Personal Development: the 2nd Pillar of Success & Fulfillment

In a recent article, I spoke of the five pillars of success and fulfillment that, if worked on every day will lead you along the path toward your desires and ultimately bring you to achieving success in your goals and more happiness in life. The five pillars are Daily Meditation with Visualization, Personal Development, Income Producing Activity, Masterminding with Leaders, and Expectation of Leadership. Here I’d like to share what I’ve been learning about Personal Development.

There are a lot of Self Help books out there. And there are a lot of programs that can help you improve the things you desire to improve about yourself. But as you’re standing in the book store looking at the rows of shelves filled with books that want to help you, how do you know which will benefit you the most? I’m pretty sure your time is precious and as much as you would like to read every book there that would be unlikely or even impossible. Like I said, there are a lot of resources out there and I’m not here to tell you which to use. But I will share what has benefited me.

First of all, tend to your spirit. Whether or not you are spiritual or religious your spirit is who you are deep down inside at the core. You are the only one who truly can feed your spirit, that core of who you are. Of course, others can do things that help to feed your spirit and that is important. But ultimately, you must love yourself and believe in yourself before you can truly and fully accept the love and belief of others. And imagine the freedom that comes when you are content enough with yourself that when criticism or unkindness comes your way you can say to yourself, “that is their opinion (or problem) and I like myself regardless”.

You must put away those things that someone told you that you were not good at, whether it was once or throughout your life.  Once you believe in yourself you will find that you have power within you that no one and nothing can squelch.

But how does one believe in one’s self? This has to come from within, so what does a person who’s always suffered from a lack of self esteem or self worth do?

First of all, you must know that, among other things, you are special. You are amazing. You are good. And you are these things because you are YOU. You are a child of God and when no one else loves or understands you, HE does. If you don’t believe in God, you must understand and truly believe that you have worth! You have worth and you deserve happiness because you are YOU! You are special, amazing, and good. If you doubt any of these things, then make the change required to fully believe in your goodness.

Second, set small attainable goals that you can succeed at.  As you acquire more belief in your capability, set larger attainable goals with a plan to attain them and follow your plan.  As you experience small successes followed by larger successes and combine those with a belief that you have personal worth, your belief of your worth will be replaced by knowledge and, if you continually set new goals for yourself with a plan you follow to achieve those goals you will find that the beliefs that limit or hold you back will fall away and you will begin to see your own greatness. Become the person you want to be instead of hoping that something in your circumstances would change. Every day we must seek to better ourselves. It is not enough to desire to be a better person. We must act on that desire by identifying what we would like to change and come up with a plan (and follow it) to see the change. Start small and always continue in your quest for personal betterment. You will be astounded by the person you see yourself become.

Utilize the power of your subconscious mind. Did you know that the non-conscious mind controls 96-98% of our actions? Our beliefs become our reality. If you don’t believe this, try changing some of your beliefs and see if your reality changes along with it.

Try this one: Are you being told that the economy sucks? Sure we’re in a recession, just as all things fluctuate. But can you see it as an opportunity or are you manifesting that it must really be bad? First of all, see the great abundance around you; as you do you will see more and more. Be grateful that you have food to eat and a roof over your head. Be grateful to live in a country that economic downturns don’t mean starvation or living with a large family in a one room hut. Be grateful for a vehicle to drive and fuel to put in that vehicle. Consider that much of the world travels by foot or on an animal. The current economy is ideal for the entrepreneur. When your company is being downsized, see it as an opportunity. With the right tools and training, combined with motivation and determination, YOU could be the one offering countless others a career and financial security.

Take a look at your beliefs. Take a look at what you are looking for around you. Look for some good in the people you can’t stand and don’t be surprised when you find it. What about the beliefs that limit you and hold you back? Honestly examine these. You can change your beliefs to improve your reality. Look at the world as what you wish it was, not what you are afraid it might be. And your reality will become that the world is much more of what you are looking for in it.

In my view, what personal development really comes down to is a desire and willingness to change ourselves. I can’t change anyone but me. I can’t control what others do but I can take responsibility for myself instead of blaming my circumstances. I have witnessed the power that comes from seizing control of my own life instead of remaining a victim of my circumstances. Personal freedom and contentment comes when you truly learn to let go of the world around you and take control of yourself and your own life. Like I said, there are a lot of books and programs out there and I couldn’t possibly sum them up here. But be willing to acknowledge the changes you need in yourself. Be willing to identify and look at what you don’t like about yourself. You are capable of change. Everyone is. Is there such thing as constructive criticism? All criticism hurts. But instead of getting defensive, take a step back and ask yourself, “Is there some basis for this?” If there is, be willing to acknowledge it and then be willing to see if you can change it. We all make mistakes. The happiest people around are most likely those who learn from their mistakes instead of living in denial of them and repeating them over and over.

As you seek to improve yourself and therefore your life by becoming a student of personal development be sure to tend to your spirit (the core of who you are), believe in yourself by recognizing your worth as well as setting attainable goals, utilize the power of your subconscious mind, focus on the positive, live in a state of gratitude, and be willing to acknowledge and change your own inadequacies. As you do these things you will find that you open yourself to a whole new world, a world of happiness, contentment, personal power, and achievement.

In addition to becoming a student of Personal Development, you will find an even greater sense of fulfillment and see phenomenal success in life as you combine your personal growth with Daily Meditation & Visualization, Income Producing Activity, Masterminding with Leaders, and Expectation of Leadership.

©2009 Vauna Byrd