving harmony with one’s own “I”;
- preserving and increasing health - the only valuable, but, unfortunately, exhaustible resource;
- victory over one's own fears, complexes, and weaknesses.
Of course, this formulation can be left unchanged, but in this case the plan will look vague, and the results, although important, will be difficult to achieve. It is much easier to put highly spiritual values into a more tangible form in order to experience joy and inspiration from small but regular victories over oneself.
Each of your goals will look transparent and achievable if you break it down into its components. To do this, it is worth answering the question: what does a person lack for balance and integrity? The answer will become the basis for planning consistent self-development. For example, the harmonious development of personality is impossible without control over one’s emotions, the ability to keep thoughts and feelings in order, and the predominance of the spiritual over the material. Maintaining health means giving up bad habits, rational balanced diet, active lifestyle and thoughtful daily routine. Victory over one's own weaknesses can have hundreds of guises: for some it is just a fight against laziness and a passive position in life, for others it is necessary to eradicate gossipers and idle talkers, and still others do not want to get rid of commercialism... The list of nuances can be endless, because each person has a unique inner world and a set of qualities. However, you must agree that in this vein of self-development, planning looks much simpler and more accessible.
This breakdown is not final, because moving to a new level may take more than one month. It is difficult, and sometimes dangerous, to completely rebuild the body in a day or even a week, give up junk food and start actively playing sports. In any process, including self-development, rationality and consistency are needed, so it is better to break down each component of the final goal into micro-components and, based on them, build a self-development plan for a month or week. This will help you track the results achieved, adjust the program as it progresses, and analyze why certain aspects cannot be translated into reality.
Personal self-development plan. Stage No. 1: bad habits and how to deal with them
The most common addictions are alcohol, nicotine and drug addiction. Of course, these are the most insidious and dangerous enemies of a healthy lifestyle, so you should get rid of them immediately. However, the list of bad habits is not limited to this: no matter how controversial it may sound, basic nail biting, nose picking, finger cracking is not so much a sign of bad upbringing as a banal sticky habit. And of course, the scourge of our time - Internet addiction - confidently occupies an honorable place in the ranking of human addictions.
Many people don’t even notice how they become slaves to bad habits - sticky manipulations are firmly ingrained in the subcortex, so they happen automatically. Therefore, getting rid of them at first seems almost unrealistic. However, nothing is impossible: a well-designed personal self-development plan will help you overcome harmful cravings step by step.
Why is it necessary to overcome bad habits?
We can talk endlessly about the dangers of alcoholism, smoking and drug addiction. Many medical articles, scientific papers and treatises have been written on this topic, but it has not been possible to fully put this information into the heads of patients - the number of people addicted to “doping” across the country is decreasing very slightly. At the same time, each raised glass destroys dozens of nerve cells, destroys blood vessels and undermines the work of the heart, each lit cigarette settles as black smoke on the lungs, brings the oncological diseases and strokes. There is nothing to say about drug addiction: a person who is hooked on a drug destroys himself from the inside in a matter of months. This is only physiological degradation - from a moral point of view, the consequences of addictions look no less depressing. Ethyl alcohol destroys consciousness, removes moral restrictions, and therefore turns a person into an unreasonable creature without principles and morals. How much aggression does a smoker exude in search of a cigarette?
Even the most harmless habits at first glance are fraught with many pitfalls. It would seem, what’s wrong with constantly chewed nails or a cap? ballpoint pen? At the same time, such a habit can ruin your teeth or become a source of an unpleasant intestinal infection - even if you wash your hands thoroughly, there will still be a bunch of pathogenic microbes under your nails, which will immediately end up in your mouth. And the annoying crunching of fingers around people is the first cause of joint deformation.
You can continue endlessly, because every bad habit is named so not in vain - it brings completely justified and obvious destruction. And even though the damage from one incident will be minimal, turning into a “life partner,” the consequences of addictions accumulate like a snowball, increasing the strength of the habit. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of them as early as possible - tomorrow it will be a little more difficult, and the consequences will be a little more destructive.
