The Crossover Between Personal Development at Work and Home

In my practice of coaching and counseling people over the years, personal development does cross over between from workplace to personal development. As much as we would all love to compartmentalize these two spheres of work and personal life, crossover can be exciting, challenging, and lead to transferring of skills from one area into another.

The crossover of skills from personal to work life and work life into personal life can lead to creating new associations and frameworks that yield growth spiritually and existentially.

Crossover Areas: Personal Development to Work Development

1) Worship and Experience Joy in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Have an attitude of glorifying the Lord in your personal development and God will direct your work to be in line with His will.

2) Replace Old Habits with New Godly Habits

It is not enough to just stop doing things that take you away from the Lord. It is important to put on the “new” self — that is, God’s righteousness and holiness. When workplace banter and temptations come, you will be able to stand strong with new habits you have put on through Christ.

Ephesians 4:22-23 says, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Crossover Areas: Work Development to Personal Development

1) Goal setting

Goal setting is often a requirement in a work environment, but sometimes we neglect to set goals for our personal development. Try using your goal setting practices in your personal life as well.

Incorporate spiritual disciplines in your daily walk with Christ. Create goals to achieve greater things for God’s glory in your personal life. The Apostle Paul lived with purpose and mission to demonstrate God’s love for others. In Philippians 3:14 he writes, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

2) Training and Development

In the workplace, modeling, apprenticeships, and training programs are so ubiquitous that we do not even question whether they are necessary anymore. Training and development programs are so common in every Fortune 500 Company that there are whole centers of learning associated with these companies.

The Apostle Paul talked about training and development spiritually from learning from him personally. In Philippians 4:9 he writes, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Get a Christian counselor, pastor, or other spiritually mature friend to help mold you further to be like Christ. God gives us many spiritual guides if we are willing to accept their wisdom and counsel and apply it to our lives so that God’s active peace will surround us and make us more than able to handle life’s curveballs.