COURSE DISCRIPTION

 This course is designed to empower senior high school students with the knowledge and skills
necessary for personal growth, self-awareness, and successful life management. Students will
explore various aspects of personal development, including self-esteem, communication, time
management, goal setting, and decision-making.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
 Personal development is looking inward and focusing on ways to better yourself. Personal
development increases your self-awareness, your self-esteem, increases your skills, and fulfills
your aspirations.
 Personal development is much larger than just career development or self-development. It
encompasses all aspects of your life where you’d like to see personal growth — and it doesn’t
discriminate on where it shows up for you.

BENEFITS OF CONTINUOUS SELF-IMPROVEMENT

 Enhanced self-awareness
 Enhanced Skills
 Improved overall well-being

5 AREAS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Mental
 Exercising your brain and staying mentally fit is critical to personal development.
 Feeling drained? Does your brain want to go on an indefinite vacation far away from where
you are now? You may be experiencing mental fatigue.

Mental fatigue
o When your brain feels exhausted and unable to function properly, it leaves you
mentally and emotionally drained. This is commonly known as brain fog or mental
fatigue.
o Is a state of tiredness that sets in when your brain’s energy levels are depleted. Mental
fatigue is usually the result of prolonged stress.
o Mental development can be anything from workshops, training sessions, or even just
rest.
2. Social
 Social connections and relationships are also a must-have for any personal development. After
all, self-improvement is not a solitary pursuit. Humans are social creatures — we need that
connection to learn and grow.
 And from social connections, we gain important skills. Like communication skills, problem-
solving, relationship-building, and the ability to receive (and give) feedback. We also learn
from those around us and their experiences.
 Tips to improve social connection

o Start with yourself: Becoming aware of why you act and react in certain ways may be
helpful for developing more healthy ways of interacting with others.
o Watch for your thoughts: Decreasing negative self-talk will help you to have a brighter
outlook for life and attract people you want to interact with.
o Say “yes” more often: Participate in social events (even the online ones) or activities
that interest you.
o Get outside of your house and your head: Go for a walk or run at a local park. Start
talking to people--you’ll make an acquaintance and possibly a new friend.
o Be proactive: Even if you are an introvert, make a list of people you care about and
reach out: don´t wait for others to initiate contact.
o Be present: Whenever possible, shut your computer down and meet a friend or an
acquaintance for coffee or drink. Face-to-face communication, eye contact, smile, and
closeness have amazing benefits.
o Speak regularly to immediate or extended family: These are people who in some
ways know you best and often will help you in challenging times.
o Remember the “little things”: Sending a quick birthday note, a congratulation for a
happy event, or a condolence for a loss make people know that you care about them
o Join a formal group: join a book club, volunteer, chat with or help a neighbor.
3. Spiritual

 Whether you’re religious or not — can come through in spirituality.

 Spirituality means you’re investing in a deeper understanding of your own self in the world
around you. It helps you get to know yourself and uncover your values. And in the context of
Inner Work, the spiritual personal development tool can bring greater awareness to self and
change.
 Examples of spiritual self-care activities are meditation, praying, scripture reading and
reflection, listening to inspirational music, various inspirational talks and testimonies in life,
spending time in nature and attending virtual spiritual activities (including masses and
devotional practices).

4. Emotional

 Emotional personal development often goes hand-in-hand with emotional intelligence. At its
simplest, emotional intelligence is the ability to understand feelings.

5. Physical

 This aspect of personal development is focused on physical health — like nutrition, sleep,
exercise, and movement. When your physical self is nourished, it’s likely your mind is also
reaping those benefits. Consider ways you can build this area of personal development and take
note of how your body and your mind feel.
 Physical well-being is much more than good health. It is the direct result of lifestyle choices and
our behaviors around sleep, diet, physical activity, hygiene, and relaxation that achieve or derail
optimal functioning. Do you wake up full of energy and optimism for the day and feel confident
 about your ability to handle whatever comes your way? Or are you often distracted by pain,
headaches, discomfort, and fatigue?

