On the Personal Development Goals

This evolving paper starts to imagine and sketch out Personal Development Goals (PDGs) that could complement the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We will also draw ideas and inspirations from the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) not for profit and open source initiative. (See also Can the Inner Development Goals help us create a more sustainable future? and Start working on your Inner Development Goals now.)

Introduction

The PDGs are inspired by the SDGs, officially known as ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, an intergovernmental set of aspiration Goals with 169 targets.

However, personal and ethical considerations need to play a more central role in the implementation of the SDGs.

The Dalai Lama told his Facebook friends that "grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate," and that religion alone cannot foster values such as integrity and compassion. He instead called for a global system of secular ethics, or a new global ethical code that would be of benefit to everyone, including people who don't follow any particular religion. He said that the new ethics should incorporate the diverse set of values that people of various beliefs hold in common.

About the PDGs

For me the purpose of life is to know other people…is to discover what life is. Who inhabits the world? What is it to be human? What can I give to the world which it doesn’t have…a gift for tolerating my presence in this world..…and unless I know the people, I can’t know what it does not have - Theodore Zeldin

Imagine balancing self-interest and caring for others. If this is possible, then:

What is the approximate balance between the two today - in individuals, organisations and societies? How much time do we really spend thinking about and then acting on other people's needs?
How can we start an open and ongoing debate about what the balance should be - in 2025, in 2030 etc? If we don't do this, then how can individuals really know how to lead a "good" life, how can organisations know what their wider responsibilities really are and can societies really know how to develop fair policies for all?
How can we then best collaborate with one other, sharing our good practices and our ideas and reaching out for a consensus on the most effective actions, projects and policies to get us ever closer to that optimum balance between self-interest and active compassion?

What will be the best fora and media for involving as many people as possible in both the debate and the sharing?

What is short, are the human, personal, development goals (PDGs) that we should nurture alongside the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

We intend to play a key role in starting to answer such questions.

Evolving list of PDGs

Global and local citizens
Improving Ageing
Increasing Wellbeing
Reducing Isolation
Respecting Animals

In parallel, we can also start drafting Organisational Development Goals (ODGs). Inspiration can come from such sources: as

B Corporations are a growing group of companies who are reinventing business, by pursuing purpose as well as profit. Some consider it the gold standard in social and environmental performance – and it’s not easy to become a B Corp.
Ethical Systems, which makes academic research accessible to businesspeople, helps them assess their company cultures, and guides them in applying research-based strategies to improve trust, integrity, and cooperation.

Related emotional development goals could include:

Self-awareness: Being aware of your feelings and accepting them as valid
Emotional expression: Being able to express a range of emotions in an appropriate way
Self-esteem: Developing a positive self-concept and healthy self-esteem
Stress management: Developing skills to handle stress, irritations, and crises
Relationships: Developing and maintaining loving and intimate relationships
Resilience: Building resilience
Self-care: Prioritising self-care and taking time for yourself
Communication: Becoming a better communicator and building emotional vocabulary
Boundaries: Setting and keeping boundaries

Meanwhile, Harvey Whitehouse's book, Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World identifies seven moral principles that are considered universally good across cultures:

Help your kin: Supporting and caring for family members.
Be loyal to your group: Maintaining allegiance and commitment to one's community or group.
Reciprocate favours: Engaging in mutual aid and ensuring fairness in exchanges.
Be courageous: Demonstrating bravery, particularly in defence of one's community or values.
Defer to superiors: Showing respect and compliance towards authority figures or leaders.
Share things fairly: Ensuring equitable distribution of resources and opportunities.
Respect other people's property: Honouring the ownership rights of others.