Is Personal Development Worth It? At some point, you have probably sat down and created plans to grow or improve in different areas of your life … but then maybe when you set out to achieve all of those plans, you either failed or experienced setbacks, and things didn't go the way you thought they would. This is a common problem for all of us. In fact, experts say that even with new year resolutions — though a lot of people set them — very few people actually achieve them. So, when you create a plan to develop yourself and to grow as a person, it's important to count the costs and make sure you're willing to pay the price to achieve those goals and ambitions. How do you figure out what your growth will cost you? The first thing is to determine what you want to achieve. I know this sounds obvious, but you need to know what you’re going after before you decide if you’re willing to do the work. We’ve all made lofty plans with ourselves and said things like, “ I'm going to get six-pack abs,” or “ I'm going to run a marathon .” However, the truth is that not everyone has it within them to actually go out and fulfill these goals. Use Reverse Goal Engineering. To figure out whether you are serious about a goal, you can try a technique I call reverse goal engineering. If I have a goal, I first determine the steps I need to take to actually reach it. For example, I've had the goal many times of getting six-pack abs, but it's a really steep goal. I would have to not only work out aggressively and go through a lot of pain to achieve this, but I would also have to eat right so I don’t have excess body fat. To be honest, I haven't achieved this goal since I was a teenager, and every time I sit down and count the cost, I question if I'm really willing to go through the pain. So ask yourself, are you willing to do it? What will it actually take? These personal goals could be in relation to health or wealth or relationships, but the question is always the same: how much pain or cost will it take to get it? Be honest with yourself about what it's going to take. And if you're not familiar with what it's going to take, instead of immediately going out and posting on Facebook or telling all your friends or family members that you're going to hit the goal, first do the research and count the cost. If you're not willing to do the work, maybe it's better not to set yourself up for disappointment. We all only have so much time, energy, and money to achieve the goals we want.
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