SELF-CONCEPT

 Is the perception that we have of ourselves, our answer when we ask ourselves the question
“Who am I?” It is knowing about one's own tendencies, thoughts, preferences and habits,
hobbies, skills, and areas of weakness.

THREE COMPONENTS OF SELF CONCEPT

According to Rogers, the three core parts of self-concept are:

 Ideal Self: your vision and ambitions of who you want to be.
 Real Self (Self - Image): how you currently see and perceive yourself.
 Self - Esteem: how much worth and value you believe you have.

IDEAL SELF
 The ideal self is the part of a person's self-concept that consists of their desires, hopes, and
wishes.
 Your vision and ambitions of who you want to be.

SELF – IMAGE
 Self-image refers to how we see ourselves on a more global level, both internally and externally.
 How you currently see and perceive yourself.

SELF – ESTEEM
 Self-esteem is the belief and confidence in your own ability and value. Self-esteem includes:
feelings of competence, identity, a sense of belonging, a feeling of security and self-confidence.
 It is important to build a healthy self-esteem to be happy. People with a healthy self-esteem are
able to accept their strengths and weaknesses, to express their needs, to accept a compliment
and they are able to say no.
 How much worth and value you believe you have.

THE ROLE OF SELF-CONCEPT IN PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

 Your self-concept matters because it plays a key role in personal growth and development. You
see, your self-concept is essentially a fundamental part of your identity, influencing how you
think and feel and even how you behave. As such, understanding and managing your self-
concept can help you reach new levels of success and fulfillment in life.
KEY WAYS THAT YOUR SELF-CONCEPT CAN FUEL PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
1. Increasing resilience– Your self-concept can be a source of strength when the going gets tough.
A strong, positive self-image can help you stay motivated and focused during difficult times so
that you can grow from the experience.
2. Accepting feedback – Your self-concept allows you to accept feedback from other people
without taking it personally or becoming defensive. When you accept feedback with an open
mind, it’s easier to learn from your mistakes and use that knowledge to become better in the
future.
3. Strengthening relationships – A positive self-concept allows you to engage more effectively
with others in all types of relationships, including those with friends, family members,
colleagues, and even partners. As a result, these relationships tend to be stronger and last
longer than they would otherwise.

CONFIDENCE
 Confidence is hard to define, but self-confidence generally refers to a sense of comfort with
yourself and your instincts and a belief that you can trust your own abilities, knowledge, and
judgment.
 Confident people welcome new challenges because they know that they are reasonably up to
the challenge. And their self-worth doesn’t hinge on the outcome. They'll try their best and are
motivated to pursue their goals without overthinking or internalizing too much.
 They approach things in life without uncertainty and nerves.
 Rather than being judgmental or hostile toward other people's success, confident people
celebrate others and feel genuine happiness for them rather than envy or comparison. They are
inspired to learn what they can about how others succeed. They don’t rationalize others’
successes or their own failures.
 They may not be positive all the time, but they do keep a growth mindset. When they make a
mistake, they usually can see the humor and are more likely to respond with laughter and easily
overcome insecurity or shame.

SELF-CONFIDENCE IS DEFINED AS BEING MADE UP OF TWO ELEMENTS:

 Self-efficacy refers to your belief in your ability to succeed in specific situations. Factors such
as direct experience (trying something new and succeeding), observed experience (a significant
role model succeeding or failing at something) and social persuasion (being told you are good at
something) shape your self-efficacy.

 Locus of control refers to your belief in your ability to influence situations in your life. Those with
an internal locus of control believe that their own hard work, attributes and decisions determine
their success. Those with an external locus of control are more likely to believe that good or bad
luck, circumstances and fate determine their success.
CONFIDENCE VS ARROGANCE
 There is sometimes a fine line between confidence and arrogance, being confident is about
having belief and trust in your abilities and knowledge. Arrogance, on the other hand, is when
someone believes that their abilities or knowledge make them better than others in some way.

