Even though the vast majority of my clients are business people, I sometimes get to work with young children – by “young” I mean children who have not reached that psychological watershed of somewhere between eleven and twelve years. That’s when a child’s sponge-like open-mindedness begins to close down – as the child moves from being a child into adolescence and onward, God help them, into adulthood.

I have often lamented the fact that the vast majority of children will “grow up” to become “normal” adults. On one occasion, Jack (a fifteen-year-old) explained to me how some of his schoolmates were behaving badly, one or two of them had got into drugs and they had generally become not nice people (they were not his exact words!). Jack concluded, however, “I can’t wait to be an adult because, I assume, that when people become adults all that bad behaviour stops!” Ouch! I had to tell him that that was simply not the case. In general, so-called “normal” adults simply do not know how to behave themselves – it’s not a conscious evaluation of what “behave” means, because years of psychological work has concluded that normal people are incapable of conscious evaluation – they live unconsciously, ceding all responsibility for their behaviour to their automatic subconscious. In effect this means that open-minded children develop into normal, mindless, automatic adults.

Is it possible that we can actually call that “development”? Indeed, what does what does the whole concept of “Personal Development” actually mean?

Personal Development is big business – just Google the phrase and you’ll find out how big! Personal Development accounts for a growing market sector in the traditional publishing industry as so-called self-help and popular psychology books abound. And, yet, the fact of the matter is that, at this very moment in time, there are far more mindless people on this planet than at any time in this planet’s history. Research indicates that the rise of this mindlessness went hand-in-hand with the rise of the nation state – starting with the rise of the Sumarian empire some 3,500 years ago. And, in the intervening period, the tribal way of life – where everyone looked after everyone else – has gradually died out.

As a result, modern “developed” society is one where mindlessness is the norm – that’s why “normal” people can be best described as “normal”. It is a derogatory term – because seven decades of psychological work concludes that normal people are mindless and mad. They invest just about 1% of their energy in doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Their subconscious minds live in the past – but because it’s subconscious, they’re not even aware of it. It’s horrible – and we can see the results every day in the way people treat each other at home, at work and on the international stage.

So why would any child submit to the idea of becoming a normal adult? Is it not normal adults that squeeze the capacity for abnormal unlimited abundance out of our children. After all, it’s perfectly feasible for a seven-year-old to believe that she can be a famous actress or singer, that he can be a world-class footballer, or that they can be astronauts – until parents, teachers and the whole system conspires to try to drag those “unrealistic” dreams back to reality.

So, back to the key question – does anyone need “personal development”? Or should we, as normal adults, be talking about un-developing ourselves? Our children (who will, if nothing changes, inevitably grow into normal adults) have their view of the world the right way around. They experience the moment – the much vaunted “Now” that great minds from the Buddha and Jesus Christ to Tony de Mello and Ekhart Tolle have talked about. Young children are generally not pre-occupied with worry and they do not live in the past. Contrast this with the normal adult whose subconscious is buried in the past, whose conscious is dancing around to the distractive music of constant useless thought – often worrying about the future.

Have you children? Do you want to squeeze the life out of them – an inevitability of mindless normal adult behaviour? You were once a child – how about becoming childlike again? Is it not the case that the normal adult needs some personal un-development? Do we not need to strip away the nonsense that our past-focused subconscious minds impose upon our “life” in the present moment? Should children should be teaching adults – not the other way around?

Humanistic psychologists – those working on the psychology of happiness (and we all yearn for happiness) have long been of the view that adults need to “unlearn”. We don’t need to learn anything new – it is in our nature to be happy, content and focused in the joy of experiencing the here and now. And it is in the here and now that you will truly find peace of mind. Wouldn’t you like that? Wouldn’t you like to be effortlessly happy and successful?

The journey starts here. All you have to do is become, once again, childlike. All you have to do is experience the present moment (with no focus on the past or worry about the future). All you have to do is come to your senses. You have five of them – use them.

We can strive to overcome dissatisfaction by adopting a holistic approach. This approach takes both our mind and our body into consideration. A person’s emotional processes, attitudes and values, beliefs and motivations are interconnected.  Personal development can nurture the positive aspect of you to grow. In addition, it can discourage the less savoury aspects of our personality.  It can therefore be used to improve our general well being.

Let’s look at a hypothetical situation. Imagine that you have decided to lose weight. Your goal is to lose two and a half a stone in six months.  However, you are only able to loss two stone.  You feel disconsolate. However, the process has made more driven and more motivated. You have higher levels of concentration and a more committed character. In short, you have become exactly the sort of person many others aspire to be despite not reaching your goal.

