Why personal development is so much more valuable than a fancy company car

At Exellys, we are strong believers in the benefits of investing in personal development. We feel it’s essential. With us, personal development is not just the cherry on top, it’s mixed into the batter of the cake. Our very own training and coaching programs are proof of this.

What is personal development?

First things first. What is personal development? In a basic sense, it comes down to a process of improving yourself and your circumstances. For the purpose of this blog, we’re talking about discovering your talents, working on your skills and focusing on your strengths so you can become even better at what you do. So why should you value personal development over other parts of your salary package? Let’s have a closer look at some of the beneficial effects a focus on personal development can have on your career, and on your life in general.

You’ll become more self-aware

Before you can figure out which skills or talents to focus on, you need to become aware of what you want out of life, what your strengths are and what makes you happy. Often these will correlate – the fact that you’re passionate about something, is often an indication that you have a natural talent for it. Only rarely do we suck at the things we love to do most, and vice versa.

Personal development will help you get a clearer image of your talents. Once you know what you’re good at, you can allocate time and resources to further develop these strengths. This doesn’t have to go on top of everything else – you can free up time by delegating or outsourcing the things you’re not great at, so you can focus on your strong points and become a specialist at what you do.

It will give you a sense of direction

Once you gain more self-awareness, you will also get a clearer idea of where to go. This can be something you’ve known all your life. For example, you’ve always wanted to be an ethical hacker and now you’ll buckle down and figure out which steps you need to take to realise that dream.

But it could also happen that through personal development, you discover an interest or aptitude you never even knew you had. Like how you might learn that you’re a musical virtuoso after picking up an instrument for the first time.

Once you realise what you want, you will gain the confidence to pursue this dream. This is how personal development helps you set your goals.

It’ll help you set better and clearer goals

There’s no point looking at your feet and following the crowd, but you also can’t map out the way when you don’t know where you’re going. You need to figure out where you want to be in 5, 10 or 20 years’ time – personal development will help you do that. Once you’ve set your goals, you can figure out how you’re going to get there.

Also, keep in mind that your end goal is the culmination of a process. Focusing on your big dream might be daunting, it might feel unrealistic or unattainable. This might cause you to procrastinate or even give up on your goals entirely. Personal development is about taking the small steps that will eventually get you to your destination. It’s the actions you need to take each day. As long as you focus on doing only what needs to be done next, you will eventually arrive without getting overwhelmed.

It makes you more successful

It speaks for itself that if you develop your talents, you will become better and therefore more successful. When you get to do what you love and what you’re good at, chances are you’ll feel more fulfilled in life. You create a snowball effect: success will increase motivation, which will in turn further increase success. While you’re learning as much as you can through personal development, you’ll further develop passion and perseverance which will get you over the finish line. It may be slow and it may not happen overnight, but as long as you continue to make progress, you will get there!

Conclusion

Especially in the earlier stages of your career, looking for personal development opportunities should be your priority over the actual money you’re making, the perks you’re receiving or the company car you’re driving. Try to look at it as an investment in future you. Trust us, the ROI will be worth it!

That being said, it’s not an either/or story. Everyone who ever got an offer from Exellys can attest to the fact that we offer a very attractive salary and benefits package on top of of numerous personal development opportunities. And our BMW fleet definitely isn’t too bad either.

So what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today, we’re dying to get to know you!

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About Exellys

Exellys is a Tech Talent Incubator. We match ambitious companies with the finest tech talent. Are you ready to drive the innovations of tomorrow? Ready to make an impact and become a future-fit digital leader?

Whether you are a graduate or (young) professional, Exellys will unlock your full potential by guiding you to a challenging work environment that perfectly matches your personality, expectations and ambitions.

On top of that, you are enrolled in one of our very own training and coaching programs (based on your personal and professional ambition and experience). This means that, while working as an Exellys consultant, we are helping you to bridge your ambition to excellence.

Through intensive training and coaching, you’ll gain the essential skills, competencies and knowledge necessary to become the highly effective professional you aim to be.

Become an Exellyst and get in touch with us today!