The 4 pillars of personal development. In the area of self growth and personal development, I believe there are 4 pillars that make up the foundation of a successful and fulfilled life. All other area’s of personal growth seem to fall into one of these 4 categories. By reviewing your own life under the outline of these pillars, it becomes much easier to see what is needed in your own personal development program. Although I have categorized each pillar separately they most certainly are not. Each is dependent on the other and all must be developed equally. So here they are.
Pillar 1: Financial
I have placed finances at the top of the list simply because money makes everything easier. If you are constantly drained by a lack of finances and the worry that causes, it becomes increasingly difficult to focus on and grow any other area of your life. The time and effort spent being concerned about finances could be far better spent devoted to self esteem, confidence, relationships and simply enjoying the finer things that you are capable of enjoying. For me a well developed person has their finance under control. I cover this idea more in the article “Money And Happiness”. Finances are also covered in the Wealth Creation section of this site.
Pillar 2: Spiritual
In many way I place spirituality at the top of the list, for money without a spiritual grounding is useless. All the pillars are of equal importance but for the purpose of this article I have to place them in an order. We are spiritual creatures, we are composed of spirit, to ignore this or to be less than understanding of it is to not understand who we are. Before you can develop anything you must understand what you are developing.
Pillar 3: Personal/Emotional Development
By this I am referring to self esteem, confidence, self image and these types of issues. These attributes are critical to success in all areas of life. Business, personal and relationship success will all be affected by how you view yourself. Check out these articles for more information. Self Image.
Pillar 4: Relationships
Relationships are so important whether they be employment, romantic, family or friendship. Developing relationship skills should be high on anybody’s list. Communication and understanding is of the utmost importance here, the better the level of communication the higher the chances of success. Self image, your sense of self worth and your own opinion of yourself will all influence how well your relationships go. All these areas can be worked on and improved.
So these are the 4 pillars of personal development, in my opinion. Hopefully you can see how they depend on each other and how other areas of personal development fall into one of these 4 areas. Thank you for taking the time to read and good luck.