This is how to optimise your personal development & growth

The self-determination theory (SDT) holds that there are THREE innate human needs which we must satisfy if we want to optimise our personal development, growth, and ultimately, results.

If you want to realise your full potential, these three needs which you must fulfill are:

1. Competence – continually growing your level of knowledge, skills, competence, and eventually, mastery will in turn serve to increase your level of motivation to succeed.

This can become a virtuous circle of gaining knowledge, abilities, results, and further motivation;

2. Relatedness – we have an innate will to connect and interact with others, so our sharing of the journey is key.

‘Going it alone’ is unlikely to optimise our development, growth, and results; and

3. Autonomy – fulfilling our desire to take control of our own future and results, and to be the causal agents of our own lives.

We all know how demotivating restrictive or controlling rules or deadlines can be.

Increasing your options and choices in life will also result in increasing your intrinsic motivation.

Self-determination

We’re hugely fortunate to live in a time where all the opportunities and information are out there and available to us, if we determine to seek them out.

There’s no excuse these days for not building your own asset base, instead of relying on the government, pension, or other external factors.

You can also live where you want, do what you want, pay the amount of tax you want, and design the lifestyle, finances, or business you want.

That’s the good news!

But this can only be so if you firstly accept self-determination, and then secondly fulfil those 3 innate needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy.

I discussed these ideas a little further in the short video below:

About Pete Wargent Pete is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Secretary and has a Financial Planning Diploma. Using a long term approach to building businesses, investing in equities, & owning a portfolio he achieved financial independence at the age of 33. Visit his blog