What Is Personal Development?

The term personal development is so often used. What is it? Why do we need it? I will share with you my own opinion.

It is a path the individual takes to spread out his greatness to the world. It’s an endleess journey of self improvement. You start the journey by setting goals and by making a comittment to get the best in life. There will be setbacks, but your eyes should remain focused on achieving your dreams. Is there a single point that symbolizes the attainment of the highest wisdom and reaching to your ultimate potential? I will try to answer it in the next lines, by giving an example. 

When I traveld through India and Nepal I was intrigued by the budahizim philosophy. According to the Budahists, one should try to attain enlightment in his journey through this universe. He might not achive it in this life time (they believe in reincarnations), but never the less it should be his highest goal. By enlightment they mean the attainment of compleate control over one’s mind and gaining compasion and wisdom to see things as they really are (without the common desire and aversion that acompanies most of our views). So it seems that there is a single point that symbolizes the end of the personal development path (at least for the Budahists). The question is- is there a higher point than that?

When I explored more the eastren philosphy, I discovered there are many streams of Budahizim. One of the main streams, called Mahayana, defines the point of ending the journey only when all other beings attain enlightment as well. So it seems that there is a higher goal to strive for after achiving our own desired dreams. It just prove one simple idea- this is an endless road and there will always be a higher cause to pursuit. 

For conclusion, walking this endless road, becoming better today than yesterday, and than better tomorrow than today- throughout one’s life- is a true image of the way of personal development.