Personal Development Plans

January 15, 2010

Why You Must Set Goals to Improve your Self-Esteem

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What are goals and why do we need them. Goals are targets for you to reach, things for you to aim for, obstacles for you to overcome or a destination for you to reach. Why are they important? Read on and find out.

How can you reach a destination if you don’t know what or where it is. Imagine living in the USA and wanting to get to England but you have no idea where England is, you don’t even know that you need to take a boat or a plane to get there because you’ve never even heard of England before.

How hard would it be to reach this destination? I’d say near to impossible wouldn’t you? You may stumble on it through shear luck. Maybe you wondered into an airport one day and saw the flight information on the screen but the odds on this are slim to none. This is why goals are so important.

To have a real goal you must have a plan. You must know where you’re going, how you’re going to get there and most importantly why you want to reach the goal in the first place. We’ve already dealt with the first one, you can’t reach a destination if you don’t know where you’re going.

The only part we haven’t dealt with is how specific your goals need to be. ‘I want to make lots of money’ isn’t good enough. ‘I want to make 1 million dollars in the next five years’. Now that’s the type of goal you want to be setting. It’s specific, punchy and straight to the point.

Secondly you need a plan. This doesn’t need to be too specific at first as it will constantly change throughout the process of reaching your goal. It’s like a boat cruising across the open water. On it’s way to it’s destination it is off course about 90 percent of the time and it makes minuscule changes all the way to it’s final port. Just like you’ll make changes to your plan on the way to reaching your goal

You may even find that half way to reaching your goal the destination itself will change, either slightly or become an entirely different goal altogether.

Finally the most important part. You must know why you want to reach your goal. If you don’t know this, if you don’t have a strong enough reason for accomplishing your goal then your chances of success are greatly reduced. It needs to be a reason that only the thought of will elicit a strong emotional response.

Ideally you should have two reasons. One must involve all of the great things that will happen once you’ve achieved your goal, list all of these great things and give them a positive emotional strength. The other should involve all of the things that will happen if you don’t achieve your goal, give all of those bad things a negative emotional strength so when you think of what will happen if you fail it instantly motivates you succeed.

January 10, 2010

Why the development of self –awareness is vital to obtain personal growth

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It is vital to our well being to have goals in life. Having a fixed goal like losing weight or quitting smoking is great. However, many people feel dissatisfaction when they fail to obtain their goals. Therefore, it is important to consider what is occurring in our mind.  This can be achieved by standing back and looking at ourselves objectively.

We can strive to overcome dissatisfaction by adopting a holistic approach. This approach takes both our mind and our body into consideration. A person’s emotional processes, attitudes and values, beliefs and motivations are interconnected.  Personal development can nurture the positive aspect of you to grow. In addition, it can discourage the less savoury aspects of our personality.  It can therefore be used to improve our general well being.

Let’s look at a hypothetical situation. Imagine that you have decided to lose weight. Your goal is to lose two and a half a stone in six months.  However, you are only able to loss two stone.  You feel disconsolate. However, the process has made more driven and more motivated. You have higher levels of concentration and a more committed character. In short, you have become exactly the sort of person many others aspire to be despite not reaching your goal.

There are other benefits from undertaking the journey of personal development.  Many people are dissatisfied because they have failed to reach to level of achievement they want to obtain.  The feeling of dissatisfaction is the first stage of self awareness. It is self awareness that helps to form the cornerstone of personal development.

What do I mean by this? Well, if you learn to know yourself, you learn to understand yourself. Once you understand yourself, you can take action to correct any areas of dissatisfaction.  It is like going on a voyage of self discovery. You return from the voyage as a wiser and more confident individual. The major benefit of self-awareness is that it reveals what you are capable of.

Few people truly understand the importance of self –awareness.  Once you have developed it, you can plan the way you tackle goals more effectively.  Self-awareness is about mastering growth and development. Developing a heightened sense of self-awareness through introspection and honest self- appraisal is one of the single most important things you can do in your life.

