I couldn’t start this blog without writing an article defining what personal development means to me and, above all, why it’s in everyone’s interest to get started. This article is by no means an absolute definition of the field, but rather my vision of it,.

Because personal development is present in all areas of life, I believe it should be taught at school, so that we are made aware of it from an early age.

Areas of application for personal development.

Personal development is present in your everyday life. It’s not just a set of abstract, inapplicable ideas. It’s a set of concrete solutions designed to improve your life and, above all, make the most of it.

REACHING YOUR GOALS
Personal development maximizes your chances of achieving the goals you set for yourself. Thanks to a commitment to yourself and good lifestyle habits, it will be much easier to take on all the challenges you wish to accomplish. To make this possible, we need to draw up a list of clear, well-defined objectives. It may seem like a simple task, but to be truly effective, we need to do more than simply state our goals.

They need to be clearly defined, then broken down into sub-objectives. Deadlines will be set to check whether these sub-objectives are achieved. Tools and techniques exist: they will be detailed in future Full of Happiness articles.

EXPAND YOUR SOCIAL CIRCLES
Most people often go out with the same group of friends. These friends can be work colleagues, childhood friends or people we met at school. Once a group of friends has been formed, most people won’t make the effort to build a new one. Their group of friends is like an environment where they feel safe, and they don’t see the point in mixing with new people. This bad habit has several drawbacks:

Monotony of activities: most social groups carry out the same kind of activity. If you’re in a movie-lovers’ group, you’ll go to the movies a lot. If you’re in an athletics group, you’ll go jogging, do weight training, fitness classes, etc. On the other hand, none of these groups are likely to go to the theater, the circus, amusement parks, dance competitions, bungee jumping, etc., all at the same time. Mixing with mostly the same people will force you to take part in only a subset of the activities you could have done. Meeting as many people as possible is one of the keys to personal development.

Similarity of points of view: although not all people in the same social group have exactly the same points of view, they remain relatively similar. This is due to the fact that, most of the time, members of a social group evolve in the same socio-professional environment. In my opinion, the plurality of personalities we meet in our social circles is one of the most important factors in personal development, so it’s vital to know how to diversify our activities and discussions as much as possible, and therefore the people we meet.

Through the internalization of essential concepts, personal development enables us to meet as many people as possible naturally and, above all, to stay in touch with them. I’ll introduce you to the simple exercises that have worked for me.

COMBATING PROCRASTINATION
How many times have you said to yourself “I’ll do that tomorrow” or “I absolutely must do this” without actually doing it? Personal development will help you improve your productivity and efficiency in all areas. As we’ve seen, achieving your goals means planning tasks one after the other. However, if you put everything off until tomorrow, you’ll never achieve your goals. There are many tips and techniques to combat procrastination: I’ll explain the ones that worked for me and still work today.

BECOMING A SEDUCER
One of the main remaining areas of personal development is seduction. I’m talking about seduction in every sense of the word: not just between a man and a woman.
Let me explain: when you want to get a raise from your line manager, you have to be skilful in your pitch to maximize your chances of getting one. For me, this type of interaction falls into the realm of seduction. This example can be applied in many different ways: asking a friend for a favor, asking a stranger for information, etc. It could be summed up as wanting to get something from someone. So seduction encompasses two extremely interesting sub-areas:

Manipulation: this is an area that often gets a bad rap, but it’s extremely useful to know the different techniques that exist in order, on the one hand, to defend oneself against those who use them and, on the other hand, to use them (without wanting to harm anyone!). I’ve developed a passion for this field of social psychology, and I’ll teach you the techniques that really work and whose impact can be measured. It’s a complex and highly developed field, and it would be a shame to miss out on it.
non-verbal communication: this covers all the emotions we convey without using our voice. Studying this area will help you, for example, to detect lies or to ensure that your interlocutors perceive you as you wish to be perceived. Yet another area of social psychology that can be applied to personal development.

Of course, seduction is also between a man and a woman. Most people will limit their courtship to their close social group, as it’s much easier to date and seduce someone we’re used to being around than a complete stranger. But what about all the women you see on the street, in the supermarket, in bars and libraries? What do you do with all those women you’ll never see and with whom a relationship could have been established? A number of articles will deal with this essential area of personal development.

A word of warning: unlike most sites specializing in seduction, I won’t be presenting you with any magic methods or ready-made phrases to recite to a complete stranger. For me, seduction is a much finer art, and it’s thanks to a set of concepts and lifestyle habits derived from personal development that you’ll be able to seduce the women you really want, wherever, whenever and however you want them. Approach without having to think about what you should do or say… You’re not a robot!

WHY ISN’T PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT INNATE?
Most people you talk to about personal development will tell you that it’s something that comes naturally and can’t be taught. I absolutely disagree! We live in a society of complex rules and conventions. If you want to stand out from the crowd and run your life the way you want to: it’s not that simple.

Have you ever heard one of your colleagues or friends explain to you that we don’t need books or methods to succeed in everything we do? Have you ever heard someone tell you that seducing a woman comes naturally and that all you have to do is be yourself? Finally, have you ever heard these same people explain to you how unfair the world around them is, and how poorly wealth and gifts are distributed?

I think these people have chosen the path of simplicity, denying the fact that, to succeed and become the leader of your life, you have to learn and understand just as you would in any other field. To believe that this is innate and natural is to impose limits on ourselves and not to use all the tools we have at our disposal. Philosophers, psychologists, doctors, coaches (and many others…) have long been pondering and analyzing the world around us to find answers to the questions we all ask ourselves. Knowing this, it would be a real shame not to take advantage of their work!

STILL IN DOUBT?
Ask yourself: “Why do some people succeed where others fail? If you take two people who have completed the same studies and obtained the same diplomas, why will their paths be different? And above all: how did the person with the better record get there?

Our lives are influenced by three fundamental aspects:
The way we approach life on a daily basis: as the saying goes, “you’ve got to get out of bed on the right foot”, i.e. you’ve got to approach each day as if it were a priceless gift being offered to you. Each day we spend on this earth offers us a set of unheard-of possibilities. We can try out activities we’ve never tried before, or simply continue to learn everything we don’t yet know.

The people we meet: every morning when we get up, we don’t yet know what the day will be like. And every day is an opportunity to meet new people. Anywhere, any time, whether on public transport, in the workplace, at the bakery or in the supermarket. We always have the opportunity to meet and learn from the people around us.

The experiences we have: every experience we have, no matter how diverse, enables us to progress and broaden our points of view. If the first two points on this list have become habits that you put into practice every day, then, naturally, you’ll take part in new experiences. You’ll discover films you’d never have thought of, listen to music you’d never have discovered otherwise, read books you’d never have imagined, try out activities you’d never have thought of doing on your own, and travel to countries you wouldn’t have been tempted to visit at first sight.

BECOME UNIQUE
Because if you revolve your life around these three fundamental aspects of personal development, you’re bound to have considerable advantages over others. You’ll wake up every morning wanting to have a good day, you’ll meet new people whenever possible, you’ll learn from them, and you’ll have experiences you’d never have had if you’d been on your own. So you’re far more likely to succeed than anyone else.

IT’S UP TO YOU!
Now that I’ve given you my point of view on personal development, it’s your turn to play.

What is personal development for you? What are you already applying in your lives to achieve your goals? How does personal development fit into your lives?