Principle #4

There used to be a time in my life that walking alone on my street used to be a very big problem for me, especially when those jobless guys in my streets gather themselves like soldier ants, strategizing how to catch their next prey. Whenever I saw them in front of me, I usually took a 360 degree turn to pass somewhere else and if not, I just went back home in peace. I was a very shy human being, I had low self esteem, and inferiority complex had the best part of me big time. Worst of it was when I resumed university after everyone had resumed; students have gone far enough into the semester and so, they were already used to the life then. My first night was horrible cos it was the first time I was ever going to leave my parents; I cried like no man’s business. This nonsense kept happening to me and it was stealing my happiness. I figured I needed to do something really fast about it before I start becoming depressed. I had discovered long enough that I’m a bit good at singing and since it was compulsory to join a service unit, choir was going to be the best for me and so I took the form. Issue came when I heard that we had to go through auditions and all; I ran for my life (how on earth was I going to sing in front of people? What if they laugh at me? What if they say I wasn’t qualified?). Matriculation was coming and there were lots of preparations. Again, forms were going out for those who would be interested to join the poetry group in school as well as present a poem for matric. This time around, I summoned the greatest courage ever and I took the form; I started going for meetings, I made new friends and it was fun. To cut the long story short, I took the bold step and I was among the 8 people who recited the matriculation poem offhand and in front of over 10,000 people. Above all, I got the chancellor’s hand shake. 

Why did I decide to start with my story today? There are lots of people out there with great potentials that they have discovered, not like they are ignorant of them. The big issue is the fact that many of us do not take the next step in making use of them, many of us shy away in our shells and just feel we are better off not seen. It is not enough for us to discover ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses; we need to take the next big step in order to amplify our strengths. This brings us to my principle number 4: Personal Development. Based on logistics is now one expression that is trending courtesy Warri boy Efemoney. The only way this guy can remain relevant is through personal development. Funke Akindele (my role model) studied law but she discovered she had this ability to act and she started; in the long run, she discovered she had a very good sense of humor; she produced Jenifa part 1 to 3, now it is Jenifa’s Diary and then Jenifa in London. This could only have been as a result of personal development.

Personal development covers activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitate employability, enhance the quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations. Personal development takes place over the course of a person's entire life. Talking about improving employability, what steps are you taking as an unemployed graduate in order to improve that? Do you review your CV or it’s just the same way it had been from since you were in school? How have you developed yourself for interviews? Are you still the shy type who cannot project his or her ideas by looking into the face of your interviewers? What skills have you acquired? What steps have you taken to develop those skills you have?

Personal Development is the conscious pursuit of personal growth by expanding self-awareness and knowledge and improving personal skills. The ultimate goal of Personal Development for me is to be a self-realized human being. That means living consciously at my full potential and reaching real happiness in my life. There are various benefits of personal development that would serve as sources of inspirations to us.

Personal development is a much used and much maligned term. It is about taking time to making a commitment to invest in your greatest resource – you. When you put in the effort to developing yourself, the rewards are amazing. Many people are put off by personal development because the results are not always measurable. However, the greatest achievers in life know that the key to success is the ability to manage themselves in a variety of situations. That ability comes through personal development.

Much Love,

KanyinWrites.