There are other benefits from undertaking the journey of personal development.  Many people are dissatisfied because they have failed to reach to level of achievement they want to obtain.  The feeling of dissatisfaction is the first stage of self awareness. It is self awareness that helps to form the cornerstone of personal development.

What do I mean by this? Well, if you learn to know yourself, you learn to understand yourself. Once you understand yourself, you can take action to correct any areas of dissatisfaction.  It is like going on a voyage of self discovery. You return from the voyage as a wiser and more confident individual. The major benefit of self-awareness is that it reveals what you are capable of.

Few people truly understand the importance of self –awareness.  Once you have developed it, you can plan the way you tackle goals more effectively.  Self-awareness is about mastering growth and development. Developing a heightened sense of self-awareness through introspection and honest self- appraisal is one of the single most important things you can do in your life.

Conquering general dissatisfaction can seem difficult at times.  However, setbacks are an important part of growth and development.  Learning to deal with setbacks can only help to make you a stronger person. We all have good days and bad days. Make the following promise to yourself.  No matter how dissatisfied you feel now life is only going to get better.  Make a fresh start every day and you will be one step closer to achieving your goals. 

Would you be interested in learning a simple, effective and easy to to try method for eliminating your tendency to procrastinate? If so, then prepare to become one of those elite individuals who always finishes what they start and someone who always gets the job done!

The first step to eliminating procrastination is to identify the things that need to be done. This should be approached on a daily basis. Start by making a simple list that outlines all the key actions you should take for the coming day in order to get the results you want.

Now go down your list and number them in order of importance. Beside the most important activities place the number 1 and beside the lesser important activities place the number 2, and depending on how large your list is you may want to include a number 3 category. That is, number 1 being the most important and number 2 being the second most important. Have at least two activities that fall into your number 1 category and at least two that fall into number 2 and number 3 categories.

Try to be realistic. When I first started using this method I would place up to 20 items on my to-do list. This was far too much. I had been a procrastinator all my life and to expect myself to complete a list of 20 to-do items was asking the impossible. I soon realised that if I started with a list of 4 or 6 things to do, I would complete all of them. Eventually I upgraded to an A4 size blank diary and almost everyday the pages are filled and tasks completed.

Try to vary the activities as much as possible. This way you will stop yourself from becoming bored with monotonous tasks and you will also keep your motivation high as you see yourself moving forward in different areas.

On your list rearrange the items so that your number 1 priority activities are at the start, the next is your number 2 and so on. Leave a space next to the item and underneath it leave a few lines.

Once you have your list in numbered sequence write beside each one the best time of day for starting the activity. In this way you can stay focused on the jobs that you have decided are important. You also have a set time by which you must begin a task so that you do not put it off until the end of the day – when it probably won’t get done!

Now ensure that you take each of your priority 1 items in turn and tick them off after you do it at the time you specified. In the space beneath, write down a quick description of your feelings. How does it feel now that you have completed the tasks you assigned for yourself. Then reward yourself with a small treat. Anything that you feel is a small treat will do, whether it’s just a cup of coffee, bit of chocolate or a piece of cake.

After you have finished your tasks that have a number 2 rating use the same procedure as mentioned above. When you have finished the task ensure you place a tick beside it on your list and write down in the space below the feelings you have now you have completed it. Ensure you give yourself a special treat after you complete this category. Chose a treat that you would not have under normal circumstances. Pick a treat that you only have occasionally at special events or the like. You have really broken through your procrastination and have made real strides in your development of your personal motivation. Keep in mind that it is usually the anticipation of the activity that causes you discomfort and not the activity itself. I find that once I start an activity it becomes relatively easy to finish it.

Also ensure you give yourself a break. Give yourself a break. The length of time you take should depend on the taks you have just completed. Even if the tasks are not at all demanding it is always advisable to set, at least, a few minutes aside to rest and look over what you have achieved. A good time to do this is when you are rewarding yourself.

The plan/do/reward approach to eliminating procrastination works! Use it and you will soon be filling out and completing lists that right now would seem impossible for you to stick to and more importantly you will see the results of your action sin your life. Your personal development will be assured!

The industry is growing at a phenomenal rate – people all over the world now use subliminal self help MP3s and CDs. The ease of them allows you to download your album and be listening within minutes, and as they are available in a wide variety of development areas they can be used to support any goal you may have:

· Losing Weight · Improving Memory · Increasing Self Confidence · Increasing Self Confidence · Boosting Sports Performance · Even Helping Sexual Problems! And much more!

Subliminals will help you to reach your goals more successfully and have transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people! You can use an album when at home relaxing, while doing your chores, working, exercising, or even out and about. They are a light form of hypnosis so they won’t put you into a trance, yet they still send powerful information straight to your unconscious mind to eliminate negative thoughts and personal beliefs and replace them with positive beliefs within a specific area of development.