Conquering general dissatisfaction can seem difficult at times.  However, setbacks are an important part of growth and development.  Learning to deal with setbacks can only help to make you a stronger person. We all have good days and bad days. Make the following promise to yourself.  No matter how dissatisfied you feel now life is only going to get better.  Make a fresh start every day and you will be one step closer to achieving your goals. 

January 7, 2010

Stop the Self-help Struggle: Try This

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So, you’ve decided to change your luck and your life. You’ve done some research and found a self improvement course that fits you. Great.

As with all things please remember, you’re going to hit some slow spots. Things will go zinging along just fine in the beginning, then it seems that all of a sudden you’re not getting anywhere. Not so.

Self improvement is just like anything else. You know how it is when you’re dieting? You lose all that weight in the beginning, then the rest of the weight just looks back at you in the mirror?

And then you found out you’d just plateaued out? All you had to do was stick with it, your body chemistry worked through the next level, and then you started losing weight again.

Same thing holds true with self improvement. You’re changing your outside reality to match the new you that’s emerging on the inside. Those two things don’t always happen on the same time table. Here are some tips to help see you through to the positive new you.

Number One: Attitude is everything.

Really. I’m serious. Stay positive.

Be the smiling face that looks back at you in the mirror. Some gloomy thought tries to pop into your head? Replace it with something that makes you happy like playing with your pet or plans for an upcoming trip. Anything to change the thought to something better. Elevate your thoughts, elevate your attitude. They go hand in hand.

Number Two: Stop swimming upstream.

Ever get involved in something and you find problem after problem at every turn. Chances are you’re going against the flow instead of going with it.

When you hit that point it’s time to sit one out and let things settle down a bit… swimming upstream can be exhausting… and makes getting there a lot more work than it needs to be. Letting things quiet down will usually relieve the pressure and allow your creative juices to bring in some creative new alternatives.

There’s always another way to accomplish anything. Sometimes we’re too busy “doing” to see what it is.

Number Three: Little by little really will get you there.

Put your thinking cap on and start jotting down little things to work on daily to help you stay motivated and directed.

It doesn’t have to be major. Do something simple like congratulating yourself for making it through to the end of the day. Or posting yellow stickies all over the house to remind yourself to smile. A little bit goes a long way when it comes to self development. By the time you reach your next 30 day goal you’ll be shocked at what a big difference you’ve already made. Exactly the place you envisioned yourself in the beginning.

Number Four: Try the Buddy System

Like attracts like. We’ve all heard and experienced that hundreds of times.

Like also supports like. Which means having someone to share things with along the way can really be a big help. Especially when you’re starting to feel like you’re the only one on the planet trying to do this whole self help and motivation thing the way you are.

Don’t know anyone in your immediate circle? No problem.

The Internet is huge! If you’re experiencing it so are a boat load of other people who are also looking for someone who can relate to what they’re going through.

Go to your favorite search engine and type in “self help bulletin board” and see what comes up. You’ll get hundreds of hits. You can also try a related category like “self esteem improvement”, etc. Be creative here. There are a lot of others who would love to get your help as well as help you.

January 6, 2010

Development of your Personal Get Up and Go

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Are you a procrastinator? Do you hold yourself back from achieving the things you want to achieve in life because you never get round to starting/ Or, are you the type of person who starts many projects but finishes none?

Would you be interested in learning a simple, effective and easy to to try method for eliminating your tendency to procrastinate? If so, then prepare to become one of those elite individuals who always finishes what they start and someone who always gets the job done!

The first step to eliminating procrastination is to identify the things that need to be done. This should be approached on a daily basis. Start by making a simple list that outlines all the key actions you should take for the coming day in order to get the results you want.

Now go down your list and number them in order of importance. Beside the most important activities place the number 1 and beside the lesser important activities place the number 2, and depending on how large your list is you may want to include a number 3 category. That is, number 1 being the most important and number 2 being the second most important. Have at least two activities that fall into your number 1 category and at least two that fall into number 2 and number 3 categories.

