Personal Development Guide for Nigerians

Why do you need a personal development guide for Nigerians?

Personal development, which can also mean self–development, is a lifelong process of experiencing your inner self, which helps determine your life goals and upskill to fulfil your potential. It allows you to set and reach objectives and have a more fulfilling and happiness filled lifestyle.

What Is Personal Development?

Personal development is the selfless journey towards levelling up your skills and potentials. It is not enough to be skilled or have different in-built potential(s), but the planned activities towards gaining mastery are the real big deal.

At a certain stage, there comes the need to do more and know more. In this, you might have gained enough clarity on how to understand yourself better and how your personality works.

With the personal development guide for Nigerians you can identify your strengths and weaknesses and how you can creatively and uniquely improve in all areas of your life.

Importance of Personal Development Guide for Nigerians

It is no doubt that every individual needs to grow in all areas of life. As a human and a Nigerian, personal development is essential to you as it is to anyone else in the world. Personal development is what you as a Nigerian should strive for as it has many benefits.

Personal development for Nigerians should be taken seriously as it serves as the avenue for you to flourish in in-depth knowledge of yourself and your environment. You can know and have a clear vision of how to draw the strategies in achieving your goals.

Personal development as a Nigerian is vital within your business circle. It improves your effectiveness and productivity in carrying out business activities. Furthermore, your problem-solving, communication and organisational skills will boost the organisation’s overall performance and accomplishment as a team member.

One distinct importance of personal development for Nigerians is the great boost of self-confidence, which stems from adequate self-awareness and mastery. As a result, you will be able to adapt, engage and contribute efficiently to cooperate discussions.

Tips to Achieve Personal Development in Nigeria

As important as it is to embark on a personal development journey, you should note that having a proper plan or guideline to embark on and stay consistent is twice important. There is so much information on the internet, and many of you are quick to jump to them. You get overwhelmed and quit in the long run because there was no clarity of purpose, a strong why, and a proper guide to maintaining a healthy personal development journey.   

Many may find it challenging to set the right plans to achieve an effective personal development journey. The following tips are the ultimate toolbox needed to have an effective personal development journey as a Nigerian.

1. Identify Your Why

Imagine yourself after a long hectic day at work, coupled with crazy traffic (if you live in Lagos, you will understand the frustration) on your way home. You are hoping to be welcomed with a great meal, capable of erasing the unpleasant memories of the hectic day, only to meet Mama still picking the beans for dinner, asking you to join her so it won’t take longer than it should. How would you feel?

You’d definitely feel like the world just crumbled on your shoulders. But there are no many choices on the table; you have to join her. Do you know why you will join her in picking the beans regardless of how tired you are?

Yes, you are right! You joined here because you are so hungry and would not want to the food take even a second longer than it should.

Do I hear you ask what is your why?

The great urge! The desire! There is a well-known quotation, “WHEN YOU WANT TO GIVE UP, REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED.” So for everything you do, there is a WHY, the keen interest, the reason you started something.

The same applies to your development journey, and you need to understand and develop a strong interest in becoming a transformed and developed person. When your ‘WHY’ is a dominant factor, it can be your push all through your personal development journey, no matter how tough it becomes.

2. A Passion Discovery Session

The second most important tip to aid an effective personal development journey as a Nigerian is to embark on a passion discovery session. A heart to heart conversation with yourself. 

Personal survey of your keen interests and personalities.

Let us quickly have a breakdown of what it entails.

Passion; is an intense desire or enthusiasm for something.

Discovery; means spotting or finding something.

Session; a time-bound activity.

A concise definition: A PASSION DISCOVERY SESSION is referred to as a purposely activity towards recognising and understanding your innermost desire and enthusiasm. Since you have a why embarking on a discovery session is paramount, there is an intense desire in you; maybe it is inbuilt, perhaps it is learnt you have to find out and master it.

The following will help you to discover your passion.

send out questions to your friends on what they think you are best at.

What they want to see you do soon?

what advice would they come to you for?

Also, ask yourself questions like

• is there any pain I have gone through and would not like anyone to suffer?
• what advice do people come to me for every time?
• do I have experience?
• is there anything I can do perfectly?
• are there any situation/trending topics that steal my attention?
• what do I enjoy doing and can do for free?

