As caterpillar changes into an attractive and productive butterfly so also you need to consistently experience growth in your personal life.But you must be willing to change. Every living thing on this earth is designed for growth. However not many people are willing to dedicate themselves to a deliberate program of growth. This is because growth requires change, and most of us are reluctant to change. But without change, growth is impossible. Life is designed for motion not stagnation. Those who put up with stagnation eventually end up in frustration. The average person may not mind change as long as it affects someone else. But we put up resistance when it affects us personally.Dear friend, if you’re not changing, you’re not growing. Growing means giving up familiar but limiting beliefs, values, and work, relationships or thought patterns. Change is inevitable. Everybody has to deal with it because if we are not growing we start dying. Life is designed for growth, for continuous improvement. To experience personal development you must make a choice for growth, because growth is a choice. It is impossible for you to try and maintain your current position and make progress at the same time. Don’t dig in, but keep moving. Settle this once and for all. The only way to improve the quality of your life is to improve yourself through consistent growth. To grow your business, grow yourself. To have a better wife, be a better husband. To have better children be a better parent. To have better friends, be a better friend. One of the greatest discoveries you’ll make in life is this: as you change and improve; things and people will change and improve around you. Since the only person you really have the ability to change anyway is yourself, begin by changing yourself. Make a choice to grow everyday. And start with what you have where you are. The things that you have done to be where you are today very basic. Because they are things you have done daily over a long period of time. Things like breathing, eating, sleeping and going to toilet. Take note they are things you must do for yourself. You see, growth is a non-transferable responsibility; start now. Feed your mind with the good stuff, buy books,attend seminar, volunteer for community services and any other ways you can think of to improve your self. And begin to apply the things you are learning. Change your attitude and your altitude level will change There is nothing that brings contentment in life like growth. Whatever or whoever is not growing becomes a source of concern. Growth has many advantages. When we grow we change. And when we change things happen around us. Life becomes more favourable. You see, there are many good opportunities available for us to enjoy. But we cannot gain access to them until we are matured enough to handle them. Growth today guarantees a better tomorrow. Life responds to values not titles. When you add to your personal value everyday, you will eventually attract what you are worth.Now to grow you must be teachable. The greatest obstacle to growth may not be ignorance. It may be knowledge. The point at which you feel that you know it all is the point is the point at which you stop growing. Really, the more you know, the more you should know that you don’t know. No wonder former basketball coach, John Wooden once said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” Always remember that there is a higher level than where you are. And when you remain teachable, your potential is almost limitless.Make a decision to grow now .
Posts Tagged Success
Copyright (c) 2009 Willie Horton
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.
Personal development is key if you want to be successful in anything in life or in anything you want to accomplish. The first step is to have that strong desire because everything starts with you thinking and having that burning desire to achieve whatever you like and want from life. Self-improvement is the first step by working on yourself then you will change to become whatever person you aspire to be. So first you need to identify the problem you are facing which can be lack of motivation for example and by doing so you are going through the first step of self-improvement. You need to analyze that and figure a way to overcome that by creating a definite plan which you will follow daily until you have achieve what you want which is to be a well motivated person that can attack anything he wants anytime and win!
Second is to build the desire you need to achieve you goals. To do so you must think of what you want in life and write it down on a piece of paper and read it every morning and night before you sleep. By doing so you are putting that thought into your mind to build that burning and strong desire in your mind and self to achieve it no matter what happens and that you will overcome every single obstacle that comes you way. There is a saying by Napoleon Hill that I want to quote which goes like this “A thought backed up by a burning desire has a tendency of transmuting itself into its physical equivalent.” That means whatever you think and program into your head and with that you have the strong desire to back it up you can make it a reality!
Those are the few main steps to success that you should follow if you are looking and wanting to change your life for the best. There are many more tips and secrets to come so stay in touch.
If it is wealth you are looking for you have come to right place at the right time. I am sponsoring people of great motivaton and self confidence into my Millionaire MasterMind Group it is very precious to me as well. My time is worth about $1000/hr. Only if you are serious about becoming a millionaire apply for more information go to http://wealthcreations.ca/
To sustain your growth you must create time to invest in yourself. You will be amazed how much you can take in while riding in your car or while traveling. Henry Ford said, “It’s been my observation that most successful people get ahead during the time that others waste.” Always have a book, a magazine or a Walkman cassette player handy. Keep taking in information. Output answers to input. You can’t get out of yourself more than you have gotten into yourself.It is also important that you focus on a few major goal. You can’t grow in every direction. You just can’t become an expert in every field. Focus on your most important roles and goals in life and keep learning in those areas. John Maxwell once said, “Self- development draws you toward your destiny.”No business will outgrow its Chief Executive. To grow outside, you must first grow inside. And to experience continuous growth, we must have a definite plan for growth. We cannot leave our personal development to chance or to extra time. We hardly have surplus time anyway. Growth must be deliberate. So, schedule time for your personal growth daily. Schedule time to plan your day or your week. Schedule time to read books or listen to tapes. Schedule time to attend seminars and conferences. Schedule time with your mentors.Remember consistency is important. If plants are soaked in large amounts of water only once a week or once a month, they will soon die. They take in water consistently. Just make sure you are learning something new everyday. Be willing to pay the price for growth. It requires discipline. It is easier to watch comedy on the T.V than to read or polish your skills. It costs money to buy books and tapes. However remember that in life pain is inevitable. It is either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The pain of regret is worse. Through discipline you can make investments in your life today. Investment is the key to achievement. Theodore Roosevelt Former President of the United States once said, “There has not yet been a person in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.”You must rise to a new level, so you can take your business to a new level. Pay the price for growth today; you will win the prize of success tomorrow.
