Wise and Rise: Self-Development Goals this Lockdown

Seeing the Coronavirus scare, the central government has been extending the lockdown for a while now. With each passing day, there is a sharp rise in the COVID-19 cases, and it doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. Even though we see the vaccines hitting the market optimistically this December, we are yet to see the sunshine for some time yet. Amidst this, everyone is in home quarantine and is doing something to kill their time. But instead of killing it, have you ever thought of making it valuable. Valuable in a sense, that one can always do something to attain a better self. And this is the perfect time to develop your personality, cleanse your reflections and make a better edition of yourself!
Let’s imagine sitting on the time machine and travelling into 2022. You have obtained all the necessary degrees and qualifications and are all set for the futuristic job market! You grab your dream job and start your voyage. But few months down the line, you aren’t flourishing in your career, you quickly get frustrated by the pressure and are always irritable. ‘Why me?’ the question hounds you! Even within a team, you haven’t been able to build good relations. Gradually, it dawns upon you that just outfitting yourself with the degrees, certifications are not enough. You must have a developed emotional quotient to endure and prosper in your life, both personal as well as professional.
Come back to 2020…An opportunity in disguise, the lockdown provides time to introspect and identify your areas for improvement. Learning what's necessary and long due can add a new dimension to your personal and professional life.
For college students who are used to the hustle-bustle of college-life, living under an instructed lockdown can have a substantial impact on their mind. With lines between home and college beginning to obscure, many have raised a growing concern whether is it the end of the college as we know it? Of course, the glass is half empty in this situation but there is a chance to use this calmer period to focus on self-development. The glass is always half full! Many are using this lockdown period to learn new skills in their free time and stay readily prepared for whatever the future of work/academics holds for them.
But self-development is the most undervalued skill. In this competitive era, the more enhanced your intellect is, the better you are geared up to face the hardships. Knowing yourself inside out and working on your faux pas is not a waste of time; in fact, it is an investment!
Albert Einstein once said that the focus should be on lifelong learning. The moment learning stops, personal growth also stops. You have to nurture that willingness and curiosity to learn individual skills. Working towards your personal development is vital because it helps you to make your life more productive, peaceful, and satisfying. Someone has rightly said, be the change you want to see in others.
So, let’s take small steps in this lockdown and go on board on the journey of self-transformation.
For your information, several students have started learning digitally and taking up courses that enhance their functional domain knowledge. Students who struggle developing their Soft Skills, also known as Power skills that are used while dealing with peers, in teamwork and for career growth, can now learn combination of soft skills and apply them in real time as they learn remotely. Students can concentrate on a variety of vital soft skills like creative writing, public speaking, presentation skills, attitude reset, and personality development in these days. This does need significant time investment in self-reflection, self-awareness, and practice but surely brings out indisputable competitive advantage. Technical and behavioural skills can be vastly improved by taking up modules, quizzes, and questionnaires. There are even courses like personality development that emphasis on one’s well-being, knowing one – self, working on communication and listening skills, improving productivity from home and effectively collaborating with virtual teams.
Personality Development is a very extensive topic and includes nearly every type of behavioural skill and a host of other protocols relating to various other activities. Following are some topics that are generally covered in the personality development training programs:
Effective communication skills
Managing time and commitments
Social & Professional Etiquette
Teamwork & Leadership Skills
Problem solving techniques
Interview Skills
Accountability and Ownership
Personality Development for young students would also mean active listening, prioritising time and setting goals, leadership and collaborative skills, interpersonal and people management, making public speeches and presentations, inspiring loyalty and commitment and networking skills.
Why undertake a Self-Development program in this lockdown?
When half of the world is fully functioning from their homes, then why fret? There is an opportunity to revive your personal and professional resume.
Boost your motivation
Becoming totally informed of your strengths, weaknesses and level of skills can boost your motivation levels in the long run. How does that work? As you understand your positive and negative thoughts, their outcomes and how they influence self and others, you learn to act out differently and more efficiently. If you are determined enough, you and the other team members will indeed see the resulting outcomes. And observing the results of your own individual development will give you a boost of confidence and motivation for even greater achievements.
Discover your life purpose
Are you one of those characters who can say for sure what their life’s objective is? Then, you’ll be amazed to find out that discovering your bigger calling is one of the key topics in personal development. In other words, people often start evolving themselves just to discover their goal in life and stick to it.
If you’re still exploring, by focusing on your current state both in personal and private life and taking essential steps for bringing in personal growth will simplify this process. By following your passion and advancing your skills you’ll find your true calling faster. And, as soon as you’ve defined your key goal, you’ll be amazed at how gratifying your professional life can be.
Recruiters’ choice
In the current world of clones, employers look for more than technical skills while employing an employee. Your field knowledge remains primary, but the interview panel also involves a professional who continually assesses your personality that can set you apart. So, during your course in any of the top college or anywhere else, it’s important that you also devote time in your personality development. Which, in turn, makes you employ-worthy. A recent interview for a leadership role in Finance got the interviewer to check on behaviours and congruent values that the interviewee possesses. The 6 rounds interview tested the abilities of the candidate to withstand situations with strong value systems. No questions were asked on his technical and functional skills! Let me give an easy-to-relate example: For instance, there will always be a variation when you talk to someone by looking right into their eyes and speaking intermittently with no eye contact at all. When you work on your personality, you build yourself to improve your levels of self-acceptance that makes you more suitable to the people around you. You gain command over your feelings and that helps you to behave more appropriately in a team.
When recruiters come to hire college students, they also look into the fact that which candidate will gel well with their already existing team. No one will look at graduates who are incompetent of conducting themselves in a social group. One employee with the incorrect personality traits can damage the entire company’s atmosphere and recruiters’ job is to keep a keen watch on such feelers. If you are socially suitable, you are half the battle is won..
So, it’s no brainer that we have to evolve continuously through learning and upgrading our skill sets. And for which, to make the right use of this lockdown is truly a blessing in disguise. Nothing beats the sense of being well-prepared, especially if you are moving into unexplored territories. Be it a quick upgrade on your Microsoft Excel skills or a Personality Development course, this Lockdown just sets the right time. It’s up to each college student to decide whether to loathe and sulk in boredom or invest well in their overall transformation. It certainly gives students on the verge of stepping into new educational and career journey, a solid base of life skills they can depend on to excel – not just for the next few months but for a lifetime!