Try to be realistic. When I first started using this method I would place up to 20 items on my to-do list. This was far too much. I had been a procrastinator all my life and to expect myself to complete a list of 20 to-do items was asking the impossible. I soon realised that if I started with a list of 4 or 6 things to do, I would complete all of them. Eventually I upgraded to an A4 size blank diary and almost everyday the pages are filled and tasks completed.

Try to vary the activities as much as possible. This way you will stop yourself from becoming bored with monotonous tasks and you will also keep your motivation high as you see yourself moving forward in different areas.

On your list rearrange the items so that your number 1 priority activities are at the start, the next is your number 2 and so on. Leave a space next to the item and underneath it leave a few lines.

Once you have your list in numbered sequence write beside each one the best time of day for starting the activity. In this way you can stay focused on the jobs that you have decided are important. You also have a set time by which you must begin a task so that you do not put it off until the end of the day – when it probably won’t get done!

Now ensure that you take each of your priority 1 items in turn and tick them off after you do it at the time you specified. In the space beneath, write down a quick description of your feelings. How does it feel now that you have completed the tasks you assigned for yourself. Then reward yourself with a small treat. Anything that you feel is a small treat will do, whether it’s just a cup of coffee, bit of chocolate or a piece of cake.

After you have finished your tasks that have a number 2 rating use the same procedure as mentioned above. When you have finished the task ensure you place a tick beside it on your list and write down in the space below the feelings you have now you have completed it. Ensure you give yourself a special treat after you complete this category. Chose a treat that you would not have under normal circumstances. Pick a treat that you only have occasionally at special events or the like. You have really broken through your procrastination and have made real strides in your development of your personal motivation. Keep in mind that it is usually the anticipation of the activity that causes you discomfort and not the activity itself. I find that once I start an activity it becomes relatively easy to finish it.

Also ensure you give yourself a break. Give yourself a break. The length of time you take should depend on the taks you have just completed. Even if the tasks are not at all demanding it is always advisable to set, at least, a few minutes aside to rest and look over what you have achieved. A good time to do this is when you are rewarding yourself.

The plan/do/reward approach to eliminating procrastination works! Use it and you will soon be filling out and completing lists that right now would seem impossible for you to stick to and more importantly you will see the results of your action sin your life. Your personal development will be assured!

January 3, 2010

Five Principles to Improve Your Leadership Skills

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This may seem like a great spoiler; but certainly, there is no such thing as a hard and fast rule when it comes to leadership. Every organization, circumstance, and leader calls for different courses of action. What is to be considered as “good” leadership depends on various factors such that what could be “good” leadership in one instance could be “bad” leadership in another. 

Nevertheless, you need not fret if you are seeking ways to improve your leadership. There are generally accepted principles that when studied and applied, are believed to be helpful in improving one’s leadership skills. These are given below and it’s all up to you to decide on whether these tips could be appropriately applied to your particular situation – whether you’re running a business, organizing a school play, or governing a country.

Self-Esteem. People become more willing to work if they feel important. Effective leaders help their organization’s members develop their self-esteem. You can do this by paying more attention to them and expressing your genuine interest in their opinions every time you converse. When it is well deserved, give your member a tap on the shoulder to show that his efforts are well appreciated. The key here is in being sincere and in expressing your appreciation through the littlest gestures.

Planning. Members of an organization are more able to adapt to changes if there is a specific plan of action laid out. Planning is crucial in effective leadership because it provides the organization with a concrete direction and identifiable means to achieve its goals.  As a leader, you should initiate planning and exert effort in communicating those plans as clearly as possible to your members.  This will strengthen your member’s decision-making skills and would allow for effective delegation.