They are not a miracle cure however. For example a subliminal language learning CD acts simply as a learning aid. This means that you will not learn the language instantly, or overnight, however it will enhance the rate at which you are learning, and processing the language. You will still need to take classes or study the language in some way, but it will align your mind so that you can absorb the information easier, and faster, improve your retention rate, and make you totally focussed on your studies.

However, there is one key area of your life that stops you from progressing in a fast and effective manner towards your desires, dreams and goals. I will now highlight this obstacle and show you how to effectively remove it forever so that you can create the life you want!

One of the worst things you can do when you need to motivate yourself to reach your long held goals and dreams is to criticize yourself. This is a pattern that has been taught to you since you were very young with school tests, grading, placement in your class and class evaluations. Teachers, parents and peers constantly compared you to others as if that was a way of gauging your true worth. This kind of personal evaluation probably continues to this day with employment superiors over-viewing your work, progress and most likely conducting some form of personal evaluation.

This view of assessing your strengths and weaknesses, although probably well-intentioned, has set a pattern within your own mind for self-criticism and self-doubt. Are you in a perpetual state of comparison? Do you find yourslef comparing how you perform to the performance of other people? Do you beat yourself up for not having attained the same level of success as those around you or those you view from afar? Are you disappointed in yourself when you fail to achieve exactly what you set out to achieve in the time you gave yourself?

Being self-critical can cause untold damage in your life. Criticism, regardless of what area of yourself or your life you have focused it, has a ripple effect that damages all other areas. By believing you are less than you should be you are sending a very strong message to your subconscious mind that you are just not good enough. Such a belief halts your progress towards your desires. It leaves you feeling frustrated and extremely unhappy. If you are really and truly not good enough then how could you ever change anything? If you are not good enough then there can be no way for you to change yourself, your circumstances or your life.

The first step to overcoming this self-defeating pattern of thinking and feeling is to become aware that it is there. Look carefully at yourself and how you interact with yourself internally. Notice when you have a tendency to berate yourself. When you notice yourself comparing your behaviour, talents, abilities or results to those of someone else immediately stop. Only judge your own performance. If you must compare yourself to anyone then compare yourself with yourself. Look for how you have improved. If you give a task everything you’ve got and do your best then you are already a success regardless of the outcome. You have stretched yourself and your personal self-imposed boundaries.

Keep a journal of all your goals and list the success you have already created. When you can look back at where you once were and see the improvement that you have made personally then your confidence will be increased and your self-esteem will rocket. If you compare yourself to someone else then bare in mind that you do not know the other person’s circumstances. You do not know what advantages they had when they began, so comparing yourself to them is a futile exercise. Even if these people did overcome serious adversity to achieve the same things that you now want take it as a positive sign. If they did it then so can you!

Try to encourage yourself when you are faced with a challenge. The difference between internal criticism and internal encouragement can mean the difference between a life of fear, dread, discouragement, pain, frustration and a life filled with abundance, joy, peace and harmony.

Giving yourself approval takes practise, so start right now. If you look at what you are doing when you criticize yourself it is really a form of self-disapproval. Approving and disapproving are just choices. You make them internally and you can re-make them in a different way. Approving of yourself and dispproving of yourself is merely a choice you make!

Right now begin to give yourself some approval just for the heck of it. Many times we disapprove of ourselves and others for little or no reason so turn that around. Begin to give yourself approval just because you are you. Can you imagine how differently you will view the world through the eyes of self-approval? Can you guess what kind of strides forward you can make in your life with an internal voice of encouragement? Do you think you, your family, friends and work colleges would benefit from you taking this new radical approach to how you view yourself?

By taking this approach and viewing yourself in a much more positive way the progress you make will astound you and the speed at which you start to move in the life direction that you have chosen will be amazing. You will gain more peace, happiness and harmony as a by-product and live a life filled with much more contentment, satisfaction and joy. Your personal development is assured!

I spent years searching the internet for information about Personal Development. I researched thousands of websites looking for the right material. I downloaded and read tons of useful (and useless) information about personal development. But still I wasn’t satisfied. I couldn’t get rid of the feeling I was overlooking something.

The books that are partly responsible for the start of the Personal Development movement, was written a long time ago. In 1912 Charles F. Haanel wrote his best known book ‘The Master Key System’. Many Authors in the same genre consider this book to be one of the main sources of their inspiration. Have you heard of Napoleon Hill? He wrote the following in a letter to Haanel: “my present success and the success which has followed my work as President of the Napoleon Hill Institute is due largely to the principles laid down in The Master-Key System.”

