Personal development that uses proven success principles. Plan your work and work your plan; financially, physically, spiritually, emotioally and socially. Self Improvement Advice To Motivate Yourself For Success. Successful personal development is holistic.
Personal development includes many different things and that´s why I like writing about it here on my personal development blog. Developing personally isn´t always about meditation, goal setting or affirmations. Sometimes there is a little thing in my daily life that catches my attention and reinforces or change my belief system. And I personally appreciate small inspiring things in an unexpected situation.
Like last night: my kids were watching the Swedish version of Eurovision song contest. I wasn´t paying much attention to the songs. But suddenly I heard the lyrics of the song that actually won by the end of the evening and is going to represent Sweden in the international Eurovision song contest later on this spring in Oslo, Norway.
I can honestly say that although I don´t care about the contest, I was moved by the lyrics and performance of the winner Anna Bergendahl´s song "This is my life". In very simple words the song summarized a lot of what I consider central personal development.
It´s not about being selfish or arrogant. But it´s about the realisation that I own my life and that I am free to spend it as I like. Additionally, as I´ve said many times before, personal development is about taking responsibility for my own life and as I do, I´m in a better position to help others too. I have to be me, nobody else can be me!
Therefore, I would like to recite the words of Sweden´s winning song in the national Eurovision song contest, and I hope that simple yet profound words like these will find their way to more people´s hearts around the world. Ladies and gentlemen; Anna Bergendahl and the lyrics of
"This is my life":
"I go down the beaten track Along the river with an empty bag At the end she said to me "Why are you here, with the autumn leaves?
´Cause this is my life, my friend And this is my time to stand Now this is my life , my friend and I can´t be no one else!
I´m done, tipping on my toes Strike an iron and attack my soul Misty moon, you´re gonna see I´ve got your blues, to get on my feet
´Cause this is my life, my friend And this is my time to stand Now this is my life , my friend and I can´t be no one else!
I don´t wanna run I don´t wanna fight I don´t wanna hide I just wanna stay free to be me...
I don´t wanna win I don´t wanna lose I don´t wanna play I just wanna remember Oh, I´m my name!
´Cause this is my life, my friend And this is my time to stand Now this is my life , my friend"
Imagine, so much inspiration in a few lines of lyrics. Nice work! :)
Many people who are interested in personal development are familiar with the "law of attraction". Broadly speaking, it describes a process that takes place in our minds, a creation in thought, that resonates with Universe and brings us what we wish for. Actually, it manifests what we think about, whether we desire it or not. The law of attraction teaches us that often we do not pay attention to the thoughts we create. If we worry or complain for instance, we create more of the exact things we say we dislike and want to avoid. That is why we need to pay close attention to our thoughts.
If we produce thoughts about what we want, we will manifest more of that. Consequently, it makes sense not to complain about bad health, poor economy or other issues we find undesireable. Because we do not want to manifest more of that, right?
The law of attraction teaches us to focus on what we do want to manifest. That is why it is such an excellent tool for personal development.
The law of attraction was not invented by any means by the creators of the movie "The Secret", but that movie popularized the ideas and made them available to the masses.
"The Secret", however, is not at all secret, in my opinion. The law of attraction, once explained can be applied by anybody to literally attract anything you want into your life. And the movie is a long testimonial to its effectiveness.
"The Secret" features a large number of so called successful people (bear in mind that "success" is defined differently by different individuals) from different industries, mainly personal development related industries, though. There are authors like Jack Canfield (The Success Principles, Chicken Soup for the Soul), Denis Waitley (The Psychology of Winning), John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus), Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God) in the movie. Other participants include Fred Alan Wolf, Wallace Wattles, Joe Vitale, Marci Shimoff, David Schirmer, James Arthur Ray, Bob Proctor and Lisa Nichols and many others.
What they all share is how the law of attraction helped them reach the level of success that they desired. It is fun, inspiring and motivating. But the secret which they all refer to, is not a secret at all. Why?