Getting rid of bad habits: personal self-development plan
Eradicating addictions is not an easy task. To defeat them, it is necessary to first determine in what circumstances the urge to perform this or that action arises, which became the primary source of the harmful cause. Having understood at what moments the hand itself reaches for a cigarette, and the glass involuntarily fills with alcohol, it is easier to overcome painful attachment - a self-development approximate plan allows you not only to organize, but also to simplify. The classic scheme to help get rid of bad tendencies is as follows:
- Formation of goals (short-term, long-term).
- Determination of motives for behavior correction.
- Identifying the source of the problem and the circumstances that lead to harmful behavior.
- Exclusion of these circumstances from the surrounding reality.
- Self-control and discipline within established limits.
- The joy of small victories that gradually bring you closer to your cherished goal.
Of course, this plan will help control the emotional side of addiction to a greater extent - the physiological aspects will remain unchanged. However, there is no craving that iron willpower and the right attitudes cannot overcome!
If we are talking about the use of harmful substances (alcohol, nicotine, drugs), you need to give them up immediately. Compromise options such as reducing the dosage or frequency will not work: one way or another, “doping” will enter the body, which means there can be no talk of defeating oneself. There is no talk about chronic alcohol and drug addiction - they should be treated exclusively in an inpatient setting. But widespread alcohol abuse, which does not develop into painful forms, as well as nicotine addiction can be corrected independently. Trivial but very effective tips will help you cope with emotional and physical withdrawal:
- Think of breaking a habit not as a process, but as an accomplished fact. For example, when you are invited to smoke, say “I quit” instead of “I quit” - such a substitution of concepts will help the subconscious mind come to terms.
- Try to avoid circumstances that provoke you to breakdown. If the craving for alcohol is still strong, you should not attend a banquet where everyone will drink - by going there, you are deliberately tempting your body, which is not yet accustomed to the new way of life.
- Find a reasonable replacement. Was a smoke break at work perceived as a short break? Try relaxing in a different way: go out into the fresh air for a few minutes, chat with colleagues, listen to your favorite song, or just sit for a while with your eyes closed, immersed in your thoughts.
- Learn to enjoy yourself without doping. Look at the world with a fresh, unclouded look, and you will see a lot of beauty! Can a cloud of tobacco smoke or drunken courage in a basement club compare with this? Spend time with friends or family, take a walk in the park, go into nature or sit on a bench by the pond reading an educational spiritual book - this will give you much more goodness than the illusion of happiness from satisfying your own addiction.
- Keep a calendar and mark every small victory: how many days have you not smoked or drunk alcohol, how quickly were you able to overcome withdrawal symptoms, etc. In moments of weakness, this will help you not to deviate from the true path.
- Do not equate a single failure with the collapse of an entire self-development plan. No matter how ideal willpower is, the possibility of a breakdown cannot be completely ruled out, especially at first. If this has already happened, worrying, being tormented by feelings of guilt and ultimately abandoning the idea of self-development is stupid and unproductive.
As for more harmless bad habits, it is better to get rid of them gradually, rather than en masse: take a week or two to completely wean yourself from one ritual, and then move on to the second. This will make it much easier for you to control yourself.
Rational nutrition is the leading chapter of the personal self-development plan
A harmoniously composed balanced diet is the basis of a healthy lifestyle. It helps to avoid diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system, keep the body in good shape, maintain efficiency and energy during the day, increase the duration and quality of life. By eating right, a person will never face the problems of excess weight and associated side conditions of the body.
Go to healthy eating is not as complicated as it seems at first glance: the human body is naturally designed to consume only healthy plant foods without flavoring additives, and the frying process appeared in cooking relatively recently, when jaded gourmets began to look for new forms, without thinking about the usefulness of the technology. Therefore, everything that is needed for a healthy diet is already built into the body - all that remains is to remind it of this.
Principles of constructing a rational menu
A comprehensive plan for personal self-development, an example of rational nutrition, will enrich and fill it with meaning - the main thing is to understand how to build it correctly. To do this, it is necessary to take into account what principles are the basis of a harmonious diet.
