Image: walknboston
It would be worth more than gold.
Wars would be fought over it.
Lives would be dedicated in it’s pursuit.
Those willing to expend it would find it easier to get more of it.
But it’s not a commodity.
It is something you already have within yourself.
You can tap into it at any time.
For free.
About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.
- Gloria Pitzer
P.S: I realise this isn’t actually logical, but you get the idea yeah?!
Reading a book about what it’s like being a soldier in Iraq isn’t the same as actually going there. It doesn’t mean you really have any idea what it’s really like. You might think you do, but you don’t.
In a similar way, reading blogs about personal development doesn’t mean you know anything about it, or that you are really doing anything.
You aren’t developing yourself – until you start to act.
How many of these blogs/books/DVDs/courses do you need to consume before you start to implement what you are learning? Success won’t magically come and offer itself to you simply because you’ve read enough blog posts.
Personal development doesn’t mean reading blogs…or talking about it…or telling other people how to do it. Personal development is not a passive thing. It is a very active thing.
To find out what “Personal Development” really means you’ll have to take action.
Then you’ll know.
Is a rare thing.
Self-proclaimed skeptics generally aren’t skeptics, they’re just people who enjoying disagreeing with things.
But healthy skepticism is a different thing. It’s good to have a look at things before trusting them. It’s good to consider what people are saying before agreeing or disagreeing with them. It’s good to keep an open mind.
Blind acceptance or blind rejection are both unhelpful. But there is a healthy balance somewhere in the middle where you can consider all things in the light of your own knowledge and experience. You can take into account the all the facts along with the wisdom of others who have proven themselves to you, weigh up the options and make your decision.
There’s still no guarantee that you’re right or wrong, but it’s a healthy way to go about it.
Society has norms, or accepted ways of doing things.
Generally people follow these norms, and generally they do so on automatic pilot.
So over time these norms become rules. If you break them then people want to know why.
But if you look at the really successful people in this world you will find that generally they haven’t played within the rules. They’ve broken out and taken risks. They’ve dared to risk embarrassment, humiliation, failure, ridicule…
And it’s been worth it!
Unfulfilled dreams are like an itch you really want to scratch. You forget about them for a while but then when you think about them you really want to scratch them again.
If you want to be successful the trick is to keep your dreams in mind…
Do whatever it takes to keep them in mind so that the itch is there.
Then just keep scratching.
Notice how kids are interested in everything?
I was on a bus a while back and a little girl’s conversation to her dad was something like this, “Look Daddy there’s a car. Hey, there’s a dog. That car’s blue…there’s some people walking…look there’s another car…” And it went on like that for ages. She was interested in everything.
Somewhere along the line our interest wanes. But when you meet people who are still curious – they are always interesting. They can always tell you something you didn’t know. They have stories to tell and experiences to share; they are fascinating people to meet.
Curiosity is something to be cultivated.
Image: Tom@HK
We too often doubt our ability. We look at the success of others and think, “I could never do that”. We think that others have talents that we do not possess and are incapable of developing. We judge ourselves harshly.
Humility is a virtue but there’s nothing wrong with realising your potential. You are far more capable than you realise. You can do far more than you think you can.
You are capable of things you couldn’t even imagine.
You are capable of things that would blow the minds of all those around you.
So rather than doubting yourself, back yourself. Make a conscious decision to give yourself your full support, your full encouragement.
Bet on yourself – the odds are better than you think.
Confucius summed it up beautifully.
Those who achieve greatly do so by throwing themselves completely into whatever they are doing.
They have a singlemindedness of focus.
They have an intensity of purpose.
They are prepared to make sacrifices.
They are prepared to shed blood, sweat and tears.
The only way to be really successful, regardless of what you do, is to throw yourself into it and do it completely.
People are defeated in life, not because of lack of ability, but for lack of whole-heartedness.
- Norman Vincent Peale
So go for it!
Image: mikebaird