The words personal development, self development and self improvement, all one and the same, have been bandied about for decades. Best sellers have been written and bought and have given some people the boost that they needed to change their life. Yet many have languished on the bookshelf, never read or acted upon. In this time of world wide economic downturn, the personal development industry is booming as people seek meaning and direction in their lives. But what is personal development, what can it do for you?
1. Almost every person has beliefs that they have a very strong relationship with, having cultivated that belief for a long time. Some of these are given to us when we are very young as gifts from our parents, grandparents or other people like teachers who we may have grown to love and trust. These beliefs must be right so we hold on to them very tightly as guide posts for the way we live our lives. Often though, these beliefs hold us back from achieving all that we possibly could. As an example you may believe that everyone grows up and gets a job, they work hard at that job, they earn an income and look forward to the day that they can retire. Perhaps you then wish, at some point in your life, to buy a business but you find that you can not quite do it. You really want to, you have done heaps of research, you have even found the perfect business. But you still can not take that leap of faith that is required.
Could it be that your belief that you grow up and get a job is so strong that it overrules your desire to be your own boss? Limiting beliefs such as these can and do hold many people back from their dreams and a life of freedom. The best personal development programs will help you to clear limiting beliefs form your life, leaving you in the driving seat and not some misguided but well meant messages that you received in the past.
2. Perhaps, like many people, you have spent years wondering what your real purpose is in life. Well what if I told you that it is to be happy, enjoy life and have fun. Would your life right now qualify for any of these titles?
You will contribute far more to your work and the community, not to mention your family and friends if you are happy and enjoying yourself. There has been ample research done around this very subject and there are now happiness gurus and even laughter experts who will help you to find this very essence of life; happiness, enjoyment, pleasure and fun. Just imagine how you would feel to hear your children say “my dad/mum is great fun, we have crazy times together”. Through personal development you will have every opportunity to create a lifetime of happiness, fun and laughter. That is your main work and personal development will help you to do it.
3. Do you have a burning desire to achieve prosperity at every level; financially, in relationships, physically, emotionally, with your lifestyle and have plenty of time? Sometimes I hear people talk about prosperity as if it is only about money while others talk about prosperity from a much broader perspective. One of my clients recently told me that to her, prosperity was about the feeling of success and that she felt successful when she had time to herself without having to be working her business and she had the freedom to make her own decisions in relation to travel, where she lived and on what she spent her money. She went on to say that having this feeling of success in all areas of her life was being prosperous. Successful and prosperous people are usually devotees of personal development.
4. Personal development will help you to become the person you want to be. Often people have carried with them from childhood, a dream to be a certain person. This might be a person who helps others, a person who changes the way we treat the environment, or a person who changes the policies of government so that there is a fairer go for more people. Whatever, personal development helps you to realise those dreams; to reconnect with them in the first instance and to work out how to take personal action to achieve them. You can be the person you truly want to be and you could even be better!
5. Through using personal development strategies and actions you can act to make the world a better place; you can spread generosity and appreciation wherever you go. Learn how to shift your focus from those things that you do not like to see to those things that you do like to see and then how to make room in your life by being generous and compassionate with others. Now that has got to be a good thing.
Now that you know a little about what personal development is and what it can do for you, I would love to hear from you about what you have been doing and found that works. Or how may resources you have sitting in your own personal library, languishing, untouched and why.
Are you a procrastinator? Do you hold yourself back from achieving the things you want to achieve in life because you never get round to starting/ Or, are you the type of person who starts many projects but finishes none?
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!
If you are looking for a way to be successful in whatever you do, you may be struggling to find the best formula to help you do so. The truth is that it takes two main components in order to be a success in anything.
The first component is motivation and the second is goal setting. In order to be successful, you need to have a balance of these two components.
Without one, the other is useless. There are many people who are great at setting goals and then follow up with no motivation. They tend to get confused when they rarely meet their goals.
It can be difficult to have the right balance. If you are someone who wants to be a success but will continue to get lost along the way, read more to figure out what you can do to get on the right track.
Finding Motivation:
Motivation is a difficult thing to stir up on your own. We are often motivated naturally to do things. For instance, when we are hungry, we are motivated to find a place to eat. When someone says they lack motivation, they are not being honest with themselves.