Motivation. A highly motivating work environment is undoubtedly a productive one. The organization benefits the most when its members are continuously motivated to work for and with it. There are many ways by which you, as a leader, can motivate your members. You can provide deserving members with public recognition even through a simple mention of their names and accomplishments. Offering challenges that allows your members to grow, and in a way show-off, is a brilliant to motivate them to be more competitive. You can hand out incentives such as bonuses, free stuff, or promotions to high-performing members so that your members will have something to look forward to in exchange for a job well done. One of the most important ways to motivate, however, is through leading by example. How you work, lead, and carry yourself hugely affects how much people would want to work with you.

Delegation. You can’t do everything by yourself. The best leaders can effectively delegate tasks, giving them more time to plan and supervise. Usually, leaders fail to delegate effectively because they fear their subordinates would do badly at a job that they could have done much better. Do not succumb to that pitfall. Your members will definitely make mistakes, but so will you. The thing to remember here is that you should always make sure that you communicate the things that you want done clearly and that you allow your subordinates to be accountable for the consequences of their action.

Empowerment. This actually relates to delegation. Making your members accountable and responsible for their actions empowers them. It makes them feel greater self-respect; and in the long-run, it would allow them, working with accountability, to develop creativity and become better workers.

These five principles – self-esteem, planning, motivation, delegation, and empowerment – are all important in improving your leadership skills. But these are not enough. The success of your leadership will ultimately depend on the way you recognize your organization’s needs and how you can adapt your leadership style to those needs. In the same way that you would evaluate your members’ performance, also evaluate and reflect on yours. Only you can tell what “good” leadership is for your organization.  Likewise, it’s only you who can determine how you can become a “good” leader.

12 WINNING LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: Unleash The Leader Instinct Within You!

http://leadership.pan100.net/?e=kevin121554@yahoo.com

January 2, 2010

10 Tips to Boost Your Self-esteem

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Perhaps one of the most important things for being successful in life is the amount of self-esteem and confidence you have. It is something you should pursue actively. Unfortunately most of us look at the outside indicators like how people react to something we say or do and we forget that these outside indicators are influenced by who reacts to us and what experiences and expectations they have. Because we have no influence on that it is necessary to build our self-esteem from the inside out. Once we know our worth and who we are the outside world will adjust.

Following are ten tips how you can improve your self-esteem: 1. Know your strength

What aspects of your self do you like? What are you already good at? What are your strength? Come up with at least 10 positive attributes before proceeding to the next step. Keep this list on you at all times and read it each time you feel lowly. 2. Be positive and optimistic.

Do you know the song: “Always look on the bright side of life”? Start living these words and stop thinking negatively about where you are today. Instead look at all the things you have already achieved in your life and visualize (dream) of everything that is still to come. 3. Develop an attitude of gratitude.

Every night and every morning say thanks for all you already have and for the special things that have happened in the last 24 hours. You will be surprised how much there is to be grateful for. Even when life seems glum you can be grateful for being alive, having a roof over your head, enough food to eat, clean water to drink etc. We all have so much already but we take most things for granted. Take this exercise serious because it can really change your life. 4. Set SMART goals for all your plans.

Write your goals, dreams and desires down in as much detail as possible. Then prioritize them and start working on your number one goal immediately by breaking it down into small, achievable steps. Go through your list of goals and steps every single day until it has become a new habit. Tick off and celebrate each achievement.5. Be proactive.

Do not wait for things to happen, instead make things happen. Fuel your motivation and determination by imagining what it will be like when you have achieved what you aim at achieving. Let other people know about your plans and in what aspect they can help you. 6. Make each person feel that she/he is significant.

High self-esteem means you feel good about yourself. Helping other people feel good about themselves will also bolster your confidence and by making the people around you feel significant you will eventually see amazing results – in your life and in theirs. 7. Mix with the right people.

Sometimes it is necessary to improve your circle of influence. Join social clubs or organizations like Lions, Kiwanis, business networks etc. in which you are likely to find successful, confident people. Good social contacts can give you further assurance.8. Find balance in life.

Indulging in sports or hobbies can help improve your self-confidence. Likewise, it can help you maintain good health. Good health leads to a sound body and a healthy mind. A sound body and a healthy mind play a major role in improving your self-esteem and gaining balance in life. 9. Learn from your failures.

