Personal development

You may have noticed on many of the social media platforms that contributors have been urging us to consider our personal development and learn a new hobby or skill whilst we are in lockdown. If this urge resonates with you, go for it! And at the same time how about stopping. Yes, stopping. These are unusual times, and our usual ways may not provide us with the best outcomes. 

Our minds are working with lots of new and unfamiliar information.  We are considering our own mortality in ways we perhaps never have. Our basic foundations have experienced a seismic tremor that has reverberated through every facet and field of our extended lives. We can no longer simply walk out of the house whenever we want, as often as we want. Pasta and flour have become like gold-dust in some areas, as everyone stockpiles and bakes like their lives depended on it – perhaps they do?

Now that you have a list of your present ‘life areas’, here are a few questions you can consider for each area in turn:

• How do I feel when I think about this area?
• How would I like to feel about this area?
• What is important to me in this area?
• How happy am I with the amount of time I spend on what’s important to me?
• How has lockdown made me think differently about this area of my life?
• When you look at all the areas in your life you have noted, what is there that is missing which is important for you? Note down anything that’s missing and consider the previous questions for each of the missing things you noted.