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Personal development is a means for investing in yourself and your success in all aspects of your life. This is the reason why it should never be placed on the backburner when finances are tight. The good news is that boosting your personal development need not cost a fortune. Here is a useful guide to maximizing it even on a strict budget (Six Dollar Family).
Find a mentor
Finding a mentor is a great step for either personal or professional development. If you want to learn how to be more mindful or more forgiving, you can turn to something close to you, such as a friend or relative, whom you admire to learn these important life skills. Finding a mentor in your professional capacity might prove slightly more challenging. This is why it pays to build up a strong and diverse network of contacts within your industry. You will then manage to choose a mentor from within your circle of colleagues and superiors or from within your wider network outside of where you work – and perhaps someone employed at a company at which you hope to work in the future!
A mentor can assist you in identifying and attaining your career goals, in navigating your career path to get you where you want to be, and in increasing your self-esteem. Best of all, a strong, nurturing mentoring relationship won’t cost you a thing.
Consider online learning
In almost all instances, online learning proves to be significantly cheaper than pursuing a degree or a diploma at a traditional university campus. There are countless courses for undergraduates available via the internet, along with a variety of enriching post-graduate courses, as well as programs for individuals undergoing a career change.
Looking for the opportunity to convert a non nursing degree to BSN online? No problem! These accelerated courses are extremely beneficial for those interested in shifting their focus, and fast. In fact, many of them allow you to begin your new career within one to two years of resuming your studies – and all at a much lower cost than you probably expected to pay.
Another advantage from a cost perspective when it comes to studying online is the fact that many of these programs are super flexible, allowing you to continue working part-time hours to help cover costs. All in all, online learning is a wonderful solution for personal development on a tight budget!
Create good habits
Healthy, positive habits are often the foundation for success in all areas of daily life. From finding healthy ways in which to cope with stress to learning how to put positive self-talk to good use to improve your confidence, they will all work in your favor both today and every day in the future.
Along with creating good habits, it is also essential that you take the time and put in the effort to eliminate your negative ones. For example, do you have the tendency to be pessimistic or passive aggressive? These bad habits can work against you in your journey to become the best possible version of yourself and could hinder your progress at work and in your personal relationships.
Fostering good habits and getting rid of bad ones need not cost a cent. All that it takes is patience, focus, and dedication.
Focus on strengthening your mind
Taking proper care of your mental health plays a substantial role in securing lifelong personal development. A strong, healthy mind is relatively easy to achieve and maintain. While many people recommend regular visits with a psychologist, this can obviously work out to be quite costly. Alternatively, you can cut costs but still keep your mind in tip top condition by learning how to meditate, how to transform negative thinking into positive thinking, and how to ask for help when you need it.
Other cost-effective approaches to strengthening the mind include partaking in activities that stimulate the brain, such as crosswords, puzzles, playing strategy games, and even trying out a few new recipes in the kitchen (don’t forget to throw in some powerful brain food!).
Never stop learning
Take advantage of free online courses, sign up to your local newspaper to keep up to date with current affairs, find an insightful podcast and tune in periodically, attend motivational talks, and stock up your home library with plenty of enriching titles. There are so many ways that you can expand your knowledge, many of which are free or cost very little to embrace.
Get out there
Never be afraid to try something new, even if it is something with which you are completely unfamiliar. By exposing yourself to new experiences and adventures, your personal development will always remain a priority.
Further to exposing yourself to new experiences, it is also vital for you to get out there and meet new people. Getting to know others from different walks of life is a wonderful chance to learn about different cultures and to increase your tolerance.
Start skill-sharing
Are you friends with a variety of highly skilled individuals? Why not suggest skill-sharing between one another? This technique for budget-friendly personal development is all about giving a little to get a little. For example, if your friend is an exceptional cook and you are trained in CPR, your friend can help you to improve your skills in the kitchen in exchange for you teaching them how to save a life in the event of an emergency. It is a creative way in which to spend time together that promises a number of rewards far greater than simply enjoying each other’s company!
Along with encouraging skill-sharing among your family and friends, you can also suggest embracing it at the office, where colleagues from different departments come together to impart their knowledge and receive some in return.
See? Personal development doesn’t have to cost the earth if you are imaginative and determined enough to make it happen! Here’s to becoming a well-rounded individual who never stops making improvements.