Purse strings are tightening due to energy prices, interest rates on mortgages, and inflation. The question is, is there anything we can do about it?

The cost of groceries rose 12.2% in the last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and while there is the hope of inflation falling, prices at stores and pumps across the country continue to rise.

Hope may not be enough, however. In the words of Jim Rohn, who helped thousands earn more by becoming more valuable through personal development:

“For things to change, you have to change.”

Jim Rohn

The Personal Development industry has grown into a behemoth over the past few years and is predicted to be worth $67B by 2030. While millions are earning more and creating better lives through skills learned in personal development courses, others are reaping the rewards of setting up their own platforms. Are you benefiting from either side of the personal development industry?

If not, you should be.

As location-independent jobs and working from home became normalized, employees have found themselves with the extra time and bandwidth to develop life and professional skills on the side. This new demand fueled the fire of established personal development platforms such as Udemy and Skillshare, as well as the vast world of informational blogs and websites.

Why pay $2000 for a Tony Robbins seminar when an experienced industry insider makes a course you can take in the comfort of your own home for a fraction of the cost?

What Is Personal Development?

Personal development is the intentional act of focusing on improving yourself across the different areas of your life. It feels like some are born with the skills of foreign languages, of how to safely work out or set up a productivity system. But they’re all acquired skills that need to be learned and practiced before being mastered.

Personal development isn’t just about making you better at what you do, though that’s part of it; it’s about making you who you want to be.

Do you know anyone that wouldn’t be better off improving one of the areas below? I don’t.

Opportunities in the Personal Development Space

This trend brings untold opportunities for anyone willing to dip their toe into personal development waters. There are more ways than ever for you to get paid for sharing the skills you’ve acquired over your lifetime.

Self-publishing and smartphones have long since broken the stranglehold of traditional media and publishing houses on information. But it’s taken a few years for the public to come to grips with these new tools and start sharing their expertise.

• The blogosphere exploded in 2020 from over 500 million in 2019 to over 600 million in 2022.
• Udemy now hosts over 185,000 video courses.
• It is estimated that approximately 2 million books are self-published each year.
• According to IBISWorld, business coaching increased by 2.8% annually between 2017 and 2022.

What skills or experience could you be sharing?

What Does Personal Development Have to Offer Me?

All of us, in some respect, are in the same boat; we’re living a life not knowing when it will end, and we want to make the most of it. There are things we want to do, experiences we want to have, and goals we want to achieve. But unfortunately, it’s so easy to forget that they’re unlikely to come to fruition if we don’t work toward them.

You might want to be a happier person, wish for it, and wake up each morning expecting it, but you need to take action!

Personal development, then, is the art of creating the life experience you want to have.

• Feel more fulfilled
• Earn more
• Improve relationships
• Skill mastery
• Reduce stress

Hoping and wishing won’t move the needle; working at it will.

8 Areas of Personal Development

Career and Professional Skills

Learn new software, accounting, and even plumbing or aromatherapy. Whatever skill you need to master for your chosen profession, you can find a valuable way to learn it online now.

Academic and Intellectual Development

Ever had the desire to read Homer or Virgil, Milton, or Shakespeare? Or to get that degree you always wished you had? It might not land you a better job or increase your earning capacity, but an academic education will improve your decision-making and, therefore your life experience. It doesn’t take much to create a solid reading habit.

Health and Fitness

We all know that eating healthy and doing daily exercise is good for us, but few of us are as fit and healthy as we wish. When we’re not even hitting our own standards, it’s time to admit that we may need a little help. That might mean a personal trainer, an exercise course, or a guide to start a better diet.

Productivity and Time Management

Doing more and better managing our time makes us more effective at everything. Imagine being more productive at work, spending more time with the family, and still making progress on your personal projects. Setting up a simple productivity system and learning to use time management tools is vital.

Personal Finance

Saving, investing, budgeting, do these words fill you with dread? On the contrary, they should fill you with excitement and enthusiasm for the future! Maybe this is the area of your life that you need to develop to make a strategy to watch your money grow.

Family and Relationships

Of course, we all love our families, but 70% of parents wish they could spend more quality time with their children. Creating a better relationship with your spouse or being a better parent isn’t something we can do on our own. Guidance, practice, and patience are required as you learn the skills you need to have the relationships you want.

Languages

Everyone I meet says they wish they could speak another language so they could travel, engage with the locals, and truly immerse themselves in new cultures. There are so many options to learn a new language today. There are apps, YouTube channels, and one-on-one teachers all available for your target language, so why not go for it!

Hobbies and Life Goals

Have you harbored any desires like learning to juggle or even to work and travel around the world as a digital nomad? Whatever is on your bucket list, ask yourself, “when are you going to do that?”

How to Get Started With Personal Development

David Allen (Getting Things Done), who has possibly done more than anyone else in teaching us how to get things done, put it this way.

“Rather than starting with some predetermined point in the future, we recommend you start with where you are.”

David Allen – Making It All Work

1. Self Assessment

It’s easy to focus on the one problem you’re facing now, but starting with some self-assessment will give you the perspective you need to make the right decisions.

2. Decide Your Focus

You can’t do everything at once, so pick one area of your life and commit to developing it. Set yourself a goal and a reasonable timeframe.

3. Find Your Mentor

Mentors come in many different forms; you may never actually meet or talk to your mentor. What’s important is finding a mentor who can guide you toward your personal development goal. Your mentor may be:

• A book
• A website
• A video course
• An on or offline coach

4. Hit Your Goals

Once you have your next goal and have a mentor to guide you toward it, all that’s left is to put in the work. Consistency is critical in developing any habit, skill, or progressing toward a goal.

It won’t take long, especially if you are focusing on developing the right skills, to push your earnings past the amount inflation increased your grocery bill.

More Articles From the Our Woven Journey Network:

• 31 Vintage Items Worth Money: Do You Have Any of These?
• 7 Best Ways To Save Money (Especially During Inflation)

This post was produced by FaceDragons and syndicated by Our Woven Journey.