We all have failures and disappointments which frequently result in low self-esteem. When our goals and objectives are not met, we get frustrated and can become negative about our capabilities. None of this helps. What differentiates the winners from the losers is the speed at which they get up again and what they learn from their failures. Failures and disappointments are part of life and the best way to overcome them is by learning the lessons they offer us. 10. Enroll in self-improvement seminars and/or life coaching.

If you don’t know where to begin, a coach or mentor can be very useful. Also emerging yourself in the positive atmosphere of self-improvement seminars can help you find your purpose and gain self-esteem and confidence. Reading self help books and listen to CD programs is useful but the most successful method from the outside is coaching as it gives you someone who holds you accountable.

Improving self-esteem does not happen overnight but if you use these tips you will see positive change happening.

Your improved self-esteem will benefit you in all aspects of your life. You will experience change in your relationships, your career, and most importantly, in your attitude towards yourself.

December 26, 2009

The Reason Why Self Hypnosis Never Seems to Work

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Self hypnosis is an extremely powerful tool when used to help you achieve your goals! Achieving goals, as with anything in life depends on your internal state. You can use the power of self hypnosis to program into your mind a plan for goal achievement and even instil new beliefs and behaviours that will help you reach your objectives. So why doesn’t self hypnosis work for everyone?
Many people fail to get any measurable results from self hypnosis because they are not using it correctly!
The first step you should take when considering using self hypnosis is to know what you want. Although this may sound elementary and a little condescending really consider it. Are you certain, in every deatil, as to how your life will benefit from reaching your goal? Do you know exactly what it is you want to gain from using self hypnosis? Or, do you just listen to a generic self hypnosis session and hope for the best?
For example, listening to a self hypnosis recording for more confidence may be a good goal but how do you quantify confidence? Do you want to be confident around other people or potential mates? Are you seeking to gain more confidence in your job or work-life? Is it really that you want to be more confident about your abilities and therefore it is your self-esteem that you are wishing to build?
For self hypnosis, like any other self improvement technique, to be effective you must use it with a goal in mind! Your goal, for use with self hypnosis, must be precise. You must make it as detailed as possible.
Try writing down a list of things you would like to achieve and then prioritize them. Take your most important desire and turn it into a goal. Write it down. Do it now!
Have you done it?
When you write down a goal you change it from a wish into a statement of intent. With this statement of intent you can program it into your subconscious mind, through self hypnosis, and make it your future reality. This makes your desire real and tangible and no longer a vague wish or dream. By doing this you have just created a powerful self hypnosis goal!
Now that you are clear on what you want and have created your first self hypnosis goal you need to finish this preliminary work before you ever enter a self hypnosis state.
You must now re-write your goal in the present tense as though you already have it. If you have major trouble feeling comfortable writing it in the present tense then write it as though it is in the process of coming true. Do not tate your goal as though it will come to you in the future! Never state what you do not want or include any of the things that you are trying to eliminate!
Your self hypnosis goal must state your intention positively and only include what you want. “I am debt free” is a bad example, for in order to be debt free you must first think of debt! “I am prosperous and wealthy”, is much better as it includes what you do want! “I am no longer uncomfortable in social situations”, is bad as you are focusing on your lack of confidence! “I am a highly confident person who is at ease with others in any situation”, is much more suitable as it states the positive outcome you are seeking!
The subconscious mind works, not in words, but in pictures. This becomes very apparent during self hypnosis. So whatever you do right at this moment don’t think of an elephant! What did you just think of? An elephant! Right?
In order not to think of an elephant your subconscious mind has to produce a picture of an elephant so it knows what you don’t want to think about! This is why it’s very important to never include what you do not want in your self hypnosis goal!
When you use self hypnosis to re-program your subconscious mind with this goal, the mental pictures you form will be automatically positive due to the wording of your goal. So only use positive, goal-affirming statements! Ensure your statements are detailed, positive and to the point. Doing this will force your subconscious mind to create pictures that reinforce your desires and it will use them as as a guide to creating your future!

