Personal development consists of activities that develop a person’s capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate employability, and enhance quality of life and the realization of dreams and aspirations.[1][better source needed] Personal development may take place over the course of an individual’s entire lifespan and is not limited to one stage of a person’s life. It can include official and informal actions for developing others in roles such as teacher, guide, counselor, manager, coach, or mentor, and it is not restricted to self-help. When personal development takes place in the context of institutions, it refers to the methods, programs, tools, techniques, and assessment systems offered to support positive adult development at the individual level in organizations
Among other things, personal development may include the following activities:
- Improving self-awareness
- Improving self-knowledge
- Improving skills and/or learning new ones
- Building or renewing identity/self-esteem
- Developing strengths or talents
- Improving a career
- Identifying or improving potential
- Building employability or (alternatively) human capital
- Enhancing lifestyle and/or the quality of life and time-management
- Improving health
- Improving wealth or social status
- Fulfilling aspirations
- Initiating a life enterprise
- Defining and executing personal development plans (PDPs)
- Improving social relations or emotional intelligence
- Spiritual identity development and recognition
Personal development can also include developing other people’s skills and personalities. This can happen through roles such as those of a teacher or mentor, either through a personal competency (such as the alleged skill of certain managers in developing the potential of employees) or through a professional service (such as providing training, assessment, or coaching).