|
What is
Personal Development?
by David DeFord
When many people
think of personal development, their minds immediately go to "Positive
Thinking". They think of Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, and empty
optimism.
While thinking positively, knowing that we can accomplish
more than we currently achieve, can be an important tool of personal
development, it goes much farther.
We all have the freedom to dream big
dreams--but when we change our thinking beyond dreaming, and move to taking
control of our dreams, planning the accomplishment of them, and changing
ourselves in necessary areas to move ourselves toward our dreams, then we are
developing personally.
Say you dream of becoming debt free. Will
dreaming it make it happen? Of course not, you must realize that there are
reasons you have debt. You must firmly decide to do what it takes to reduce and
ultimately eliminate your debt. You must make a plan. This plan must include
reducing spending and/or increasing income. You may need to find help, get some
training or counseling.
By changing ourselves, we can change things in
our lives. By taking responsibility for our current situation, we find out that
we can really make our situation change.
Where does optimism come in?
Pessimists look at their situation and feel helpless. Either they feel that
they aren't responsible for the situation, or that they have no power to change
themselves. They look at an issue as something that always happens--something
pervasive. Pessimists look at their past failures as proof that they will fail
again. Because of this way of thinking, pessimists see no way out of their
problem so they do nothing to improve.
Optimists take responsibility,
own the problem, and take active steps to change. They know they can overcome.
They don't feel that they themselves are the problem, but they feel responsible
to find the solution.
Speaking personally, I was able to shed thirty
pounds when I stopped thinking of myself as a fat person and started thinking
of myself as an ordinary person who needed to lose pounds.
Personal
development involves learning, growing, setting goals, planning, and making
wise use of resources such as time and money. It involves
self-mastery.
The purpose of this ezine, Ordinary People Can Win!, is to
help you learn to how to develop yourself. Through what you learn in the coming
weeks, you will be able to make the necessary changes to improve:
•
relationships
• earnings
• physical fitness
• financial
status
• contentment and
• happiness
Your talents,
self-esteem, and potential will rise.
You have the power to achieve your
dreams. But they usually don't fall into your lap--they require honest effort
and proactivity.
High achievers are not necessarily extraordinary
people; they are usually ordinary people who take proactive, consistent
action.
Related
Quotes:
"Hoping and dreaming of a better world are not enough if we are
unwilling to work; but when we work towards our dreams, wonderful things can
happen." Lloyd Newell
"Personal development is your springboard to
personal excellence. Ongoing, continuous, non-stop personal development
literally assures you that there is no limit to what you can accomplish." Brian
Tracy
Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling
to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink
from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his
heart is set. This is true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man whose
object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices
before he can accomplish his object; and how much more so he who would realize
a strong and well-poised life." James Allen
"Discipline is the bridge
between goals and accomplishments." Jim Rohn
"Develop the winning edge;
small differences in your performance can lead to large differences in your
results." Brian Tracy
"If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered
by self." Napoleon Hill
David DeFord is
the owner of Ordinary People Can Win, a personal development company dedicated
to helping ordinary people achieve extraordinary success in all areas of their
lives. He promotes success through integrity. He is developing a website at
www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com and a free weekly e-zine. To subscribe, go to:
http://postsnet.com/app/campaigner/
Featured Personal
Development Articles:
What Do You Want From Life
Success means many different things to different
people. Perhaps you consider success to mean the freedom to spend more time
with your family. Or perhaps you will feel successful when you are earning a
few hundred dollars extra each month or maybe you want to build a residual
income that will allow you to retire from your 9-5 job or travel around the
world.
Principles That Govern My Life
The strength and durability of a building is found
in its foundation. The same is true in a life. What we accomplish and the
effect we have on those around us is not only in what we do, but also in
who...
Making Personal Development Personal
We've written before about Impact Factory's brand
of Professional Personal Development (Professional Personal Development What is
it?), but we're just going to take a little side step here to talk about the
broader issue of Personal Development.
Other Article
Categories:
|
|
