To me, one of the keys to a wonderful life is developing yourself. It’s a constant theme in my life and a lifelong journey. Most of the clients I coach have some idea about developing themselves – for most people it is thrust upon them at work. I remember with fondness some of the team building development courses that I attended when I was employed by HSBC and in particular the lack of attention and willingness to participate that the majority of my fellow colleagues had at the time.

So it’s interesting me to consider why some of my clients are really good at this “developing yourself” stuff and others know that it’s important but don’t make time to learn and grow. To me, it seems possible that the majority of this boils down to the fact that there is often little or even no reason to develop yourself. The majority of us don’t set goals, or don’t believe that we can achieve them. We often don’t stretch ourselves as we have a wonderful thing called a comfort zone that feels ok. So is it really any surprise that the majority of people don’t invest much time or attention to their development?

A really useful question if you are considering developing yourself is “why?” Why do you want to become more than you are? If there is no real clear answer to this, then it’s not likely that the development we do is going to achieve anything. Define your purpose: What is the real reason that you need to stretch and grow? What will you do as the new you that is different to today? Is that important enough for you to go through the growth now?

If the answer is no, it’s not important enough, or if you find that your motivation towards your development is not there, then getting back to basics of looking at your life purpose and your goals is the most important step to take. Without that destination and the desire and hunger to get to the destination, it is likely that the development will never take place. I believe that everyone has everything they need within them already to make wonderful journeys and grow and develop into their most incredible visions of themselves, if they are clear on their reasons for taking the journey.