When you hear the term ’Personal Development’, what does it mean to you? Some people think of boring old lectures dictating to us how to live our lives. Some people are scared of it. Some think it involves too much reflection or do not want to face some deep memories buried inside of them.
While some think it’s some modern life, “woke” rubbish, others regard it as too abstract for real life issues. Then, there are those who get excited about it – at the prospect of growth, enrichment, learning, planning, execution, moving forward and becoming a better version of yourself.
So, while many may not embrace it, personal development IS crucial for anyone who wants to master self. Whichever way you choose to define and apply it (or not!) to yourself, let’s see what it could be.
Also known as ‘self-development’ or ‘self improvement’, personal development is about becoming self-aware, understanding one’s abilities, strengths and areas for improvement, being open to learning and then trying out what is learnt.
At AFFIRM, we have the expertise from covering many training experiences in this area since our inception in 2008. This week, in fact, we celebrated our involvement with the Springboard Women’s Development Programme through this Linkedin post. Indeed, Springboard NIGERIA was birthed on 23rd May 2009 in Abuja – a full 20 years after the very first Springboard workshop was held at the BBC in London, United Kingdom.
Thus, it seemed to be no coincidence that we have come full circle again. AFFIRM has planned a series of free one-hour personal development workshops from May to October 2022. We are still in the business of offering the most enlightening sessions of personal development training to women of all ages, who desire to change the narrative in their communities, often against societal dictates. And we have many testimonials to prove it.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said it best: “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful.”
Many young African women often try to fit into a box of what others demand, by resisting their authentic selves. Many tame their ambitions for fear of criticism. Desires, dreams and visions have long been buried by excuses and beliefs that they cannot be achieved.
If this is you, please have a re-think.
You can find yourself again.
You can resurrect those dreams and desires. They are NOT impossible to achieve.
You can re-identify your personality, abilities, motivations, skills and shortcomings.
This is the first step in your quest to self-improvement.
And AFFIRM can support you in your journey of re-discovery.
Our first workshop, this Saturday 28th May, is exactly about this: Finding Yourself. It is a small group limited to 15 places and all discussions will be treated with confidentiality.
If you would like to join us online, drop me a quick message here or send an email to affirmwoman@gmail.com.
Know anyone who could benefit from these opportunities? Share this blog post with them and get them to join our mailing list.
Remember, these personal development workshops are FREE of charge. Do not miss out. Your growth is important!
The featured image is of a group of young women holding their certificates of attendance after graduating from the Springboard Women’s Development Programme. It was organised for the Women Mentoring Women programme, November 2009 in Lagos, Nigeria.
