Best Resources For Self-development To Help You Grow And Succeed

Whether you are trying to excel in your career or looking to pursue an ambitious personal project, continuous self-development is critical to succeeding in life. By identifying and acquiring the relevant skills, expertise, knowledge, and guidance, you can fast-track your way toward fulfilling your dreams.

Fortunately, there are a variety of easily accessible self-development tools and techniques available today, giving rise to a $43.77 billion market. In this article, we bring you seven top resources that could support you on your path to personal mastery. Ready to start? Let’s dive in!

Best Resources for Self-Development

TED

Since TED’s inception in 1984, its conferences have quickly spread across the world, sparking creativity, sharing ideas, and building a global community of ardent followers. Now, over 3,000 independent TEDx events are held each year, extending a deeper understanding of various topics to a worldwide audience.

TED Talks typically involve short speeches lasting up to 18 minutes to share knowledge, thoughts, and experiences. They are inspiring and thought-provoking and provide an excellent platform to learn and grow in a supportive environment.

Over the years, TED has also introduced videos, podcasts, books, TV programs, animated lessons, and a variety of other formats to provide enriching content. So, you can attend a TED event, watch it on YouTube, read books, listen to podcasts, browse the blog, or even sign up for the TED newsletter.

Quora

This question-and-answer platform is a community forum that allows you to ask questions, follow topics of interest, and even share your knowledge with others.

The answers are ranked based on user votes, which help identify and promote useful, accurate, and insightful responses for you to learn and enhance your knowledge.

The topics Quora covers are varied and can range from random everyday queries to highly technical subjects. This makes it a valuable resource, no matter which profession you are in or what topic you want to explore. And the community setting makes it a tremendously engaging, interactive, and enjoyable environment for personal development.

To explore Quora, sign up for a free account, select topics that interest you, and start asking questions.

Coursera

A leader among online learning platforms, Coursera offers an impressive selection of work-related programs from over 275 universities and companies. Courses include free training, guided projects, certificates, and degrees in various areas.

The platform offers flexible learning opportunities to suit your budget and schedule. Prices are affordable compared to in-class programs, while free trials are also available for you to get a glimpse into paid curriculums. Moreover, on-demand lectures can be accessed on both desktop and mobile phones, making it easier to learn at times convenient to you.

The program duration varies depending on the course you choose. Guided projects are typically 1-2 hours long, while certificates and skill specializations can take a few months to complete.

Skillshare

With over 25,000 classes, 600,000 members, and 8,000 teachers, Skillshare is a popular option for professional development. It is an excellent site to develop your creative skills, from music and photography to creative writing and graphic design.

Courses are designed mainly by professionals and industry experts, ensuring practical guidance in your chosen area. The platform also gives you access to a global community of learners to learn from each other and share experiences.

You can sign up and create a Skillshare account using your email address or Google, Facebook, or Apple account. Memberships are available with a seven-day trial and include access to all courses, offline viewing, and other features.

Investopedia

With more than 56 million monthly visitors, Investopedia is an essential resource to build your knowledge in personal finance. Whether you want to learn the basics of saving, explore stock investing, or understand financial terms, this is one of the best sites to find all the material you need.

Information is provided in an easy-to-digest article format, with simple explanations and examples to illustrate specific financial jargon. This makes Investopedia an effective learning platform for both the financially savvy and those new to finance topics.

Heroic

This mobile app leverages positive psychology to get you more energized and productive. According to Heroic, it combines the latest science, ancient wisdom, and behavioral design tools to help you become the best version of yourself.

With a paid subscription, the app gives you access to a range of personal development tools—from 3-5 minute practical micro lessons and one hour-long master classes to 6-page PDFs and 20-minute videos summarizing some of the best self-development books.

Topics on Heroic are diverse and include motivation, personality, happiness, well-being, the art of living, and other inspiring areas.

Project Gutenberg

If you are looking to explore self-development books, Project Gutenberg is the perfect place to start. It is a free online library with more than 70,000 e-books that include already-published free e-books as well as older literary work with expired US copyrights that volunteers have digitized.

The site allows you to search its library by book title, author, and category. You can find a substantial collection of books covering psychology, philosophy, science, technology, physiology, and more.

Getting Started on Self-Mastery

Self-development is a lifelong journey. Here are a few practical tips as you set out to hone your skills and improve yourself:

  • Set goals by identifying what you would like to achieve. Ask yourself which skills you want to acquire and how they will help you reach your life ambitions and objectives. Also, determine what level of mastery you need to accomplish.
  • Keep a journal to track your progress. It will help you celebrate key milestones and ensure you are on a continuous path to meeting your goals.
  • Find a mentor who can inspire and motivate you. It should be someone you can reach out to frequently for a boost of encouragement when you need it the most. 
  • Seek professional support to help guide you along the right track.To ensure you’re on the path to career success, it’s vital to seek professional support and guidance. Engaging in real estate courses, for instance, can provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of the property market, helping you to steer your career development in the right direction. You can use Leadar to find a trained coach on self-development.
  • Network as much as possible. Join social media communities and attend events to find like-minded people you can lean on for advice and support.

To Wrap Up

Self-development is a continuous journey essential for reaching your full potential at work and in your personal life. Whatever your life goals are, developing new skills, building your knowledge, and adopting a positive attitude focused on learning and growth will help you achieve all your dreams faster.