Why "The Secret" and the Law of Attraction are not really secrets: 1. The law of attraction (LOA) is a law of nature. Another natural law is gravity and very few people question its validity. There´s a wonderful exception in a kids´movie starring Dustin Hoffman "Mr. Magorium´s Wonder Emporium". In it we see all kind of incredible things happen due to the belief in magic.
But generally speaking, the law of gravity is definite... And so is the law of attraction, with the only difference that many people question its validity most of the time. They believe that things in life just happen. That they have no power to decide the outcome. Additionally, they believe that the power of thought is underrated and has no connection with actual events taking place in their lives.
However, the law of attraction is like the law of gravity, and you do not have to understand exactly how it works, it will work regardless. And the same is true of the law of attraction. You think in terms of what you want to attract into your life, rather than what you do not want to manifest.
2. We are all energy and are surrounded by an energy field. If we focus on attracting what we want, the frequency of those thoughts will resonate with the same energy vibrations in Universe. That is how the law of attraction works. It manifets what we choose to think about. Notice the word choose. Every single person on planet Earth is responsible for his or her thoughts. Nobody else can create a thought inside the head of you or anybody else. That is such a powerful insight!
Similarly, if we send out negative thoughts and expectations, we will attract that into our lives too. Consequently, we need to get really careful about what we think about!
Habitually, many of us send out negative expectations on a regular basis. "That person really annoys me. I hope that she will not turn up at the event next week." If we focus our attention like this, she will most likely end up sitting right next to you throughout the entire event!
There are such great similarities between the law of attraction, affirmations and positive thinking. More about that in a minute.
In summary, each person is an energy field and radiates certain amounts of energy. Like an antenna, we pick up certain frequencies. It is not likely that we pick up the news broadcast from the other side of the world if we have tuned into our local radio station. That is how the law of attraction works too. We tune into our desires, keep our focus there and do not worry about the outcome. Universe takes care of that, because you have sent out the frequencies. Universe has to respond to that.
3. The LOA is ancient and has been taught by spiritual leaders of all times. The producers of the movie "The Secret" did a great job in spreading its message to the world and hopefully its popularity has started a positive chain of thoughts and actions that will make a positive shift in the human consciousness.
That is why I do not criticise the makers of "The Secret" of being superficial or over-simplifying matters, as many others do. I think the main point is to educate people about the power of thought and its consequences. "Thoughts become things." Indeed, the realities we create have two manifestations, the first one in thought and the second one in substance. "We become what we think about, all day long..." (Earl Nightingale)
Jim Rohn is a legendary teacher in the area of personal development. Mr. Rohn is often called the world´s foremost business philosopher, which accurately describes him.
Jim Rohn was around doing his excellent training to become more successful in all areas in life long before the Internet era and long before the Internet was swamped with "gurus" in every imaginable niche, especially business.
If you don´t know a thing about Jim Rohn and doubt what I say, let me just point out that he was the man that Tony Robbins (heard of him?) got his training from when Tony Robbins was financially, emotionally, spiritually and socially BROKE. Robbins talks about Mr. Rohn in his best selling book Unlimited Power:
He taught me that even the smallest things could make a big difference in life. For instance, he told me to always be a two-quarter person. He gave me the example of a shoeshine. Let´s say the shoeshine man is doing a great job. He´s whistling and snapping his shoeshine rag. He´s giving you great value.
Jim said that when you dip into your pocket to tip him, and you´re not sure whether to give him one quarter or two, always go for the higher number. You do it not just for him, but for yourself as well. If you just give him one quarter, later in the day you´ll look down and see your shoes and think, I once gave him a quarter.
How could I be so cheap when he did such a great job? If you give him two, it will affect the way you feel about yourself for the better. What if you made it a principle that every time you passed someone taking a collection for anything, you always put some money in the collection plate? (- - -)
"What if you spent conscious time and effort figuring out unique ways to get more joy out of life by adding value to other people´s lives? That´s what life-style is all about." (Anthony Robbins)
I have added this long quote because it sums up what Jim Rohn teaches in his excellent "One Year Success Plan". Through the institute for personal development that I represent, Success University, I have free access to this outstanding tool.
If I seem a little over the top about the "One Year Success Plan", well that´s because I am!