December 22, 2009

Using Hypnosis & Nlp for Self Help

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What personality trait bothers you most strongly? Do you work too hard? Are you compulsive about minor things, or do you overlook them without realizing it? Developing a personal development plan can help you to focus on those components of your personality that you desire to change.

By means of personal development, people learn to realize their unique strengths and shortcomings. They solve problems and strengthen relationships by capitalizing on positive characteristics and avoiding frailties. To do this, a person must take a serious look at problematic aspects of his or her nature and determine the best way to change them.

Developing a formal personal development plan takes honesty, perseverance, and plenty of energy. To begin, review your strengths and weaknesses honestly. Then, decide which you believe you can change. These difficult analyses are a significant step in personal values development. When you have completed these tasks, you need to be motivated to work to improve those parts of your character least attuned to your own personal values.

Developing a personal development plan needs input from a different, trustworthy individual in your life. Find someone who knows you more fully than anyone else. Ask that individual for his or her perception of your strengths and weaknesses. Encourage this individual to help you in your quest for personal development and self improvement.

Many self improvement books offer only basic personal development techniques. Although these can be useful, they aren’t always helpful in specific situations. Moreover, creating a formal personal development plan without consulting a trustworthy professional is nearly impossible.

Other conventionally used methods for self improvement consist of behavior therapy and support groups. These, however, only encourage people to focus on features of negative attitudes and actions that they already see and understand. These approaches focus on the features, not the root, of the issue.

A better strategy for helping people deal with personality faults and capitalize on their strengths is personal development hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy professionals are able to utilize this therapy to help people to form a formal personal development plan. These practitioners assist individuals to evaluate faults and find unique strategies for working toward self improvement.

Usually, those who are critical thinkers or have difficulty accepting directional suggestions find conventional approaches to self improvement hypnotherapy less helpful than do suggestible people. For these individuals, Ericksonian techniques for personal development hypnotherapy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), are more effective. These techniques are quite effective in helping critical thinkers to strive for self improvement.

Individuals with elevated anxiety levels often benefit from self improvement hypnotherapy. In the process of therapy, regression or increased recall methods may allow the individual to describe subconscious, pervasive reasons for anxiety. After understanding what creates the individual’s anxiety, a professional hypnotherapist can suggest personal development techniques that assist the individual to reduce situational stress. This alone often motivates them to address issues.

Persons who are dependent on food or nicotine often gain help from Ericksonian or traditional styles of self improvement hypnotherapy as well. Through hypnotherapy, they become less dependent on food or nicotine to provide feelings of peace and tranquility. Additionally, hypnosis professionals assist clients to overcome subconscious associations between these habits and pleasurable activities like listening to music or watching television.

Developing an effective personal development plan often necessitates the intervention of an objective counselor. Identifying one’s strengths and employing them to conquer problem areas is difficult. Some persons struggle with the admission of their vulnerabilities to themselves; it is even more difficult to admit these issues in behavioral or group therapy.

Self improvement hypnotherapy aids persons to deal with these struggles at the subconscious level, at their origination. Professionals who have learned this approach aid individuals by giving concrete or subliminal ideas for helping them to focus on personal development. 

Summary: Most people yearn to change some aspect of their personality or actions. Conventional self help books and behavioral treatments try to assist persons to form a personal development plan. These persons are limited, however, by their lack of ability to address problem actions in the subconscious, where problems begin. Personal development hypnotherapy using either conventional or Ericksonian techniques is perfect for aiding individuals to grow beyond weak points by treating the root of the problem.

Many people have difficulty admitting their shortcomings to others, or they lack the requisite financial resources to afford the help of a therapist. Often, custom hypnosis recordings made by a skilled hypnotherapist skilled in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming are be quite beneficial.

