As many people strive to place less emphasis on material assets and focus more on finding fulfilment and purpose in their lives and careers, personal growth, self-improvement and personal development are becoming much greater priorities.
We all have good intentions when it comes to setting personal development goals. However, when faced with the reality of actually taking action in order to tackle issues like work-life balance, stress, health and digital dependency, unfortunately life often gets in the way. As a result, commitments to achieve an improved sense of wellbeing often get put on the back burner.
After all, even making some small changes can lead to some big results. Here are just a few of the benefits that a commitment to personal development can deliver....
Greater Self-Awareness
Clarity of Focus & Direction
Increased Effectiveness
Greater Motivation,
Improved Communication & Relationships
So, why not help some of your friends, family and colleagues take a step in the right direction when it comes to personal growth and development with these 8 Christmas gift and present ideas. Who knows, you may even want to treat yourself!?
Most of us feel we should read more (rather than just binge-watching boxsets), but actually finding the time and motivation to pick up a book can be a challenging.
Fortunately Blinkist offers you the opportunity to get the key ideas from bestselling nonfiction distilled by experts into bitesize text and audio. So if you know someone who is a time-poor, knowledge junkie, then a Blinkist subscription could be a perfect gift for them.
As well as being a great form of self-expression, using a daily journal to externalise thoughts can also help to reduce stress, increase well-being and improve memory. The benefits are even greater if the journal is handwritten, rather than completed on a mobile phone, tablet or computer.
Moleskin offers a wide range of quality journals, so you're bound to find a design that's suited to even the most extreme tastes.
Headspace's mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world. The mindfulness and meditation app already has millions of subscribers in dozens of countries.
The good news is that anyone, who's interested in giving mindfulness a try, can get started by downloading the app on IOS or Android and complete the basic course of guided meditations for free.
Those who want to go further can then sign up for either an annual or monthly subscription and access a full library of meditations and courses, as well as a range of sleep sounds!
Career Change Kickstarter
Okay, so hands up, this is a shameless plug for one of my career coaching services, although hopefully yo'll agree that it deserves a place on this list.
The Career Change Kickstarter is a 3-in-1 package that combines a Career Change Assessment, 60 Minute Career Coaching Call and Career Development Planner. The programme helps and supports people, who are feeling stuck or trapped in the careers, to take those difficult first steps out of their comfort zone, so they can start fulfilling their true potential.
For a limited time I'm offering a 25% discount off the full programme price of £195. Head over to my website to learn more.
Jordan B. Peterson has inspired millions of people across the world to take responsibility for creating their own fulfilling and meaningful lives.
This book is founded in his extensive scientific work as a clinical psychologist and also draws upon his detailed knowledge of ancient myths and stories. 12 Rules for Life offers twelve key principles to live by and reminds us that we all a have an important role to play in the evolving story of humanity and the world.
Audible is the world’s largest seller and producer of audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, enriching the lives of millions of listeners every day. The Audible app can be accessed across multiple platforms, so you can pick up where you left off, regardless of where and when you choose to listen.
You can also get started with a 30 day free trial, after which the paid plan will give you credits to access audio books of your choose each month.
In his latest book the author of Sapiens and Homo Deus explores what it means to be human in an age of bewilderment.
21 Lessons For The 21st Century covers a series of key teachings designed to help us navigate the most urgent issues currently facing society. Through analysis of a diverse range of topics, including work, equality, justice, education and meditation, the book arms us with insight and strategic foresight to prepare for the political and technological challenges that we're going to face over the coming years.
About The Author
Dan Ford is a qualified Executive Career Coach, having trained with the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), part of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He specialises in working with executives, professionals and entrepreneurs, helping them with career development, career strategy and career change.
Dan has an Executive MBA from London Business School and a Professional Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), as well as a BSc Hons degree covering psychology, sociology and anthropology from Brunel University. This unique combination of professional coaching, business and marketing qualifications enables him to offer his clients in-depth insight, support and advice on a wide range of topics and subjects. www.dan-ford.com