The best self-development articles of 2015 according to Lifehacker

Why do we need to squat more often and why have we almost stopped doing it?

Photo: Terelyuk / Shutterstock We sit all the time: at our desk, on the way to school, or while watching TV.
A sedentary lifestyle leads to many health problems, even if we exercise enough. But there is good news: you can reduce the harm by simply squatting more often. Read our article about why this pose is useful and what effect it has on the body. Read article →

What is self-development

Self-development of a person is constant conscious work on oneself. Improving the mind, body, skills, character, behavior, culture, communication skills. The basics of self-development are self-education, self-education, self-organization.

The activity of self-development characterizes a person as an individual, as a transformer of himself, society, and nature. Without it it is impossible to achieve success. Personal self-development is an alternative to unconscious development carried out under the influence of external circumstances.

Titus Maccius Plautus very accurately defined the essence of human self-development many centuries before it became a trend for psychologists and coaches: “The wise man creates his own destiny.”

An ingenious cleaning method worth adopting from Buddhist monks

Still from the film “The Sorrows of Ninko”
Every morning after prayer, Buddhist monks spend 20 minutes cleaning. But at the same time, their goal is not just to clear up the rubble: they do the cleaning for the sake of the process itself. And it becomes a special type of meditation for them. How to adopt their approach and start thinking differently about putting things in order, read our article.

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Psychology of self-development

For a long time, a person was perceived as an object of the external environment, but modern psychology looks at him as an active subject of self-development. As scientists say, his purpose is to be a self-actualizing person, that is, to have a dominant motivation for development and not strive for peace.

Recently, universities have made it mandatory for students to develop such competence as “readiness for self-development.” There is even a separate discipline that is taught mainly for psychologists and teachers - “Psychology of Self-Development”.

Psychology of self-development is a direction in science that studies the processes of self-change, active construction by a person of himself at all levels of his organization:

• physical,
• social,
• personal,
• spiritual.

The goal of self-development psychology is to understand how a person can intentionally change himself and manage his development.

Self-development books, films, and audiobooks are being released one after another. And how many different psychologists, coaches, personal growth trainers, and specialists in working with the subconscious have appeared who consider it their professional calling to help others improve themselves!

IT specialists say that the results in Internet search engines for the queries “self-development” and self-development have increased 10 times over the past decade.

How to go grocery shopping during a pandemic

Image: Maria Sbytova / Shutterstock
The coronavirus pandemic has made adjustments to our lives. In this text, we have collected practical recommendations on the best way to go to the supermarket now, so as not to waste a lot of nerves and reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

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What hinders self-development

Many people live for today, go with the flow, without thinking about changing themselves. They do not acquire new qualities, do not get rid of old habits and character traits.

Why is this happening? The most obvious reasons:

• Laziness.
  When was the last time you read a book? Did you do gymnastics? Did you go to the museum? Did you choose the music or film yourself, and not the radio station or television? Laziness is a string of missed opportunities.
• Stereotypical thinking.
  In a world where the economy decides for you what you will eat, wear, love, hate, think, there is almost no room left for your own intellectual and spiritual efforts.
• Lack of learning values ​​in the personal hierarchy.
  And what kind of self-development can we talk about if you “have completed your studies at school and university, have suffered, and can no longer be dragged into these networks”? Unfortunately, this is how some people perceive education, as a value imposed by parents and society. Perhaps in childhood and adolescence something did not work out, and the learning process became associated with failure, suppression of the individual, and injustice. Now everything can be different! Nobody demands anything from you. You can master web design or knitting blankets from thick yarn. Herself. Only what you want.
• Fear of failure.
  “If something didn’t work before, then a new attempt will also fail.”
  This is a harmful misconception. So many great people started out as failures. Henry Ford.
  The creator of Ford cars failed miserably in his first two projects related to the development of cars.
• Marilyn Monroe.
  The great and beautiful actress, whose childhood was spent in orphanages and foster families, spent several years hearing from film studios that she had neither beauty nor talent before she received a major role.
• Walt Disney.
  The creator of one of the largest media conglomerates was kicked out of his first job (as a cartoonist) for incompetence.
• Elvis Presley.
  At the beginning of his career, the King of Rock and Roll failed performances, listened to advice to return to work as a truck driver and accusations that he could not sing.
• Joanne Rowling.
  The writer was refused publication of her first book about Harry Potter 11 times!

How to make life easier for loved ones in case of your own death

Still from the movie “Avengers: Endgame”
It’s unpleasant to think about it, but no one is safe from death. Therefore, Lifehacker has prepared instructions that will help greatly reduce the amount of hassle for loved ones during difficult times. It will help you understand the current state of your affairs and take control of all areas of your life.