- Refusal of harmful products. Even if you are a soulless person who has no compassion for living beings, at least take care of yourself: animal products only bring destruction. By eliminating them from your diet, you will feel healthier and more energetic.
- Cooking technology. Stewing, boiling and steaming are healthier and safer cooking methods. Fried foods contain large amounts of cholesterol and other harmful components that are difficult to digest in the gastrointestinal tract and subsequently affect the functioning of the body. Well, what can be eaten raw is best consumed that way, because then all the beneficial microelements will be preserved in their original form.
- Flavoring additives. Chemical seasonings with monosodium glutamate are a real poison for the body. It is much better to use herbs and roots as seasonings - this way the dishes will turn out not only aromatic, but also healthy. Use table salt It is also better to minimize or eliminate it altogether.
- Varied menu. There is no need to focus on one type of food - nature has given us a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and berries. They can fully satisfy the body's needs.
- Calorie content per serving. The rule that you need to leave the table with a slight feeling of hunger has a scientific basis. The feeling of fullness comes 20-30 minutes after eating, so it is much more logical to calculate the required calorie content of a serving instead of being guided by your own feelings.
- Small and frequent meals. Even the most healthy dishes will be harmful if you eat a lot 1-2 times a day. An adult should eat 3 times a day at approximately the same time and have snacks twice more. This is the only way to provide the body with everything it needs without overworking the stomach.
- Time to eat. As cliché as it may sound, eating is a ritual and should be treated with due respect. You should not eat on the go, try to swallow large pieces and finish the meal quickly - you need to chew each piece carefully, and eat consciously and without haste.
- No dry food. Soup should be eaten not only by children, but also by adults - the nutritious broth promotes the secretion of enzymes and gastric juice, improves digestion and helps food assimilate. In addition, you need to drink at least two liters of fluid during the day to maintain the moisture balance in the body.
- Freshly prepared food. Cooking in advance and then freezing the food is not the best idea. During long-term storage and freezing, a portion of microelements and vitamins is destroyed, so such food is not considered healthy.
These 9 rules will help you create a rich and varied menu that will guarantee excellent health and a fulfilling life.
Sample menu for the week: personal development plan in action
If until now gluttony has been a part of your life, you do not need to suddenly cancel all harmful and potentially dangerous dishes. The transition to a healthy diet should be carried out gradually, otherwise the body will regard the restriction as temporary and go into an “energy-saving mode”. Ideally, you can develop a self-development plan for at least a few months, gradually changing your diet to a healthier and more nutritious one. Progressive progress on the path to health and longevity guarantees success, and the possibility of failure is minimized.
Step #1. Refusal of animal food
The first thing you need to do is completely eliminate meat and fish from your diet. Any living creature deserves to live the life allotted to it by nature, and killing for food is abhorrent to human nature. People have forgotten this, turning the meat industry into a real cult for the sake of profit, but supporting this production means becoming like murderers and sadists. By refusing steak or kebab, you will not only save the life of at least one innocent creature, but also help your body avoid serious diseases, because the chemical composition of meat has an extremely negative impact on human health. If the moral side is not yet so strong, and temptation sometimes overshadows common sense and humanity, open any video taken at a slaughterhouse - you will no longer have the desire to eat innocently killed people.
Step #2. Avoid frying in favor of boiling
At first glance, fried foods seem more attractive, but this visual design is extremely deceptive: many serious ailments are hidden behind the golden crust. At first, while the body gets used to eating with its eyes, use small tricks: add a handful of multi-colored berries to the porridge, choose brightly colored vegetables for stewing (for example, cauliflower season with red and yellow bell pepper, corn or green peas) - this will help satisfy not only hunger, but also aesthetic perception.
