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Personal Improvement - A Broad Perspective
By: Jem Bacchus
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
About the Author
Jem is the author of 1-personal-improvement.com where you can read more about her views on different aspects of personal improvement.
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