5 Secret Keys to Successful Personal Development
Photo by ladygoth
This is the post that the authors of personal development books, the creators of audio programs and the creators of self-help websites (except me), don’t want you to read.
I believe that personal development is a journey we all embark upon to help make more out of our lives - no matter what motivation we have to get started, we are all hoping for some improvement. In order to achieve this, we read books, listen to audio programs, set goals, research productivity techniques, attend expensive seminars and spend hours analyzing, studying, writing and preparing.
Each new book, tool or program brings with it a deluge of new ideas, techniques, suggestions, rules and paradigms - all of which need to be read, understood and rigorously implemented to achieve the benefits espoused by the creator of this new principle.
It seems impossible at times - You find one idea that works really well until you discover a new stumbling block. A new book offers a fantastic insight into your productivity, but you struggle to implement the techniques for your specific situation. A technique functions perfectly at work, but upsets your family when used at home.
I’ve been there too - After dozens of books, hundreds of techniques and thousands of web pages - I still had not found my Holy Grail. It was only when I spent some time in deep meditation, and after a lot of personal reflection that I came to understand some simple rules that helped me massively transform my potential, and accelerated my growth exponentially.
Here are the five key rules that I learned:
“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it is the only one you have.”
- Emile Chartier
- No single idea will change your life. Despite there being some amazing books, ideas and paradigms out there out there, not one of them on it’s own will help you change your whole life. Stop looking for your Holy Grail, it doesn’t exist.
- With every idea - find what works for you, discard the rest. Even the best ideas don’t work in every situation, for every person. With every new book, technique or skill you discover - try it, play with it, figure out what works for you and what doesn’t, and forget about the rest.
- Nothing takes the place of action. I have never come across any legitimate idea, tool or technique that would have benefit in my life without some form of conscious action. Even using the Law of Attraction requires you to take some form of action to make things happen. Whatever you want to achieve, just grit your teeth and do something that moves you towards your goal.
- Take it one day at a time. No matter where you’re headed, or how fast, your life happens one day at a time. Stop dwelling on the past, or dreaming about the future. Start concentrating right now on getting the very best from today.
- Be patient. Life doesn’t come with a fast-forward button *sigh*. It takes time to build the life of your dreams, and to make the changes that truly matter. Stick to your guns, keeping picking up yourself up and carrying on, and you’ll reach your dreams.
These are not simple techniques for you to blithely implement, then forget about - they are fundamental rules to help guide you on the path of personal growth. If ever you feel you are out of touch with what you’re trying to achieve, or you feel frustrated with an apparent lack of progress - remember these rules and you will be able to get back on track to the life of your dreams.
It is soooo difficult not to keep looking for that ‘Holy Grail’ idea or technique that will magically clear the clutter and make one more productive! I do think that if I had to choose to adopt just one rule of your five, it would be to redirect that ’seeking’ time and energy into buckling down to the tasks on my list and getting things done!
I am impressed with your no-B.S. list. As someone who continuously improves his life in all areas without reading silly self-help materials, this has the ring of truth to it.
@Michael,
Thanks for the comment, much appreciated. I have to agree with your term of “silly self-help” materials. There is a lot of rubbish available that promises the world, and isn’t really worth the paper it’s printed on.
Having said that, there are a lot of great books and ideas out there, but even the very best won’t have th effect that most people are hoping for.
@Jen,
The rule about taking action is probably the most important one - it doesn’t matter how great your intentions are, if you don’t take action, they won’t manifest.
My advice to those who take umbrage with what I suggest… If all you plan to do is sit there like a muppet and just wish for the things you want, at least make sure you’re comfortable. You might be there a while…
One of the biggest motivations for me is to remember that it takes much practice for you to do anything. MTV has a show called “Made”–one of the things that is stressed by almost every coach is practice. I think we can do anything if we put our mind to it, and we can do anything well if we put our heart into it.–I think I need to write that one down.
@chaplainandrews,
I love that turn of phrase - “we can do anything if we put our mind to it, and we can do anything well if we put our heart into it.”
I have a lot to say on this subject, and a fair few of my backlog of posts is about helping people get more of the right things done. My belief is that people live and work at their best when what they are doing is an expression of the best of who they are.
I’d love to expound on that concept, but I’ll save it for a future post
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Great post.
I would go even further and say I don’t think I’d like a fast forward button. I think the best single attitude to achieve personal development is to enjoy the process instead of aiming at an end. After all, as Keynes - the famous economist - said: “In the long run we are all dead”
If people followed just these five basic ideas, the world would be a much happier and peaceful place.
I think the most challenging aspect of personal growth is the fundamental idea behind them: that we are flawed.
The thing is, none of us have anything “wrong” with us. Our basic self… the person we were born into this world as is perfect. The only flaw is we’ve *added* lots of stuff on top of that perfection to cover it over… to make us not realize that we’re perfect underneath all of the conditioning we’ve adopted from others.
In that light, I would probably add a 6th premise along the lines of “Acceptance” or “You’re Okay.” So often people reject themselves or parts of themselves, and that just makes it even harder for them to progress down the path of personal development.