Step #3. Replacing salt and artificial seasonings
Salt, chemical flavorings and aromas transform the most... healthy foods into real poison. In addition to the fact that they hide the true taste of the ingredients, these additives are also extremely dangerous for the kidneys, liver and stomach. Try replacing store-bought spices with natural herbs (dill, parsley, basil, etc.) - the aroma will be unimaginable. And the lack of salt is compensated by lemon or apple juice, which can be sprinkled on the dish before serving. Homemade cakes or bread can be made using mineral water, enriched with natural salts. If you really can’t bear it, at the initial stage you can use a small amount of unrefined sea salt, rich in microelements and minerals.
Analyze each key step and your readiness to change your diet, allocate deadlines for the implementation of each of them, and then begin developing a weekly menu. Such an organization will help you not to deviate from the chosen course until the body itself gets used to its new state of lightness and comfort.
Physical fitness: a yearly plan for self-development
An active life position and keeping the body in good shape are impossible without regular exercise. This does not mean that you need to start running marathons and lifting 100 kg with one hand - harmony and consistency are important in everything. Physical self-development will not bring the desired result if it runs counter to moral satisfaction. This is why beginners and avid athletes choose yoga: the set of exercises is suitable both for the first acquaintance with physical education and for the full development of natural skills, and the philosophy of this discipline is akin to spiritual rebirth.
At first, you may need a mentor, but further self-development is possible on an individual basis. The main thing is to understand why each position is necessary, what the true essence of the complexes lies, and then you will not encounter difficulties on the path of physical and spiritual development. This part of the self-improvement plan has no definite conclusion, because yoga is multifaceted and deep, and decades are not enough to learn all its subtleties. Therefore, stages can be planned not only for the near future, but also for years to come.
Activity of body and soul
Yoga represents a whole complex of philosophical beliefs. By learning them, a person achieves harmony of the physical and spiritual principles, strengthens health and physical fitness, strengthens the spirit, learns to relax and at the same time control his impulses. The benefits of yoga are reflected not only in the physical component of self-development, but also in the moral aspects. The effect of exercise will bring only positive aspects to the body:
- blood pressure is normalized;
- the risk of heart disease will decrease;
- the physical data inherent in nature will improve;
- sleep will become deeper and more complete;
- Stress and nervous tension will subside;
- Depressive disorders will be a thing of the past.
The measured and calm environment in which all yoga classes take place is an opportunity not only to do physical exercise, but also listen to your body, focus on breathing and a new pose. A variety of exercises aimed at developing flexibility, endurance and strengthening the muscular skeleton will help tone the body and make movements easier and smoother. For those who want to get rid of extra pounds, yoga will also be beneficial: fat deposits will go away smoothly and painlessly, your shape will become more defined and graceful.
Doctors recommend yoga for chronic pain and after injuries: it has been proven that well-chosen exercises help relieve painful symptoms, promote the rapid restoration of lost functions and help prevent recurrent injuries after damage to tendons and joints. The beneficial effect is achieved through balanced training, improving overall blood flow and supplying tissues with oxygen and beneficial microelements. In addition, improved coordination will help subsequently avoid circumstances that led to injury, which means the risk of repeated injuries is minimized.
Personal development plan: yoga for beginners
When including yoga in a self-improvement program, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in detail with the philosophy of this direction, accept the origins of the teaching and know their true value. It would be great if a spiritual mentor can help you with this, but it is not always possible to find such a person. The source of knowledge can be specialized literature from leading gurus and yoga masters, philosophers and adepts.
Yoga classes should become a mandatory part of the day, regardless of how busy it is - only a systematic approach will help improve health, ensure efficiency and harmony. It is better to devote a couple of hours to yoga immediately after waking up, but evening time is also suitable for productive activities. There is no need to overeat before exercise: you should exercise on an empty stomach or 3-4 hours after eating. Before you begin, take care to create a conducive environment. Lay out a rubberized mat that will not slip on the floor, ensure maximum silence and privacy.
Do not overexert yourself: the main condition is calmness, safety and pleasure from the activity. If any pose is difficult or causes pain, it is better to postpone it to a later stage, when the body is sufficiently prepared. All movements must be smooth and consistent, and then the benefits will not be long in coming.
