Have you ever read a great personal development book? Did it challenge you to want to do things differently? After reading it, what happened? Chances are if you didn’t take immediate action, the benefits of the book eventually wore off. If you didn’t make those actions a habit, what return did you get? Personal growth is not something you acquire from a book, a podcast or even the best seminar. Personal growth is about being a constant work in progress. It is something that you need to sharpen on a continuous basis or it will become dull.
“The only journey is the journey within.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
The other day I was having a conversation with one of my direct reports about the recent changes in the company. She was talking about all the extra workload that the restructuring resulted in and how visibly stressed most people seemed to be. Then she looked at me and remarked, “Except you. No matter what is going on, you always seen to have a control on it. How do you do it?”
What was my answer?
“I am constantly working extremely hard on myself”.
There is no one magic formula. There is no “one book” that fixes all. There is only YOU deciding to continuously commit to working harder on yourself than you do on anything else. There are so many great resources available that can give you tips, tricks and how to’s. They mean nothing unless you make a decision to apply what works for you.
Here’s the catch. It’s not something you only do once. Personal Growth is a constant ongoing process. If you want to keep your body fit, you can’t just work out once. You need to make it a habit. If you want to make personal development a goal, what can you do to invest in yourself?
[tweetthis]“Know thyself means this, that you get acquainted with what you know, and what you can do” – Menander[/tweetthis]
Personal development is about stretching what you can do. It’s about personal growth in emotional and intellectual intelligence. How?
- Read a book that will challenge your thinking
- Listen to a Podcast that will inspire new action
- Attend a Seminar that will Ignite that fire
- Join or create a Network of people who are passionate about personal excellence
I stumble, and I stumble often. In fact, I have been so focused in staying productive at work, that when I arrive home, I have little to no energy left. That is my current focus right now. Staying balanced in the areas that are important. The idea however is not to avoid stumbling. It will happen. Focus instead on finding the strength to continue to get up and finding ways to avoid the same pitfalls.
Invest in yourself. It is truly the best investment you will ever make. Realize that difficult moments will show up but if you work at it, you will find a way to overcome them.
We are all a Work in Progress.
What are you working on today?