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Stages of self-development

Now let’s figure out what the self-development system consists of. Yes, yes, a system, not a chaotic set of actions! It includes increasing awareness, acquiring the ability to control oneself, and developing willpower. Before you begin personal growth, you must have a plan, a self-development program.

Psychologists identify the following stages of self-development:

1. Self-knowledge.
   The tasks of self-development at this stage are to find yourself, understand your priorities, values, and calling.
2. Awareness of shortcomings.
   Everyone has them. If you think you don't have them, you're wrong. The shortcomings must be discovered. Correctable - correct, incorrigible - admit. And accept yourself as imperfect. A person who has not learned to maintain a certain level of self-acceptance seeks excuses for himself, finds faults in others and attracts the same “toxic” people.
3. Setting goals.
   At this stage you should understand what you want. It's not as simple as it seems. Usually a person easily answers what he does not want - the bad life and difficulties in which he is stuck. But it’s easy to complain that you’re a victim of circumstances, but come up with a constructive alternative! How should everything be in your life? This is a very important stage. The main thing is not to lose it.
4. Developing ways to achieve goals.
   It is important to go through as many options as possible in order to make a choice later. This stage is more difficult than the previous ones. May require turning to self-development books, films, audiobooks, courses, and possibly specialists.
5. Taking action.
   The vector was specified at the previous stage. Now you need to move in the chosen direction without losing your way.

After achieving the goal, return to the first point, and everything will be new. The process of self-development is continuous and cyclical.

Self-development for women

The problem for women is that it is difficult for them to find time for self-development, since they support the home and family, raising children, and often also work. Therefore, advice for women and girls on organizing their self-development is as follows:

• Set a time and date when you will begin self-development.
• Eliminate everything unnecessary from your life, free up time by reducing the amount of time you watch TV and gadgets.
• Get up early because the morning is the most productive time for brain activity, and start the day with exercise. They not only have a beneficial effect on physical fitness, but also give impetus to internal changes.
• Dedicate up to 40-50 minutes a day to gymnastics to rejuvenate and heal the body. This is the best self-development for beginners.

Have you decided to engage in self-development? Start with MelAnnett's Basic Marathon!

Directions of self-development

Before you start mastering different methods of self-development, you need to know that psychologists identify four main vectors of this process:

• creating conditions for a comfortable own life,
• achieving success in interpersonal relationships,
• realization of creative potential,
• formation of a motivation system and self-improvement in various important areas.

There are several areas of life in which you should develop consciously. The following areas of development can be identified:

• physical self-development (improving the functioning of the body for health and beauty),
• spiritual self-development (improvement of the inner world and ethical values),
• personal self-development (self-knowledge and self-improvement of character, intelligence, creative abilities, cultural ideas, etc.),
• social self-development (development of relationships with people),
• professional self-development (career building),
• financial self-development (development of money handling skills),
• leisure self-development (entertainment, recreation, hobbies).

A person must improve in all these areas, so your personal self-development list should not ignore any of them.

Where to start self-development

Since you are reading this article, you are already on the path of self-development. Independent search for information, and not reckless consumption of everything that is beneficial for someone to impose on you, is one of the tools for conscious improvement.

The beginning of self-development can be different: taking care of your own body with the help of health-improving and rejuvenating gymnastics, reading books, watching films, English lessons, taking professional courses, providing volunteer help... The options are endless. But remember that before you take action, you need to understand yourself and set goals (see the chapter “Stages of Self-Development”). Motivation and self-development are inseparable processes. And there’s no need for these feverish actions: “I signed up for a Zumba class and now, along with a crowd of the same losers, I’m jumping with all my might, but there’s no point”! Do only what is useful to you in life, from which you expect specific positive changes.

If you can’t figure yourself out on your own, there are many self-development teachers who are just waiting for the opportunity to help you. But here you have to be careful! Everyone is now trying to teach others how to live correctly: from celebrities, businessmen and politicians to lively housewives without education who run their Instagram channel without getting out of their slippers.

Collect a thorough dossier on your coach before entrusting your destiny to him (for considerable sums, by the way). And, of course, this should be an accomplished person, whom you are not ashamed to be like. It’s like with an eyebrow artist: you only need to go to the one whose eyebrows you like; if he can’t make beautiful arches for himself, then you will have complete nonsense instead of mesmerizing curves. And here the principle is the same. Do you know those self-development coaches who create motivation to gain wealth and prosperity, while they themselves huddle in a rented room all alone? In general, be careful!/p>

Self-development for men

It is vital for men to achieve goals and prove their strength and worth. Recommendations for organizing and educating self-development for men:

• Start with physical development.
• How long do you sleep? You need to sleep at least 7 hours, and get up no later than eight in the morning.
• Set aside at least half an hour every day to develop your intelligence and learn new skills.
• Analyze what you are wasting your time on and eliminate it from your life. This way you will save invaluable time for self-development.