It is best to start with simple and understandable asanas for beginners:
- Tree pose. This asana is performed as the opening of each lesson. Standing on straight legs, slowly raise your arms up (while inhaling). Then move your arms behind your head, straightening your chest. More experienced practitioners can make the pose more challenging by raising the bent leg and touching the foot to the opposite knee.
- Chair pose. This exercise is familiar to everyone from the school course. physical culture. The pose helps improve coordination, strengthen the muscles of the buttocks, back and abdominals. To perform it, you need to take a vertical position, focusing on your feet shoulder-width apart. Then raise your arms up, placing your palms facing each other. Slowly sit down on an imaginary chair, gradually bending your legs to a 90-degree angle, keeping your back always straight. Maintain this position for 2-3 breaths, then slowly straighten up.
- Bent pose. Deep bends activate blood circulation, improve stretching and prevent the occurrence of osteochondrosis. This pose is especially useful for the spine - maximum stretching helps to relax muscle spasms and align the position of each vertebra. As you exhale, bend your straightened torso towards the floor, standing on straight legs. Once the tilt is completed, relax your body and hold in this position for another 2-3 breaths.
- Bow pose. This exercise has a positive effect on posture, muscle tone of the shoulders and cervical spine. Lying on your stomach, clasp your ankles behind your back with your hands, and as you inhale, tighten your muscles, lifting your body and hips a few centimeters from the floor. As you exhale, return to your starting position and relax.
- Candle Pose (“Birch Tree”). Even kids in kindergarten This exercise is taught to develop dexterity and coordination, but they call it “Birch”. Lying on the floor, you need to raise your legs up, and then lift your pelvis off the ground, supporting it with your arms bent at the elbows. The higher you can go, the better. Keep your legs straight, imitating a slender young birch tree (or a candle, whichever you prefer).
These exercises are only a small part of the variety that yoga has prepared. Starting with the simplest, you won’t even notice how your body will become toned, and new poses will become easier and more confident.
Taming the negative: a plan for personal self-development, or how to become a little kinder
Character, emotional background and moral qualities are inherent in a person almost at the genetic level. True, you should not justify boorish behavior, excessive aggression, nervousness, irritability and other negative forms of behavior with this. Even if a person is brought up in the best possible way, constant stress unsettles him, and a busy schedule exhausts him. In such conditions, even an angelically self-possessed person can break down and behave in a bad way: shout, answer with excessive harshness or sarcasm. Nervous tension will accumulate like a snowball if you do not give it a way out. However, there is no need to take it out on others - such behavior will only aggravate the situation. It is necessary to develop your own method of relieving stress in order to direct negative energy there.
The healing effects of meditation
In order not to succumb to stress, it is necessary to minimize the situations that provoke it. But in the modern world, full of bustle and chaos, this is not so easy to do. Therefore, the only thing that can help is switching attention from irritating factors to internal harmony. Meditation will be an ideal assistant for this.
The beneficial effect of meditation has a logical basis, confirmed by scientific research. Those who regularly use this technique note dramatic changes in self-perception:
- actions become more conscious;
- anxiety and irritability recede;
- thoughts can be systematized;
- depression goes away;
- health becomes stronger, and the mind becomes clearer.
During meditation, blood pressure returns to normal, blood circulation improves, which means the brain receives more oxygen and is gradually restored. The beneficial effect also affects nervous system, which rests from external irritants and returns to normal. After such a session, the world involuntarily seems beautiful and bright, energy is overflowing, and positive thinking prevails over nervousness.
Since most diseases appear in the body precisely against the background of nervous disorders, meditation has healing effect and on health status. According to statistics, people who practice this method are less likely to catch colds and recover faster. Meditation is an excellent prevention of cardiovascular diseases, oncology, and pulmonary abnormalities. In addition, time devoted to communicating with your inner self helps you conduct introspection and better understand your inner world.
Meditation as an important point in the personal self-development plan
Self-education cannot do without control over one’s own emotions, because they are the ones that give rise to weaknesses and vices. That is why it is important to master at least basic meditation techniques at first, so that in the future it will be easier to reach a new level of self-knowledge and relaxation.
