Developing Your Human Potential

What is the definition of personal development or growth? Does it affect one’s human potential? We will explore the answers to both questions to understand how you can best reach your optimum potential in life.

Personal Growth and Human Potential

True personal growth is not about how you attain career, financial or types of success. Rather it is about becoming more knowledgeable, self-aware, and physically fit along with enriching your life spiritually. You will discover various abilities and skills through this growth process that will enable you to reach your full potential. When you think about this process in this manner, it is easy to see how personal development affects your human potential.

The problem that today’s society is all about fast ways to reach pleasurable outcomes. Schemes to lose weight fast, get rich quick, become beautiful in minutes and more are taking over our lives! It seems as if no one wants to work on personal growth over time to reach his or her goals. Have you fallen into this trap?

Why should we worry about this type of mindset?

One reason why is that this insinuates that your happiness depends on how much money you have and how attractive or thin your body is, and this is just not true. Schemes and unrealistic claims replace the attempt to attain your full, human potential by participation in real, personal development activities.

You probably have seen the stories about lottery winners who win massive amounts of money just to blow through it all in a short time. At times, they wind up in worse financial shape than they were in prior to their lucky wins. In addition, we know about successful celebrities who seem to have it all, but are miserable to the point of suicide at times.

For you to achieve your full personal growth and potential, it takes long-term participation in the correct activities, as there are no quick methods available that are truly effective in either one of these areas of your life. Personal growth is a process that involves disciplined, conscious contemplation and self-awareness.

Interest in Personal Growth Increased During the 1960s

Interest in personal development started to increase during the 1960s when The Human Potential Movement was started in connection with humanistic psychotherapy and existentialism beliefs. The idea behind this movement was to encourage humans to reach for their full potential to experience a creative, fulfilling and joyous life.

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A humanistic psychologist, Abraham Maslow, promoted the idea of fulfilling oneself by reaching his potential or self-actualization as the ultimate expression of a person’s existence. Maslow’s research discovered that the people who were the most spontaneous and creative in their lives were self-actualized. Studies also showed that these same people could handle unexpected happenings easier than others could, and had a pleasant demeanor. These are important in personal development to realize full, human potential. These people, in addition, have developed a thankful attitude about what life had to offer them, were able to have meaningful relationships, and had a concern for people around them.

Abraham Maslow felt that practicing certain behaviors will bring an individual to self-actualization, and they are in the following information:

• Keep the wonder, curiosity and inquisitive nature of a child.

• Be willing to attempt new activities with an open mind.

• Stay honest even when unpopular when you disagree with those you come in contact with daily.

• Work diligently and intelligently at all your tasks or duties.

• Discover the person you are, all that is important in your life, and what you desire of life.

• Do not shy away from new challenges and experiences.

• Always be accountable for your actions and life.

Humanistic psychology is the basis for personal development and human potential. As this style of branch of psychology, stresses the importance of developing and caring for your entire person or all of which makes you who you are as a human being in intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical areas of your existence. You need to be faithful to yourself in all these areas to take accountability for all aspects of your life.

Consequently, personal development is a journey of self-improvement, self-enlightenment and self-awareness. In addition, during the journey you attempt to be the best possible person you can be in order to discover your full, human potential.