December 21, 2009

Improvement is “All About You”

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Everywhere I look in my house, there are improvements to make, and I am not talking about the building where my family lives. By home, I mean where you spend most of your time. Our houses shelter us; our personalities and bodies are home, and sometimes home is not so sweet. Here are five recommendations that might change the appearance of where you live.

The aisles of Lowes and Home Depot fill with homeowners seeking hardware and lumber to make home repairs. Often couples debate and argue about how to manage a project. Sometimes heated arguments take place at the service desk as clerks try to smooth over a consumer’s anger. The irony is that the do-it-yourself homeowner has emotional leaking valves with a few loose planks. Their conversation recommends some repair projects on their true residence, where they really live.

We all have unfinished home improvement projects (if you think you don’t, ask your spouse). Home projects show up on a list. We check them off, and move on to the next one. We study, plan, construct, repair, and feel satisfaction with the project’s completion. We also have many unfinished personality projects; just how do we get them fixed and finished?

Home Depot and Lowes have talented folks for plumbing, carpentry, electrical, and gardening. Where do we find helpful resources to fix the circuits of our personality, or nail down a loose plank in our biography? Who helps us with personal improvement? How do we get the job done?

A colleague said to me, “Ray, we can only help those who want to help themselves.” During another conversation he told me, “Most people over age 30 have a hard time making changes in their personalities.” The die is caste; the mold is set. Often frustration shows up when we get stuck and perplexed by a personality flaw. We stride through the aisles of life angry rather than resourceful. We walk in circles rather than marching to the help desk. Sometimes, we head to the parkinglot muttering about everyone else’s incompetence. Our house remains a shambled shack with rusted events strewn on the front lawn.

Many suffer such burdens, and they are not alone. The American Psychological Association states that more than 50% of the US population has a relative stuck in the stupor of alcoholism. An alcoholic’s dis-repair or dispair shows up in anger, memory loss, and depression. Just about 14 million American adults abuse themselves and their family (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). “Young adults, ages 18-29, have the highest rate of alcohol problems,” according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This group is more likely to confront personal violence than other age groups.

We all face dangers, and we face them at an early age. Setting ourselves free, getting the home-repairs to our personality fixed is challenging and hopeful. You just have to get into the right aisle to find the person with expertise fitting your need. Before doing that, Here are a few pointers (this is just an outline, not a total solution).

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Find a qualified professional.
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Research the cause of your need.
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Record the progression of events bringing you to this point.
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Change your thought patterns: think positively about your potential to fix the problem(s).
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Work on each repair until you (or someone else) sees measureable results.

Whether young or old, personal repair projects can be fixed. Neither youth or old age imperil your potential. Your perceptions of success will determine the results achieved and the way you get the work done. If you can follow directions and act on what you learn with a life-time commitment toward self-improvement, your life experiences will improve. If you give up, or decide to live within the malaise of routine, you will forget the adventures of youth and old age. Using the right tools and following a plan with professional guidance could turn a shack into a castle, a pauper into a king.

We know it is possible because we take steps to make it happen. According to an American Psychological Association study, more than 50% of all Americans seek counseling or therapy. Not every therapeutic session works. A few factors help you achieve success. It is similar to getting a home improvement project completed.

Ever wandered up and down aisles at home improvement centers seeking the right person to answer your question. Oh, we can find plenty of answers, but many times the answer just does not make sense. We walk away thinking, “I know that will not work.”

Finding a healthcare professional or personal counselor is the same. You have to interview many to find one. The “one” hears you, replies, and you know what your hearing makes sense. You finally have someone who knows what they are talking about, speaks your language, and directs you on how to get the repairs done.

When this happens, you find yourself motivated to work. It takes work, perspiration, and moments of frustration. At times, you will bang your thumb. At the end of some projects you will realize it came out @$! backwards, and you have to do it over, but you will do it over until you get it reasonably right.