Rumors also has it that Haanels book inspired Bill Gates to drop out of the University to pursue his dreams. We all know what happened to him. The copyrights for the ‘The Master Key System’ has expired and it is now in the public domain. That means that it is free for anyone to download, read and distribute.

Another book I would like to point out is a wonderful book written in 1902. James Allens ‘As a Man Thinketh’. This is a book that is just as relevant today as in 1902. The main message in the book is this: “Change your thoughts, change your life”.

All the most powerful and successful people in the world know how to do this. You can learn it to.

Both ‘The Master Key System’ and ‘As a Man Thinketh’ are at the “must read” list if you want to start unlocking the secrets of Personal Development.

At http://www.PersonalDevelopmentBooks.net you can download ‘The Master Key System’, ‘As A Man Thinketh’ and hundreds of other books for free.

Success is difficult to achieve for many due to one simple cause – self-doubt! In order to experience more success in any endeavour you must first eliminate this success-killer and re-build your self-confidence.

Unfortunately it seems to be a natural state on planet Earth to steer towards the negative. I am sure that you find yourself thinking negative thoughts throughout your day. Are you are truly aware of just how damaging these thoughts are to your life? Negativity is a state of mind that is cultivated in our society which, when embraced, gradually strips away your self confidence and erodes your self-esteem.

The only real alternative to negative thinking is positive thinking. Keeping an open mind about subjects tends to leave you in a sort of no-man’s land where it is all too easy to get sucked back into a negative mindset. Now by positive thinking I do not mean magical thinking where you believe everything will just magically work itself out. Neither am I referring to unrealistic thought processes. I do not mean that you hold on to the unrealistic view that regardless of your actions, or lack of action, you will reach your goal. Your choices and actions are an integral part of any goal-achievement program or plan. I am talking about a positive mental attitude!

You must begin to look for the positive in every situation. The old adage “every cloud has a silver lining” should become your motto. Did you know that some of the most successful people on the planet hold the same belief that “everything happens for a reason”?

Please be aware that wherever you are in life, no matter how good or how bad you think it is, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Let me illustrate this concept a little better for you.

On the morning of 9/11 a terrible tragedy occurred when, many innocent people needlessly lost their lives. However, there were those who escaped the terror that was experienced by far too many others. Did you know that one woman soiled her work clothes with food and had to remain at home longer than usual to get changed? Another woman slept in because her alarm never went off! There was one person who could not get a taxi and another’s car would not start. Now normally these incidents would make you feel annoyed, irritated or even angry however, how many of those people do you think were annoyed, irritated or angry that day?

If you hold a vision of where you want to be in life and take small steps towards it everyday, then you should know that everyday is bringing you closer to your dream. And, if you are getting closer to your dream then you are exactly where you are meant to be at this moment, doing exactly what you are meant to be doing, with the exact right people you should be doing it with.

If your current situation is in anyway distasteful to you, take heart. Keep in mind that this is just a stage, a stepping-stone, from where you are to where you are going to be. Here are some key tips to follow to eliminate self-doubt and achieve your goals.

1. Stay in the present moment at all times and be grateful for what you already have in your life. Practise gratitude and never moan or complain about where you currently are!

2. Decide what you want to be, do or have and make it a goal. Make it an affirmation of fact! In other words, state your intention as though it were already an established reality. Read this statement to yourself every morning and every night.

3. Visualize your ideal scene. Picture yourself already in possession of your goal. Make it real and see it through your own eyes! Create strong emotion with the picture ? this is vitally important!

4. Look for the positive in every situation, circumstance and person. By focusing on what is good about a thing you will attract more of that into your life.

Follow this simple advice and you will eliminate self-doubt and begin to build the life of your dreams.

Having a goal is great because it injects purpose into our lives. You may already have a broad idea of a goal you would like to achieve. If this is the case, then now is the time to turn it into something specific. For instance, if you are looking to lose weight think about how much weight you would like to lose and in what time. The brain works best when it receives clear instructions. If you were asked to do something vague by your boss at work you would ask them to clarify what they mean. A specific goal is a clear instruction.

A measure of self awareness is essential in critical decision making. After all if we do not feel in control of ourselves the how can we expect to take control over our own destiny and circumstance? As with any other extreme though an extreme amount of self awareness can be detrimental. It can cause us to be too fearful of the consequences of taking action. In addition, what we shall call ‘extreme self awareness’ can lead us to being overly judgmental of our experiences and actions. So ho do we get the balance right? Well fortunately help is at hand.

