The Role of Personal Development in Wellness

According to Dr. Bill Hettler, founder of the National Wellness Institute, being healthy and physically fit is only ONE dimension of wellness. There are five other sides of wellness to consider: Emotional, Social, Intellectual and Spiritual. I agree I think we often focus on the physical side without giving enough consideration to the other sides of wellness.

I believe personal development (aka personal growth, self-help, self-improvement, etc.) gets us on the other side of illness and disease to prevention and cure. When we focus on our spiritual health, our emotional well-being, pursue our passions, learn about things that help us be healthier and happier, identify and share our gifts, and contribute to the greater good in addition to nourishing our body and becoming active, that is when we become most alive and step into the realm of true wellness. Anything less is temporary at best because it does not take us to a place where our mind, body, and spirit align.To me, wellness is the destination and personal development is the vehicle that takes me there.

What personal development do I do? I read and study every day.  I learn. I share. I learn about nutrition. I learn about matters of the mind and spirit. I pray, meditate, visualize. I do a personal development 360 so that it surrounds me in strength and empowerment to live my best life.

Dr. Michael Arloski, founder of Real Balance Global Wellness Services, has an excellent report called, Living The Ten Tenets of Wellness. In it he says, "Self-esteem is the critical factor in change." Self-esteem is developed through personal development. It is through personal development that we learn to make the necessary changes and find the support to maintain our motivation.

Dr. John Maxwell, leadership expert, says that people will change when they learn enough that they want to. Personal development helps you learn enough to want to because through personal development you learn that you have a choice, that there are options for leading a healthier and happier life. That is what personal development has done for me. It has led me to a higher level of awareness for wellness of my mind, body and spirit.

Dr. James Rouse sums it up perfectly in his interview with Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine (my favorite magazine), when he says that you need to connect your inner goal with your outer goal. Personal development helps you establish your inner goal. When you spend time looking inside, you see what inspires and motivates you to want to achieve your outer goals. It is the inner goals that helps us achieve the outer goals.

To me the role of personal development in wellness is vital and is as important as eating clean and exercising. What about YOU? Where is personal development on your daily routine?


Kathy