 Confidence is about positively expressing your abilities to succeed in (self-efficacy) or influence

(locus of control) specific situations. Arrogance is about boasting to others of your ability to do
so.

CONFIDENCE VS SELF-ESTEEM
 These two terms certainly overlap, but there are differences between them. As we explored in
our post on improving self-esteem, this concept relates to our perception of ourselves. Do we
like the person we are? What do we think about our own strengths and weaknesses? Can we
recognize our mistakes, and are we able to forgive ourselves for those mistakes?

 Self-confidence is more about our belief in ourselves and our abilities. As we’ve seen, this can
come from our direct or observed experiences, as well as a belief in our own hard work. A
person can have faith in their abilities (confidence) but not like the overall person they are (self-
esteem).

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DEVELOPING SELF-CONFIDENCE?

Building self-confidence promotes personal growth that positively influences both your professional and
personal life. Here are four benefits that self-confidence can bring:

1. Healthier Relationships
 Self-confidence is infectious. It makes those around you feel more confident and
comfortable when communicating with you.
 Self-confidence is about appreciating and trusting yourself. When you know and accept
your strengths and weaknesses, you can better appreciate and support the people
around you.
 While confidence is great for loving others, it also helps you show love to yourself. Your
confidence could encourage you to leave a toxic relationship that hurts your well-being or
to take up a new hobby that’s just for you. In the end, you're improving your wellness and
practicing self-care.

2. More Professional Success

 With any job or task, you must tackle, your self-confidence will hype you up for the big
moments. Self-confidence flexes your sense of self-efficacy, which is the mark of both a
good leader and a worker.
 Self-efficacy impacts your choices, perseverance during unexpected challenges, and trust
in your knowledge and intuition. You won't waste time going back and forth worrying
over your abilities or what others think of you. Your self-confidence will project strength
to those around you, who may perceive the ease with which you perform.
 3. Easier Transitions
 Life is full of new beginnings, and they aren’t as daunting when you're confident in
yourself. You can better believe in your abilities when testing your limits and trying new
things, which will help you discover new things about yourself.
 Confident people also make life decisions more easily. Their confidence spills over into
their decision-making process, making new adventures exciting, not scary.

4. Greater Resilience
 Even confident people can't avoid mistakes or failure. It's part of life, and no matter how
much your confidence encourages you, you aren't immune. Instead, your self-confidence
will help you accept responsibility and understand that you're constantly learning
throughout life, an essential part of self-improvement.
 Self-confidence doesn’t come from one action and persists despite the bad moments.
After acknowledging that you make mistakes, your self-confidence will help you bounce
back faster. You’ll know you've done your best and can view it as a learning opportunity.

WAYS TO BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE

 Practice self-care - Self-confidence and self-care are often closely linked. Exercising regularly,
sleeping well, and developing a healthy diet can all make you feel better about yourself.
- Taking time to assess your needs can help you to identify what makes you feel
good about yourself. Practices such as mindfulness and gratitude can also help
to reduce stress, improve emotion regulation, and improve sleep.

 Build positive relationships - Those who are negative and try to bring you down can often drain your
confidence. For improving self-esteem, try to spend less time with those people. Instead, aim to
build relationships with people who appreciate you. Their positivity can help you to feel more
confident.

 Work on a growth mindset - Some research shows that those with a growth mindset tend to have
higher self-esteem and resilience than those with a fixed mindset. While there is an argument about
whether confidence affects a growth mindset or vice versa, building a growth mindset can help with
other areas of your life.

 Challenge yourself - Although it’s natural to be nervous about trying new things, those with
confidence will take on the challenge regardless.
- They also recommend setting goals, which can help with forming new
behaviors, giving focus, and starting to make gradual progress.

 Practice self-affirmations - Various studies have shown the power of affirmations. Essentially, by
telling yourself about your strengths and how confident you are, you can reinforce these positive
thoughts.