Breathing techniques are great for beginners. To do this, you need to take the most comfortable position, relax your muscles and abstract yourself from what is happening around you. Try to focus on your breathing: think about how your lungs slowly expand, filling with air, how life-giving oxygen enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body, and with the exhalation all the negativity is released. If conditions allow, you can combine breathing meditation with calming aromatherapy essential oils or incense.
Visual meditation is also extremely effective. Just focus your gaze on any object around you - a candle flame, a wall clock, foliage outside the window or any interior detail. Study it in detail, imagine what it feels like to the touch, feel it with your fingertips in your imagination. By distracting yourself from external influences, you learn to contemplate the beauty around you, see beauty in every little thing and look at the world more positively.
For complete relaxation, you can use acoustic meditation. This doesn't mean you should surround yourself with modern pop music or try to distract yourself with heavy beats. Turn on the background sounds of nature or a classical instrumental composition, try to feel it not only with your ears, but also with your soul, imagining what is happening to this melody, how the foliage is spinning, how a mountain stream is rustling, or an experienced violinist raises his bow over the instrument. Immersion in yourself, your thoughts and associations will calm you down and set you in a new mood.
You should choose a technique based on your own feelings and capabilities: some may find incense too intrusive, others may be upset by the sounds of rain or thunder on audio, and still others will fall into a slight depression from the classics. Therefore, there is no single mechanism for meditation - you need to be guided by the positive effect that the sessions bring, and then stress and nervous strain will be left far behind.
Personal self-development plan: how to avoid common mistakes?
Sometimes even the most ideally thought out and drawn up plan does not bear tangible fruit. The reason for this is common mistakes that not only beginners, but also experienced adherents of a healthy lifestyle encounter. Here are the main ones:
- Knowledge does not translate into action. You can talk as much as you like about the dangers of addictions, realize their harm, read a lot of literature about spiritual and moral education personality, but all this will be useless if you do not apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Only the active introduction of new attitudes into lifestyle will help change it for the better.
- Rejection of authorities. Some truths are best learned through personal experience, but on the path of self-improvement, each person will need a mentor - a kind of guide from whose examples one can draw inspiration. Be sure to include a role model in your self-development plan! This does not have to be an acquaintance from your inner circle - you can choose a scientist, preacher or writer as an authority - the main thing is that his ideas resonate in your soul.
- Lack of motivation. Self-development for the sake of the process itself is a utopian and useless idea. It is important to realize why you are doing this. There can be a lot of options: maintain your health, set a positive example for your loved ones (most often children), overcome your weaknesses and vices, feel like a happy and harmonious person.
- Limitations of self-improvement. Balance is impossible without an integrated approach: by focusing on one of the areas, you can miss the important things that are necessary for balance. A healthy lifestyle is a multifaceted concept, and one aspect of it cannot be promoted at the expense of others.
- Rising above others. Unfortunately, many perceive a healthy lifestyle superficially, changing their position in life not for personal growth, but to suit modern fashion trends. Having achieved certain successes, a person begins to flaunt them, which is fundamentally wrong: those who have realized the beauty of a rational and healthy life should only gently instruct others by their example, and not put themselves a step higher. Pride is not the best helper!
Only by avoiding these mistakes can you achieve significant results, unlock the potential of your body and live in harmony with yourself.
Instead of an epilogue
You can talk about self-development, make plans and dream that everything will change tomorrow for an infinitely long time. It is much more difficult to take action, not on Monday, the first of the year or the New Year, but today. Time flies inexorably, and if you don’t start changing today, another day will be missed. Skip the French fries for dinner, walk through a picturesque park, take a deep breath in the wonderful aroma of freshness - and you will understand how good life is. So why waste in vain what Mother Nature generously gave us: health, love of life, optimism, energy and kindness? After all, in fact, a personal plan for self-development has already been formed deep in the subconscious; all that remains is to put it into words and put it into practice.