There’s Never Been a Better Time to Focus on Personal Development
Focus on Creating a Network
The best ideas come when people work together. This is the right time to expose yourself to more people working in your industry. Take care that you don’t suffer from information overload, however. Not every piece of advice someone has for you will apply to you. Find people to follow on social media and create lists of professionals in your industry to curate content based on what matters to you.
There are no in-person conferences right now, of course, but you can still connect and converse with people online. You never know where these conversations will go. It’s never been easier to connect to people online, given that that’s where everyone – and everything – is these days.
Build Your Profile
If you’re looking to move in the short-or-medium-term, then you should build up your profile. Let others know what you can do and stand out from everyone else around you. Begin with an appraisal of your current skills and achievements. You’d be amazed at how few people take note of their training and acheivements as they happen. There’s no telling what could be missing from your CV.
Talk to other people to get a better idea of your qualities. Hold a Q&A with friends and colleagues, undertake a full review, fill out a questionnaire, and get a professional coach. Coaching conversations work best in-person, but they are still effective online. They may even be cheaper online.
One of the benefits of uncertainty is that it forces people to be more accepting of new ideas and thought patterns. You never know where your next idea could come from.
Certify and Qualify
You should think about putting aside some money each month to invest in your own personal development. Just because you can’t attend a physical conference or training program doesn’t mean that you can’t learn. There are plenty of online virtual training programs to participate in. Many such programs are free to join, and there are paid-for resources that go even further.
This is the time to go for a qualification you’ve had your eyes on. You might want to get formal recognition of your current expertise, too, such as gaining certification in something you already do but aren’t recognized for. This is the time to certify and qualify yourself with the skills you have and want to learn. It takes time and money to go for a qualification, but you will be investing yourself and your future – which is always an investment worth making.
The country is beginning to step out of lockdown, and there could be many new and difficult challenges ahead of us. There has never been a better time to think about your own growth and what you want to do.
