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Why Is Professional Development So Important

As a business owner you want to be able to be the best version of yourself all of the time and you cannot do this by being stagnant. Learning new things about your industry or new products or services that are available will not only help your clients and keep then coming back, but it will help you stand out as a knowledgeable and up to date professional.

I want to talk about something very important: personal growth and professional development. Both of these go hand in hand since everything that we learn professionally affects us personally and vice versa. The bonus is that each can help our lives run better.

As a business owner you want to be able to be the best version of yourself all of the time and you cannot do this by being stagnant. Learning new things about your industry or new products or services that are available will not only help your clients and keep then coming back, but it will help you stand out as a knowledgeable and up to date professional.

Development is an ongoing process in everyone’s life

Many people hold the principle that they should take at least 2 new classes/workshops, training or teachings a year and they will stop only when they cease to exist. It sounds a little dramatic, but if we stop going forward in life where else is there to go? Our self-growth is so important as individuals and also as a society so that we don’t backslide. On that note, here are some of my reasons for why professional development IS so important….

It Helps You Understand Yourself Better

With any type of learning, we always learn something about ourselves in the process. Our learning style, our team work abilities, our communication style. Taking the time to learn can also expose you to ideas or opportunities that will not only benefit your current state of mind but perhaps expose new passions or directions for future learning. This can have a positive impact on your business as you may be able to expand your services or offer new products.

It Assists You In Creating Your Goals

Goals are vital for personal and business development. Without them, you might flounder and waste time and money that you don’t have. If you decide that within one year you want to be able to offer a brand new set of skills for your business, then setting out the goals of how you will get the training, on what timeline and budgeting in the cost will help you achieve success. As you tick each milestone off your list, you are one step closer to making your goals bigger, stronger and clearer about where you see your business going. Exciting right!?

It helps you to build better relationship with people

Taking the time to for professional development not only positively impacts you but also your relationships. By relationships I mean those with peers, complementary businesses and your clients. These relationships are priceless as they are key to expanding your network and getting the word out about your business. The added benefit for clients is you have more tools and products in your toolbox to help them with what they need.

So now that you have an understanding of why it’s important to pursue professional development, here are some how’s:

Your Personal Development plan

Without a plan there’s no way to know where you are going. Why? Because a plan helps you develop the framework that will point out the areas of your strengths and weaknesses that need work. Once you’ve done that, you can come up with a plan that will add to your existing skills and capabilities. Sign up for workshop’s 6 months in advance and commit to going. Take the time to peruse local business development websites and add their events to your calendar!

How to find new knowledge?

With the internet it is easy to research topics or anything that you are interested in. A great way to find out what is out there in your field is to sign up for newsletters, be active in social media and follow people that you admire or look up to in your scope of practice. Keep your finger on the pulse! If you hear about something that peaks your interest, Google it! If someone mentions something to you about a product, ask them to send you the information.

So get out there and learn! Learn all that you can and look at it as an adventure!

Namaste my fellow learners.