Personal Improvement - A Broad Perspective
Most of us have heard the term personal improvement, but what
does it really mean to us? Reference to this term seems to be
confined to factors pertaining to such abstract terms as,
emotions, success, mind, goal setting, health, and other such
words; but not much is said about other factors that help to
bring about positive development in a person's life. I say
'positive' development because I must stress the difference in
the meaning of the words improvement and development. These two
words are not really synonymous and cannot generally be used
interchangeably. Something can develop from a good state into a
bad one, or from a bad state into a good one; whereas nothing
can ever improve from bad to worse! At this point I must mention
that there is also a difference between the terms self
improvement and personal improvement. Self improvement is
personally enhancing your self; for example, your health,
appearance, education, and such like; whereas personal
improvement goes deeper than that. It embodies all of self
improvement as well as benefits gained from your personal
possessions, belongings, and involvement which contribute to
your well being and upliftment, thereby enhancing your personal
life. While personal improvement can aptly be defined by the
abstract words mentioned above, and others such as, stress,
inspiration, education, time managment, to name a few more, I
view it from a broader perspective. According to the Dictionary,
the adjective 'personal' means "concerning or affecting a
particular person or his or her private life and personality";
and the word 'improvement' means "a change for the better." From
the foregoing, when these two words are put together, they can
only mean the effect that anything has on a person's life and
personality in a postive manner; in other words, the term covers
anything under the sun that can affect a person so as to bring
about a change for the better in that person's life. Hence, I
feel that the meaning also encompasses your livelihood,
possessions, encounters, surroundings, lifestyle, actions, and
all other areas in which you may be personally involved; for, as
long as you are able to attach a personal possessive adjective
such as 'my' appropriately to anything, ownership is suggested;
that object becomes personal to you and some measure of benefit
is, or could be, derived. One might ask, "What does my work at
home business, real estate, or electronics, etc., have to do
with my personal improvement?" Think about it. Do you expect to
improve your lifestyle by getting involved in any of these or
any other business for that matter? If you do, then you do
expect some profit or personal benefit for your efforts. You
work, obtain money, purchase whatever you wish - maybe a place
of residence - and furnish it with whatever you desire so that
you may enjoy the rewards of your labor. Now, can that property
have the experience of being owned by you or anyone else? It
cannot care who lives in it, whether you pay for it or not,
whether it is equipped with electricity, whether it has a roof
or floor; it cannot enjoy the good things of life; it is never
happy or sad. Why? Because it is inanimate, it has no life;
therefore, it cannot have emotions. Who becomes emotional? You,
of course! Those things affect you personally. If I sent you a
personal letter, it may not have anything to do with your
physical self, but it may have to do with your finances;
therefore it is indeed personal; it does not affect your body,
but it certainly could affect your mind positively or
negatively. I guess that by now you have got the point. No? Take
a look at science and technology. Would you classify them under
personal improvement? Maybe not. Now, think about it: Nothing
can be accomplished by man without human involvement - hence,
personal involvement. The inception and continuance of every
venture is totally dependent upon the talent and ability of
people. Even after being put into operation, technology cannot
be fully functional without people and it is all for the benefit
of the humana race. God has given mankind dominion over
everything in the world, so as long as we have life, everything
in this world affects us directly or indirectly in some small or
great way for good (or evil because of sin). Needless to say
that from creation, people have been involved in every facet of
life irrespective of what category. The increase in knowledge
throughout the ages has always been for the advancement and
benefit of mankind. Human resource or workforce is a key
ingredient for the progress and advancement of any business.
There could be no human resources without personal involvement.
Who have benefited from all the innovations throughout the ages?
Must I elaborate? I really do not think it is necessary. An
employer takes into consideration, certain characters of the
employee - habits, capabilities, ethics, experience, education,
skill, potential (as far as the advancement of the employer's
business is concerned). The employer is interested in what the
employee can contribute to the promotion of the business and for
his (the employer's) improvement. Why do you think that an
employer likes to engage someone with a good skill, education
and learning? Equipment and technology cannot raise the standard
of an organization unless there is human involvement. Who gets
the reward from the profit of a business? Is it the business or
its owner? We all know that a business cannot spend money; so
when it is said that the profit belongs to the business (What a
'laff'!), that is only a front! When that business makes a
profit or loss, a human being is either happy or sad. Anything
that you are involved with, be it your vehicle or your job, as
long as you can gain some sort of benefit, it enhances your
life. Yes, you can achieve personal improvement from your
possessions and involvement. Perhaps I am alone in my thinking
on this subject, but I maintain that anything (yes, anything!)
that brings you benefit from a good source, enhances your life
and contributes to your personal improvement. Go ahead, work
towards your personal improvement and enjoy life! Just my
opinion. Jem Bacchus http://1-personal-improvement.com