Everyone has motivation inside of them. The difficult part may be funneling your natural motivation supply to specific goals you have in mind. Once you know how to motivate yourself, you will find it easier to stay on task.
Each person can be motivated in a different way. Some people work great on a reward motivation system. In this system the participants reward themselves each time they meet a goal.
If you are trying to lose weight, then you can reward yourself with a new outfit each time you meet a goal in your plan. If you are trying to spend less, you can reward yourself with a night out each month you follow your budget exactly.
Many people respond well to this type of reward system, especially if they were raised in a home that practiced the same system.
Setting Goals:
Along with finding your motivation, the other equally important aspect of being a success is learning to set goals.
The most important thing to remember when setting goals is that you should always set realistic goals. Be aware of your capabilities.
It is fine to push yourself a little, but if you create goals that are not realistic, then you will likely give up trying to meet them. Often people who set unrealistic goals are capable of the goal itself, but are exhausted at trying to reach it all at once.
With many goals, like weight loss goals, you should break them up into smaller goals. You can work on part of the goal at a time.
For instance, if you want to lose 100 pounds, it can be difficult to stay motivated with that huge number in mind, especially when the average person can lose a few pounds a week. Try setting a weekly goal of losing two pounds. If you exceed that goal then you can celebrate, but you may find that each goal is right on target.
The less pressure you put on yourself to succeed, the easier it will come.
When you do set a goal, make sure that you are constantly reminded of your goal. You can tell those around you of your goal so you will feel accountable for following through.
You can also create notes to post around your home, office, or car in order to help you keep on track. No matter what your goal is, it must be remembered each day. As creatures of habit, we can easily train ourselves to be successful and meet our goals.
When we are constantly focused on the goal at hand, we will be better able to do so.
When you put 50% motivation and 50% goal setting into something you can guarantee you will succeed. Remember that everyone has the ability to be motivated.
Each person may require a different technique, but we can all be motivated just the same. Also, be sure to set goals often.
Reasonable goals are those that you are capable of meeting. Never push yourself too hard with your goal or you might risk getting burned-out and quitting.
Creating a balance between motivation and goal setting is the key to all success however, so keep trying and you will get it right!
Every one of us is involved in some for of self improvement or personal development. This is true of you whether it is something you currently realise or not! If you have any desires, dreams or goals then you are striving to better yourself, your environment or your world and this we call self improvement.
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!
You will often hear it said that the secret to success is to emulate those who are already successful. Education for success is all about learning from those who have gone before.
But how easy is this to do? Isn’t it necessary to spend some time studying that person’s character and habits? And even if you can do this accurately, a process of trial and error would have to take place before you find the right fit for your purposes. Everyone is different and another person’s actions will not always completely fit your own circumstances.
All the same, the concept is a good one. Learning from others is one of the best ways of accelerating your progress. The experience of those who have achieved their goals can help you avoid mistakes and make better choices.
So how do you find these successful people, and how can you discover the roadmap that will pave your way to success without the time consuming trial and error?
What is needed is a detailed blueprint; a step-by-step guide that will provide you with a feeling of empowerment which can only be achieved when the way to move forward is clearly outlined. Only then will you feel the confidence of being on the right track.
As a life coach, I have been a student of personal development for many years and passionate a believer in learning from motivational masters. I have read many self help books, listened to CDs, watched DVDs and attended motivational seminars and courses. I have always used these inspirational resources as my own personal guide to achievement.
However, no matter how brilliant many of these resources are, it is not always easy to remember the lessons learned or keep up the motivation felt whilst reading a book or attending a seminar. Daily life intrudes and we find ourselves face to face with our own issues and inner demons that dominate once more as the memory of the book or seminar fades.
Not only that, but there is the expense of seminars (some of them costing a small fortune) and the effort of finding the right book.
That is how it used to be. But nowadays, things are different. Seven months ago I discovered an online resource where you can find a series of user-friendly lessons written and presented by some of the most successful people in the personal development world. Success University focuses on education for success, and you can come back to it time and time again, learn from its leaders and find something new every month.
The internet has helped to broaden our horizons and make this kind of training not only more accessible but more affordable. It makes it easier not only to find but to follow our own personal guru or mentor.
With online courses you can proceed at your own pace at times that are suitable to you. You can choose your own focus, set your own goals and determine your own timelines and deadlines for personal achievement. A program like Success University will also provide you with monthly CDs, DVDs and motivational newsletters.
When you find a program like this, it makes it easy to follow those who have achieved success without spending a fortune. It also makes it easy to keep the momentum flowing. It is an ongoing process, like having a mentor constantly at your side. A few clicks of a mouse and you have access to whatever lesson you need to learn.
The internet has provided a world of instant access, and the personal development industry is one area that has benefited greatly from it.
Now we no longer need to fork out thousands to see our favourite speaker, or even leave our home. Whilst nothing can really replace the buzz and excitement of actually being there, for those people who cannot afford it or find the time for it, online programs like Success University provide an extremely effective alternative.
Education for success online is the way forward for personal growth in the computer age.