Take Control of your Personal Development

“You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.” ―Henry David Thoreau

In the moment of mistaken identity or feeling too embarrassed to correct it, you will feel even more awkward doing so afterwards. In most cases, people just learn to just live with a false identity they’ve portrayed onto themselves. It should unnerve you, the fact that someone believes something about you that isn’t true. I know about it all too well.

Living in a false self will cause you to fall out of alignment with who you are and trust me, there is no greater pain than living a life when the truth is buried deep inside you. In my experience, when I’ve gone days or weeks without positive input, it’s taken a toll on me mentally. Feelings of negativity or frustrations fog your mindset which leaves you in a “funk”. Some people never get out of that and it sits with them for a lifetime.

I’ve learned, to really grow yourself requires attention. The ability to be mindful of the input into your mind on a daily basis in my experience determines how you operate in the grand scheme of things. I’ve taken personal development seriously since I was a teenager.  Some of my early mentors were Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, John Maxwell, Brian Tracy to name a few. It allowed me to be “wiser than my years” as I’ve been told my whole life.

Seeking insights, knowledge, perspective, and wisdom has been a helping hand in many positions I’ve held in my life. My current daily habits consist of writing in my journal, reading, listening to audios and looking for ways to grow my business and add value to people on a daily basis. If that’s gets done, it allows me to keep my mindset on point and my perspective in check.

Here are 4 reasons why you should take control of your personal development.

1 – It forces you out of your comfort zone

If there are areas of your life that you do not like, or are not good at, those are the weaknesses that a personal development plan can help you improve on. Confronting these areas and improving on them can help to push you out of your comfort zone. This allows you to experience growth and to improve your skills.

2 – It develops your strengths

A personal development plan not only helps you to improve on your weaknesses, but it can also help you to develop your strengths. By taking time to focus on nurturing and using your strengths more, you go from being good at something to being excellent at it. You can reach your potential and achieve great growth by developing the skills you are already good at.

3 – It boosts your confidence

Making the decision to improve on your skills takes you a step closer to feeling more confident. Once you have achieved a certain goal, gain another skill, or develop a certain area of your life, you naturally feel good about yourself. The more you keep on developing in the areas of your life you are not confident in, the more you can boost your confidence.

4 – It improves your self-awareness

Personal development is closely linked to self-awareness. It gives you the opportunity to take an honest look at the areas of your life that need improvement. Through this process, you get to know who you really are, what your true values are, and where you would like to go in life. Once you go through this process, you will improve your self-awareness and experience fulfillment.

I challenge you to take a look at your personal development plan. What does it look like? What areas are you looking to grow in? How much time do you spend on focusing on a plan to improve your self image and mindset?

Ultimately the decision that will make you very successful is the story you tell yourself. It will be hard to fight it and tell yourself a different story if you believe that perceived odds are against you. By telling a story of belief in one’s ability, it will allow you to thrive. That confidence will attract success all around you.

By believing in yourself in every way , you go through life believing that. Believing in yourself can shape your life and pave the route for your success. Everyone around you will believe it. That’s how people will treat you, not by your genetic predisposition, but how you think of yourself. A conviction that is fundamentally the way you look at your life and what you do.

What we believe about ourselves has a way of coming true — the good and the bad.

Be mindful, have a plan, and surround yourself with those who encourage the belief you have in yourself in a positive way!