Self awareness is the key to taking the correct initiative; if we are confident and honest with ourselves, then naturally it follows that we will take action that is balanced between knowledge and a desire to get things done. Rash decision making should be replaced with calm rational and decisive action. The difference between success and failure can be made in a snap decision. By being self aware you are conscious of your own skills and your limitations. It is important to not confuse confidence with arrogance.

If you are planning a new business venture make sure you have done as much research as possible. Make your goal a calculated risk. Ignorance is the enemy of success. What is even worse than ignorance is self enforced ignorance brought about by reluctance to challenge existing knowledge and looking for alternatives. Being able to find an alternative solution to a problem is what creates innovation and competition. Without this key asset we wouldn’t have different companies or products. This is why we need to maintain an open mind combined with self awareness to get your goal setting spot on.

These areas include:

Family | Friends | Work | Education | Recreation | Personal Growth | Spirituality | Financial | Health

Family – Every personal has a family.  Some are functional and others are dysfunctional.  There is one thing for sure, we learn from those around us and as a result, we have taken many of the learned behaviors into our relationships outside of our family.  Are you satisified with your sibling relationships? Are there areas of improvement? What are the results that you seek to have a better relationship with family members? Goal setting is an important part to developing a plan to improve relationships

Friends – Are you satifisfied with the quality of friendships that you have?  It is not uncommon to have friends earlier in life that keep you from obtaing your goals due to peer pressure. Brainstorm on extra activities you would like to do and get involved with those groups.  That is a wonderful way to meet new people and help foster your interests.  Examples include, dance classes, art classes, etc.  Whatever you are interested in, I can guarantee that there is a group to be involved with.  For smaller towns, you may have to start your own group/club.  That will help develop yoour leadership skills.

Work – With the miracle of the internet, you can now learn all new skills to help improve your work performance.  You may decide to go to school and learn a different skillset.  It really does not take that much time and the results can mean an extra $20K per year.

Recreation – Having a basic exercise program that you follow is essential in your mental health.  Watching TV does not help you stay in shape.  In a country where obesity is considered an epidemic, there really is no excuse to not take a 30-minute walk every night.  The begining is always the most frustrating.  Howver, setting goals, and doing simple “baby-steps” can bring an enormous amount of endorphins that will help you psychologically. 

Personal Growth – Have you heard the term “garbage in – garbage out”?  I am sure you have.  What we put into our minds has an effect on everything you do whether sub-consciously or consciously.  I have always found that reading non-fiction is a great way to develop yourself into a well-rounded intellect. 

Spirituality – Everyone has a personal journey they must go through.  However, I have always encouraged people to challenge their belief systems.  That is where your wsidom begins.  Why do you believe what you believe? Where can you find concrete proof that what you believe is true? Have you been spoon-fed your belief system and/or are you grounded in faith?  Everyone must answer to something greater than themselves.

Financial – Are you satisfied with your financial condition?  If your like 99% of the workforce, your not.  How can you improve this area in your life?  Have you always wanted to start your own business? Are you interested in doing internet marketing?  Today it is much easier to make extra income through the internet that it was 20 years ago.  With the economy the way it is and the possibility of being laid-off, now is the best time to start your own business.  Again, goal setting and developing a game plan to execute that plan is the key financial freedom.

Health – Exercise and health seem to go hand in hand.  However, going to a fast food restaurant and ordering a meal supersized is not offset with the “diet” coke.  Eating healthy is essential for good mental and physical conditioning.  Lots of fruits and vegetables will health lose weight and crerate a positive energy in your life.  In your backyard, plant a veggie garden and enjoy the fruits of yoru labor.

When you are balanced in this wheel you have success in your life.  positive energy will naturally flow from you to others and people are attracted to happiness.  It is my challenge to you to follow your dreams and the people around you will notice. 

Relationship Life Cycle is decicated to helping you achieve stronger relationships no matter where you are in the Relationship Life Cycle. Knowledge is the key to success. We provide knowledge, information, and results, but its up to you to take action! When you think about your relationships, are you satisified? Would you like to have a stronger relationship with your parents? marriage? siblings? find better quality friendships? gain confidence in dating? or finding happiness? Many relationships move through the Life Cycle only to fail becasue we have not learned from previous mistakes and/or managed our expectations which includes knowing ourselves and what we like and dont like.

Failure to communicate and listen is the main problem we have and as a result, we get hurt, isolate from each other, and seek to find someone else, yet only to be dissapointed in the fallibility of being human. No one is perfect! The challenge within our relationships is a journey that includes lifes ups and downs, peaks and valleys. Our task is to explore and seek that perection together, knowing that we cannot do this jouney alone. One cannot climb a mountain without the tools necessary to reach the top.

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