Many of the self-help and coaching programs you will find online will work if you really put your mind into it and they will sometimes not be enough also. Indeed, like anything worthy, self-development takes time, consistent effort, dedication and investment. Many people do not take it seriously as the rewards are not instantaneous. Investing over time is what ultimately creates success. I have compiled the following reasons to give you a better understanding why it is important to invest in yourself on your journey of self-development.
 
Reason #1: Self-development will help you cope with change. The only thing that doesn’t change is change itself. Einstein can be quoted to have said, “Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. If you keep adopting the same attitudes and responses to the ever-changing circumstances of your life, chances are that you are or you’ll feel very frustrated. Making a change will not happen by wishful thinking. Let’s review the state of our relationships as an example here. Some researchers are beginning to link the importance of having good relationships to our health. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, psychologist at Brigham Young University in Utah, stated “ social relationships should also be taken quite seriously in terms of reducing risk of mortality”.

Imagine what you could gain if you had better communication and relationships with people around you. Also, other negative attitudes like holding grudges and hating can literally hold you hostage in your own life. To be successful, you will need to work on yourself on a regular basis and find new or improved ways to deal with your emotions, conflicts and disputes with other people, and to forgive. Concentrating on what works and consistently employing the working strategies will help you to become more resilient against all challenges.
 
Reason #2: Self-development will bring you closer to happiness. Happiness comes from within. According to the human need psychology, there are six human needs that we try to satisfy daily which are: certainty, variety, significance, love and connection, growth and contribution. They are the reason why we do what we do. It is safe to say that meeting all of these needs is crucial because they all complement each other to make you a truly happy person. We are all born with the natural survival instinct, but fulfillment goes farther than just survival. The need for growth and contribution are considered as the need of the spirit. To reach our full potential, we need to be consistently growing and contributing. Self-development can help you find ways to meet your needs for growth and contribution.
invest in yourself
Reason #3: Self-development can help you make a better world. Believe it or not, it is very possible that someone has taken you as their role model. They are watching and learning from you. This means we should always be at our best and set a good example in everything we do. We are social animals, with a strong need to interact with each other. Our words are strong; they can have positive or negative effects on people. A good example is the family unit, the children in their early years look up to the parents; they learn and absorb as much information as they can from watching their parents. It is important to always act well and practice healthy habits, calm behaviors and stable emotions because there might just be people watching and observing us from afar.
 
Reason #4: Self-development can help you reach your goals in life. We all desire to have success, wealth, commendable achievements, love, and great relationships. In my opinion and experience, these and more will come to us depending on how we have lived and managed our lives. Getting all you want in life will ultimately depend on how well you can identify your strengths, weaknesses and the strategies you use in leveraging on these strengths to achieve what you need. You will surely achieve all your desire when you purposely work at it, whether it would be by joining mastermind groups, hiring a coach, finding a mentor, acquiring knowledge or learning new skills.
 
Let’s have a little exercise- imagine what you could have, all that you can accomplish and the number of lives that you can impact by consistently striving to be the best version of yourself every day. What comes to mind? I am sure that the idea of self-development makes perfect sense now.