Attend To Your Own Personal Development
™
It was the American author and speaker John C. Maxwell who wrote: "Most people want to change the world to improve their lives, but the world they need to change first is the one inside themselves."
Everyone has an opinion on what is wrong with the world, yet few will do the work to improve their own lives.
It is easy to draw attention to what is wrong because on one level it is frustrating to observe these conditions and stand back while they take place.
I often remind myself and others, the world has existed for 4.54 billion years and is much older and wiser than us.
We have existed for an insignificant extent in that timeline and conditions weren't always ideal, in fact history shows conditions to be less than idyllic.
So, a Utopian paradise needn't exist for us to be happy. We can still thrive despite the unrest in the world because outside conditions aren't as bad as you believe them to be.
If you want to change reality start with yourself first and attend to your own personal development. In doing so, problems give way to solutions and will no longer affect you.
Author Larry Weidel writes in Serial Winner: 5 Actions to Create Your Cycle of Success: "If we all live the richest life possible, it's personally fulfilling, but it also changes the world."
Raise Your Level Of Consciousness
Most people are frustrated or angry with circumstances beyond their control. They believe if they can control these situations they will be happy.
Sometimes it is not possible since there are too many things to control. It requires redesigning your life to suit you, or playing God, neither of which are possible.
It is simpler to attend to your own personal development. So when you feel frustrated, angry or any other disempowering state, become curious and work on that part of you that is at war with reality.
It is futile trying to change conditions out there because life is constantly changing. It is like trying to keep plates spinning on a stick while more plates are added. You cannot keep up and they will eventually come crashing down.
It makes sense to work on yourself so that outside conditions no longer affect you as they once did. This is the key to enlightenment, raising your level of consciousness so you transcend problems with a higher awareness.
Albert Einstein recognised this principle when he said: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
Consider the following example, highlighting why you must attend to your own personal growth if you want to change the world.
Imagine 100 people who constantly complain about the state of the world. One day they collectively decide they've had enough and undertake personal development to change their focus.
Within months, they have stopped whining and are now open to life instead of being mired in their problems. They act from a place of love, peace and joy.
You've heard it said, you are the sum of the five people you most associate with. Therefore, if 100 people can influence five others, we now have 500 people who are now more self-aware than before. If that cycle continues, a tipping point will occur so that anger and fear no longer prevail.
Now I am not naïve and know this Utopian reality will not miraculously emerge overnight if at all within the coming decade. Yet, undertaking personal development will not only help you, but influence those around you.
I have seen evidence of this with my family and friends and those I've coached. You change the world not by pointing out what is wrong with it, but by upgrading your model of reality to coincide with what you wish to see in the world.
It's an inside-out job.
"You don't have to change the world. You just have to change what you pay attention to in the world. And that, it turns out, is hugely powerful," affirms Vishen Lakhiani in The Code of the Extraordinary Mind: 10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life and Succeed On Your Own Terms.
Upgrade Your Model Of Reality
It was the late Dr Wayne Dyer, a well-known self-help author who said: "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." He knew change must take place within and has a ripple effect in the lives of others. If that change is powerful enough, it will gather momentum to affect the whole of humanity.
I admit, it is difficult to focus on what is right in the world when we are governed by our internal state which gets the better of us. The media add to the negativity by reporting bad news to promote fear, and it becomes challenging to break the spell.
I often succumb to these disempowering states at times, so it is remiss of me to offer the advice and claim not to feel this way.
Yet, through my own personal development, I've come to appreciate these are fleeting states and I don't remain stuck in these conditions for long. Awareness has taught me that what I focus on builds momentum and becomes integrated into my reality.
So the advice is clear and simple: be aware when you are pointing the finger outside of you. Go within and attend to that part of you that is inclined to judge outside circumstances are bad.
Heal yourself first by integrating your shadow self and be mindful of your thoughts leading you down a path of negativity. If you do this often, you will break personal development improvement the cycle of incessant thinking that dictates there is something wrong with the world. It is worth the effort to your personal growth.
Eventually, problems that once consumed you will no longer affect you because you have upgraded your model of reality to coincide with a new awareness.
1. Define What do you want to achieve.
There is lots of great information out there from Anthony Robbins to Tim Ferris, from Doctor Phil to Jim Rohn. Despite what some people may tell you it's not a case of one size fits all. Spend some time defining what you want to achieve. Do you want Relationship advice, guidance on financial freedom, career advice, motivation or a mixture of everything? Get precise!
2. Prioritize and work on one area at a time.
Initially there may be certain issues that are more pressing than others. Identify the most important areas and prioritize the order you will tackle them. For the best results focus and work through one area at a time (Finances, Health, Relationships etc) before moving on to the next one.
3. Choose the specific mentor or program that works for you.
Pick a style suits you. Do you want the laid back approach of someone like Jim Rohn or the full on in your face methods of somebody like Anthony Robbins? I believe that if we have a choice of medicines and each one is comparatively effective, we are more likely to take the one we like the taste of on a daily basis.
4. Decide on your budget.
The balance of your bank account does not necessarily dictate the amount of money you need to allocate to your personal development budget. Some people get just as much motivation out of an Anthony Robbins CD set, as attending one of his seminars; others need to be there in person. Your budget should include the amount of time you are allotting (Not just the money) to your personal development.
5. TAKE ACTION!
Personal development can become an addiction but however much you decide to spend on yourself, ensure that you act on your investment. All the books, CD's, Courses and seminars in the world are only words if you don't take action! Even if you only start with a small action START!
6. Don't go off track- Follow one program and stick to it.
You have taken the time to determine on a specific program so stick with it for your results. It is too easy to switch from one resource to another if you don't receive immediate results. By all means experience other mentors and courses but carry out the actions that your current program instructs for a reasonable amount of time. 21 days of repetition is the prescribed time for an action to become a habit but if you have committed to a 30 day program, you owe it to yourself to work on it for at least 30 days.
7. Rinse and repeat.
Once you have achieved your results in the first area, if the program is also relevant for other areas that you are working on, repeat the process in the next area. Most of the information that is out there in the personal development world is different versions of the same message. This doesn't mean that you have to stop with just one author or mentor
If the initial mentor doesn't have anything for the next area and your current program isn't relevant, look at similar mentors. You have found a style that works for you why not continue with that style?