Sometimes a book or a class doesn’t have the answers you’re looking for. Maybe professional development courses can be as simple as dedicating your time to self-reflecting on different areas of your life. This post lists the 5 avenues you can go down on your path to self-reflection and how you can treat it as a course.
I’m a sucker for motivational speakers and I was desperately trying to become like them. Highly motivated and totally confident. But the more I focused on them the less human I felt. We’re not robots that can just magically work with no internal struggles or conflicts.
What I came to realize is that my discipline and work ethic are driven by what I’ve discovered about myself and my environment through the questions below. After reading this post you’ll have a mirror to look into. One that says this is what you need and this is how to reach your highest potential.
This post is all about the free professional development courses you can take on yourself.
5 Free Professional Development Courses
1) Look at your parents’ habits
Whether you believe in nature or nurture. One thing is for sure. Your parents influence your development. Take a moment to look at your parents and really assess them. You may be able to discover things about yourself that you were trying to deny.
First look at what they are both naturally good at. Is it a skill, a subject or do they have a way of being that really lends them to a specific industry.
Next it’s important to figure out if there’s any wasted potential there. This topic always breaks my heart because, as a first generation American, I can Cleary see the opportunities my parents missed out on just because of what they were born into.
Last consider how you and your parents are alike. Is there something that you are naturally good at? Something that you’ve seen your parents excel at, that you can see yourself taking on?
When you analyze your parents, you’re almost able to predict what your future will be like. See what skills they have developed and which ones they tossed away. It can act as a barometer that you can use when figuring out your role on a team or in an office.
Also it’s important to see what skills your parents haven’t fully developed and how that’s hindered them and their opportunities. What can you do to be different?
Take advantage of this information by leveraging it in a way that’s personalized for you.
2) Look at what others say about you
After you analyze your parents, take a step back and observe what others think of you. How do people behave around you, what do they say and what do they ask you to do?
We are prisoners of our own minds so it’s impossible to analyze ourselves without being biased. That’s why we need those who we trust around us. Obviously we don’t just want to accept anyone’s opinion.
After you find your trusted confidents take note whenever they use the following phrases or anything similar:
- You’re so good at _
- Can you help me with _
- When are you going to _ again
- I remember when you used to _ what happened?
- How do you _
- People always come to you for _
- You look excited when you _
- You look happy when you _
- No don’t give up on _
With phrases like these people will tell you where you’ll hurt yourself and where you’ll flourish. They’ll be able to see what’s coming before you, before you even have a chance to lookup. And it’s not that we’re not paying attention. It’s that we only pay attention to what we’re aware of.
We get so caught up in everyday life that we don’t stop to ask why we’re always asked to take care of a specific task or why no one else is doing it. It’s important to look at these interactions because sometimes we don’t have to look very hard to find what we’re meant to do. Sometimes it’s as simple as just giving the people what they want.
3) What was school like?
Yes school is meant to teach you and for you to learn a variety of things. However one thing that is not spoken about that may be even more important than the knowledge you attain is – how do you absorb information?
When you figure out your learning style then you can learn anything, as long as it fits your needs. Here are some different learning styles for you think about:
- Auditory – you only need to hear the information to understand it.
- Visual – you need to see the information broken down into visual elements to make sense of it.
- Abstract – you need metaphors and stories to help you break down large concepts.
- Time – you need to marinate with the information and activity in order to make it your own.
- Manual – you need to actively participate in a task or equation multiple times to really understand it.
- Combination – you are not a one trick pony. You need this information in a combination of the above in order to make sense of everything.
And I’m sure there are plenty of other learning styles out there. What’s most important is figuring out what yours is so you can dominate any challenge.
Besides your learning style make sure to take note of which subjects were the easiest for you or that you liked the most. Maybe there’s further exploring to do. Maybe it can help you understand why somethings are more engaging for you than other things and see how you can leverage this information to help you.
For example I never liked math but I’m a sucker for a passionate teacher. I got an A in my AP calculus class in high school just because I liked my professor.
4) What are your relationships like?
Now it’s time to analyze the relationships in your life. They say a happy wife equals a happy life and that can be used as a metaphor for any relationship. Once you have happy relationships in your life you’re able to strive and diligently develop yourself into becoming better and greater.
First ask yourself – who are your friends and how did you get there? Is it just mere convenience? What do you both get from each other? Understanding what makes up your friend circle lets you understand how you structure your life. They say you can tell who someone will become from who they hang out with. So answer for yourself – do you like where this is headed?
Next think about who you dislike intensely and why. They say the people you dislike are a representation of your insecurities or what you don’t like about yourself. If you’re able to pinpoint what you dislike about others, you can better yourself by working on it.
Then you want to think about who has the halo effect on you and why. We all naturally gravitate towards some people. Ask yourself why certain people make you feel more comfortable than others. Is this something you can bring into future relationships? Or is this a trait you need to be aware of in order to avoid someone taking advantage of you? There’s power in being liked make sure this information is used in your favor.
Last but not least ask yourself, how do I behave when I don’t get along with people? The last thing you want is to not be in control of yourself and your emotions when interacting with others. Make sure to understand your personal behaviors when put into difficult situations. This can help you with future negotiations and interactions.
5) What is – Me time?
As important as it is to work on your professional development and think of life as a course it’s also important to give yourself as much energy and attention. So let me ask you the following questions:
- How do you recharge and do you recharge?
- Are your self care routines toxic or nurturing?
- Are you giving yourself everything you need?
Sometimes we work so hard and are so passionate about the things that we do that we do not allow ourselves a moment of rest. Don’t be that person! Make time to recharge and find out what recharging looks like for you. Is it meditating, working out, cooking, cleaning, reading or watching tv? There’s nothing wrong with taking some downtime. In fact, it’s imperative.
However you want to make sure that these self care routines are nurturing and not toxic. Make sure one good moment isn’t going to hinder you in a different way. Toxic self care routines could include treating yourself when you’re in debt, going out for drinks if you’re addicted to alcohol or smoking which can give you lung cancer. These activities may make you feel better but they’re not self care, you’re hurting yourself in the long run.
Last we all know what it feels like when something is missing. Listen to your intuition and see if you don’t feel refreshed after your activities. There may be something else that would work better for you.
This post was all about the 5 free professional development courses you can take now.
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