Have you ever wondered where the idea for self development comes from and whether you’re developing towards a goal you agree with? “Self development meaning” is a phrase that is thrown around in different conversations. And Google has a myriad of definitions for you to follow. In this post, we’ll navigate through your personal origin story of beliefs. And then, you’ll be able to decide for yourself what you’d like your self development origin story to look like and whether it’s the track you need to be on – to fulfill your dreams.
Navigating through adulthood is definitely a push and pull relationship between deciphering who you were raised to be and who you choose to become. As someone who loves to rebel as much as they love to please… I know exactly what you need.
You need to become the ruler of your own universe! And that all starts with knowledge.
I am giving you “self development meaning” in a way that google could never. With this roadmap, you’ll be able to take your first steps towards developing yourself on a whole other level.
One that you agree with and one that you can choose to change at any time. One that tells you exactly – why is self development important?
This post is all about the 5 Crucial origins behind “Self Development Meaning” and how knowing this can help you understand your goals.
Self Development Meaning and Example
1) Nature
I’m sure you’ve heard of the old debate of nature vs nurture. Whether you believe you’re a product of your environment or a product of your parents, you have to admit that there’s a plausibility that both sides of the coin may exist.
I mean how many of us get older and die of fright when we realize we’re kind of like our parents? After all, we aren’t able to control or decide what we want our eye or hair color to be.
So how does the meaning of self development come into play? Simple, it’s not your parents I’m pointing to – it’s humanity. Do you remember that old saying – survival of the fittest? Yes, darling self development can be as rational as developing to survive. Why else would we put so much effort into learning how to speak, learning how to walk, and learning how to run, and hide from scary things? It’s because we need it to survive.
And it’s not as caveman as you think. There are still tons of people in the world who don’t have access to education or opportunities. Their level of “self development meaning” is developing to the point of being able to remain alive.
This concept also comes into play when people have a crazy calling they just can’t avoid. Mozart developed his ability to play the piano and Einstein developed his ability to understand science because they needed it to survive. Obviously, I don’t know this firsthand. But what kind of child stops playing with their toys and becomes obsessed with a massive instrument? And who else would literally create a whole branch of Science because nothing that exists matches their daydream about an apple? Surviving isn’t just about food and shelter, it could also include the soul.
2) Upbringing
Now let’s talk about our parents. All parents want the best for their children. And this “best” is an accumulation of what the parents succeeded at, what the parents failed at, and what the parents wish their lives were like.
Yes, when I say upbringing I’m not referring to how your parents treated you or what school you went to. I’m referring to your parents’ wildest dreams.
You see it’s inescapable. Humans can’t help but hold onto their dreams. They may stop fighting for it but they’ll never stop believing in it. And when a parent is already fighting tooth and nail to give their child anything they could possibly need, their dreams also cascade through.
A parents’ dream influences the decisions they make for their child. What school they go to, what activities they’re allowed to participate in, and it could also lead to how hard the child ends up pushing themselves through life.
By the time you’re able to decide what skills you want to develop, it’s hard to define whether this is a desire that stems from you or your parents.
3) Culture
Now let’s not blame our parents for everything. After all, it takes a village to raise a child. And it takes rules for a civilization to run efficiently.
Yes, your parents are also victims of the institution you were born into. Hey, don’t get me wrong. I love cultures and I’m not saying it’s always bad. Let’s just all come into agreement that there are some things that are encouraged and some things that are not.
For example, how many parents would rather their child pursue a law or medical degree over acting or painting? Literally every parent in the world. It’s not necessarily because you’re parents don’t believe in you, it’s because of the culture. In the example of acting – the culture may not have the opportunities for children to follow these passions. Look at the U.S. how many people want to be actors compared to those who are actually working?
Culture could also include what is popular to do. Look at me. Writing a blog. That is not something people desired twenty years ago – it didn’t exist. Your culture has a lot of power in establishing what kind of goals and what kind of self development path you follow in life.
4) Job
Remember when I mentioned surviving to stay alive? Well, that includes having a job that pays you money, so you can purchase those things you need in order to remain alive.
While you’re working to make ends meet, you’re also being trained to behave and complete things in a certain way. This leads to developing skills you never thought you’d need.
This could also lead you down a road where you may want to learn things that could ultimately make your job easier. Things you would have never thought of twice. It can also lead to learning a ton about yourself and the skills you desire.
For example, I’ve never liked math. I could never deal with numbers. However, in my day job I have to use them – so we’ve made peace. I’ve dedicated a ton of my free time to learning how to best organize and understand these numbers so I can make my job a whole lot easier.
This is something that was not asked of me, but I decided to take these projects on because I saw a need for it. Your job can easily be brainwashing you to become the best version of yourself.
5) Friends
One of my favorite sayings is, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.” When you allow another human being into your life and you develop a friendship…you are totally selecting your future.
Friends lead to a sense of community and communities do things together. For example, an arsonist would never be friends with a fireman. They value entirely different things. And probably have different hobbies.
You allow your friends to influence you daily and what matters to one person will inevitability matter to the other. So as you can see, your ideas on what you need to self-develop can come greatly from the people you spend time with.
My favorite example of this is when couples get together. Brad Pitt has been called out for changing his style to match his girlfriends and wives throughout his life. And there’s nothing wrong with this.
The point is there’s a strong influence there. An influence that could ultimately change the course of your life.
This post was all about the 5 Crucial origins behind “Self Development Meaning” and how it can help you understand your goals. Once you’ve learned this you can craft your own interpretation of “Self Development meaning”
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