Answer these questions thoroughly and sincerely. It will help you pick a distinct passion that will help you make a wave on your personal development journey.

Note: These might take you weeks or even months which is okay. Just make sure you are doing something.

Read also: Healthy morning routines to have a productive day as a Nigerian

3. Leave Distractions

In the course of gaining clarity, do not drown yourself in fantasies and get carried away by external influences. This is the stage you need to pay undivided attention to yourself.

Your friend, that is doing great now, was also at your stage once in his life. He had also struggled before finally attaining clarity and executing his knowledge.

Remember, your struggle is different so is your timing. Distractions at this stage will ruin your stability. On your personal development journey, refuse not to be distracted!

Read also: How to avoid distractions at work

4. Get A Mentor/A Coach

Know for sure that you cannot walk the personal development path alone. It would be best if you had someone who is an expert that will hold your hands and walk the path with you.

Like a toddler with fragile feet, you need adequate meals (information) from a mentor to keep your feet solid on the ground.

As kids with clouded and innocent minds would need guardians to help them achieve their personal growth.

Like a blind man walking in the street, you need a mentor to cure your blindness to see the information.

Having a mentor in achieving efficient personal development as a Nigerian cannot be over-emphasised.

The only distance between a ‘dream ‘and a ‘reality ‘is a guardian, a mentor who had walked the path of your dream. One who is living the life of your dream.

Read also: Factors to consider when choosing a mentor for the best career development

5. Read Books Extensively

“A person who won’t read has no advantage over the one who can’t read. “– Mark Twain.

Acquiring efficient personal development as a Nigerian requires reading widely because your life depends on it. No, I am not talking about only academic books. I am talking about books on finance, books on life, books about personalities. Books that will transform you, help you to succeed and attain your full potential.

Reading personal development books can bake and make a new you; it has tremendous power when it comes to the entirety of human life. To attain personal development, reading should not be a choice but an act to hold onto. Books for personal development are everywhere; seek the right information.

I understand that maintaining a consistent reading culture is almost impossible in today’s world with so many distractions, but here are few tips to follow to build one. So pick up your pen and write it down; you will need it.

• Identify the books that interest you
• Write the number of books you can finish in a month ( you can break them into ten days or more for each book)
• Read 2 -3 chapters every day
• Get an accountability partner; be accountable to them
• Be consistent
• Track your progress
• Attach a gift or a punishment, and repeat the circle

In fact, these tips have helped many people, and they will help you too only when you put in the work. To read is to fly, to soar to the point of which gives you a view over the world.

6. Set Goals and Join A Community of Like Minds

Except your procrastinating habit is at the point of no return, only will a community of like minds have no impact on your personal development.

Your personal development goals should not be executed alone. You can get frustrated and call it a quit, seek help and engage yourself in a community that will assist you in achieving that your personal development plans.

Allow yourself to breathe and let people into your personal development journey. People that will spring you into action, give you motivation when needed, help you relax when need be.

A community of goal-oriented, disciplined and dedicated people towards their personal development.

Speaking of community… We’re building one that is focused on growth, engaging conversations, and mental stress relief. Join us today cos you’ll love it here.

7. Be Disciplined and Dedicated

No lies, this is the most challenging part in maintaining personal development, but it carries almost everything you need to your personal development.

This is your lifetime commitment to growth. Personal development is an endless journey; it doesn’t end until the last breath.  

It is not an easy task to set on personal development, a journey that requires more of you. But as said earlier, when your WHY is strong, it can carry on any activity no matter how tough.

Yes! Maintaining a new development isn’t easy, but in the end, it well worth it.

Read also: Tips to build self-discipline as a Nigerian

Conclusion

This article serves as a concise guide towards achieving an efficient personal development journey as a Nigerian. It contains all the necessities you need in maintaining and striking a balance on your personal development journey. Beyond the bulky information on the net, the personal development guide for Nigerians contains the essential steps to ensure overall growth.

Congratulations for coming this far. How about we take this relationship a bit further? We have a whatsapp community that helps you grow intellectually and professionally. Send a message to join now.

About Author

Michael Dawodu

A motivated and enthusiastic writer with a passion for making social impacts. Michael is also a multi-linguist, speaks English, French, Yoruba as some German. He writes French articles for Panodyssey.
His interests are health and lifestyle, current affairs, sports, and arts.

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