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We all recognize that the growth that takes place between birth and ages 18 to 21 are pretty dramatic.  But physical, emotional and intellectual development continues throughout your life even if the changes are less noticeable.  

 

One of the most exciting areas of adult development â€" and one that is the key to true success in life is in the area of skills and roles.  In other words, what do you want to spend your time doing, both at work and at play?  

 

Just like a 10-month-old baby learning to crawl, stand, and finally walk, success in life comes from the ability to master the skills necessary to accomplish your goals.  

Successful adult development is a multi-step process: 

 

1) Assessing your range of behavioral skills to decide how well a role or job fits your perceptual style 

2) Making a conscious effort to drop those tasks and roles that don’t make use of your gifts and talents  

3) Making a conscious effort to do more of the ones that do 

 

What’s especially important in this process is distinguishing between those skills that fit you naturally versus those where you had to work hard to acquire that drag on your emotional, psychological and physical well-being.  

 

Most of us keep doing what we’ve always been doing.  It’s human nature, after all.  We all know how hard it can be to “break” a habit.  So, having a clear plan for the specific behaviors and skills you want to develop is important.  That way you give yourself something positive to replace the old, no-longer-wanted behaviors. 

 

Pick a goal you have and ask yourself:

 

  • Will this bring me closer to my definition of success?

  • What skills does it require?

  • What’s my plan for learning the required skills I may not have fully developed yet?

 

You have abilities for which you have innate potential that are just waiting to be used.  They may require some hard work, but you will find that efforts spent on developing your talents are productive, meaningful and rewarding.

 

In order to master the skills necessary to accomplish your goals it’s important to consciously choose to do more of what you do best.  Each of us is born with a unique set of natural skills.  The challenge we all face is recognizing and developing those skills to their fullest potential.  Give some serious thought to what you do well and what you truly love to do. Then look for opportunities to do those things more often.   

 

 

This Personal Development article was written by Lynda Ross on 11/13/2009

A partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., Lynda-Ross specializes in helping entrepreneurs and coaches build dynamite teams and systems that WORK. She is co-author of Vega Role Facilities Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.VRFT.com