How do I know this works. I have done it. Finding the right person was serendipitous. He was recommended, but it did not go well at first. We met on Friday afternoon. At the beginning of one session he said, “Ray, you are like a little boy who had the covers over his head. You lowered them to your chin, but that is all you are doing; you are not willing to work. You are wasting your money and my time. It is better to end these sessions.” I went home dumb, baffled, and angry. After hours of thinking, I called his answering machine saying, “I am ready to work.” It took ten years, two times a week. One day he said to a group of three, “Ray is bored. Ray on Monday come in to say good bye,” and on Monday I did. That was 20 years ago.

Our homes need constant repair and so do we. It is easier to fix a leaking pipe or a creaking stair. Those projects require tools and instruction to get the job done. Our personalities work similarly. If we struggle with issues derived from youth and family, or an event we did not plan or expect, then help is what we should seek, work is what we should do, and a finished and well-done project is what we should expect.

Copyright © 2006, A. Raymond Randall. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Success Starts With Personal Development – Reach All your Goals

Filed under: Development Plans — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:00 am

Would you like to achieve more in your life? Would like to experience unbounded success in your chosen field, career or business? Do you think you would enjoy achieving your goals while remaining joyful, optimistic and content? If you answer yes to any of these questions then read on!

Success is difficult to achieve for many due to one simple cause – self-doubt! In order to experience more success in any endeavour you must first eliminate this success-killer and re-build your self-confidence.

Unfortunately it seems to be a natural state on planet Earth to steer towards the negative. I am sure that you find yourself thinking negative thoughts throughout your day. Are you are truly aware of just how damaging these thoughts are to your life? Negativity is a state of mind that is cultivated in our society which, when embraced, gradually strips away your self confidence and erodes your self-esteem.

The only real alternative to negative thinking is positive thinking. Keeping an open mind about subjects tends to leave you in a sort of no-man’s land where it is all too easy to get sucked back into a negative mindset. Now by positive thinking I do not mean magical thinking where you believe everything will just magically work itself out. Neither am I referring to unrealistic thought processes. I do not mean that you hold on to the unrealistic view that regardless of your actions, or lack of action, you will reach your goal. Your choices and actions are an integral part of any goal-achievement program or plan. I am talking about a positive mental attitude!

You must begin to look for the positive in every situation. The old adage “every cloud has a silver lining” should become your motto. Did you know that some of the most successful people on the planet hold the same belief that “everything happens for a reason”?

Please be aware that wherever you are in life, no matter how good or how bad you think it is, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Let me illustrate this concept a little better for you.

On the morning of 9/11 a terrible tragedy occurred when, many innocent people needlessly lost their lives. However, there were those who escaped the terror that was experienced by far too many others. Did you know that one woman soiled her work clothes with food and had to remain at home longer than usual to get changed? Another woman slept in because her alarm never went off! There was one person who could not get a taxi and another’s car would not start. Now normally these incidents would make you feel annoyed, irritated or even angry however, how many of those people do you think were annoyed, irritated or angry that day?

If you hold a vision of where you want to be in life and take small steps towards it everyday, then you should know that everyday is bringing you closer to your dream. And, if you are getting closer to your dream then you are exactly where you are meant to be at this moment, doing exactly what you are meant to be doing, with the exact right people you should be doing it with.

If your current situation is in anyway distasteful to you, take heart. Keep in mind that this is just a stage, a stepping-stone, from where you are to where you are going to be. Here are some key tips to follow to eliminate self-doubt and achieve your goals.

1. Stay in the present moment at all times and be grateful for what you already have in your life. Practise gratitude and never moan or complain about where you currently are!

2. Decide what you want to be, do or have and make it a goal. Make it an affirmation of fact! In other words, state your intention as though it were already an established reality. Read this statement to yourself every morning and every night.

3. Visualize your ideal scene. Picture yourself already in possession of your goal. Make it real and see it through your own eyes! Create strong emotion with the picture ? this is vitally important!

4. Look for the positive in every situation, circumstance and person. By focusing on what is good about a thing you will attract more of that into your life.

Follow this simple advice and you will eliminate self-doubt and begin to build the life of your dreams.

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