Through the years, I have tried many personal development tools for transformation, and some are good, some are bad and some are outstanding. Few other tools have been as beneficial in my life as Jim Rohn´s Success Plan.
Let me explain why. The "One Year Success Plan" covers all major areas in life. Step by step it offers self education through reading, reflection and exercises.
It includes 12 pillars, one every month in a year, and each pillar has its subcategories in the four weeks of a month. Consequently, it offers 52 weeks of education.
Naturally too it is webucation, since the whole One Year Success Plan is downloaded into your computer and you have access to it whenever it suits you.
Actually doing all the work requires some discipline. But the great thing is that "self discipline" is also one of the topics in the plan, so if you follow through, you really improve your capacity. Your self discipline too. The 12 Pillars of Jim Rohn´s "One Year Success Plan":
1. Personal Development
2. Goal Setting
3. Health; spiritual, physical, emotional
4. Money; financial independence, getting out of debt, saving, giving
5. Relationships
6. Time Management
7. Networking/Referrals
8. Selling/Negotiating
9. Communication/Presentation
10. Leadership
11. Accelerated Learning
12. Legacy/Contribution I really believe this is one of the most comprehensive success plans out there.
One of the main advantages is that it allows you to focus on one topic at the time. I think that focus is key to succeeding in anything. Do it step by step. If you want to improve your life, be patient and good to yourself. results come from perseverance, usually not overnight.
Additionally, be realistic about the changes, even if you want to, you will not lose all that overweight in one month (it wouldn´t be healthy and sustainable anyway). You do it through changing your habits, your thinking and your values. And the same is true for all other changes you want in life.
The Jim Rohn "One Year Success Plan" teaches you to plan for success. To plan for financial independence, strong relationships, excellent health and personal growth. And then take action.
In addition to the excellent "One Year Success Plan" I really enjoy listening to Jim Rohn on numerous CD:s, DVD:S and audio programs online. I access all of this educational material trough my computer. The reasons I love Jim Rohn´s audios is that they are never boring, but full of wisdom, knowledge and fun.
There are countless of inspirational quotes from Jim Rohn. Here is a selection:
"The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch."
"Don´t mistake movement for achievement. It´s easy to get fakes out by being busy. The question is: Busy doing what?"
"Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing."
"Make sure the outside of you is a good reflection of the inside of you." (Yes! Personal development INSIDE OUT!) :)
"Some people don´t do well simply because they don´t feel well."
"You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight."I will most likely add a lot more about Jim Rohn here as time goes by, because he is such a great influence in my life. For now, I will just end this page with another quote of his that nicely summarizes my own belief:
"The big challenge in life is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit."
(Jim Rohn)
Are you curious about Jay Abraham? Would you love to take part of his marketing advice, apply them to your business regardless of its size, and discover new, profitable ways of enhancing your business performance? Who wouldn´t?
Mr. Abraham is a marketing consultant who has helped thousands of clients grow their business in incredible ways. He is also the author of books like "Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You´ve Got" and several excellent audio programs entitled for instance "How To Get From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be", "Shoulders of Giants" and "Stealth Marketing or Recession Proofing Your Business".
Jay Abraham asks "Why use only one business strategy, when there are many others that work too?" Consequently, he teaches companies to relearn and take action on many areas: management, marketing, innovation and strategy.
That is a recipe for success in general, I believe. If you want to be successful, educate yourself in several areas and above all, apply what you know!
Jay Abraham teaches his clients to identify their assets, not just tangible assets like cash, bonds etc, but above all intangible assets. Those "off-the-balance-sheet assets" have to be identified, recognized with their value and then you harness that value to its advantage.
Examples of intangible assets are skills, communication, knowledge that are specifically yours. And remember this; hard assets probably have the least value, it is the intangible values that have the most value and worth. And we all have them!
There have been many media appearances of Jay Abraham throughout his 25 years as a marketing advisor: USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, OTC Stock Journal, National Underwriter, Entrepreneur, Success, and Inc. magazine, and many others.
The March 6, 2000 issue of Forbes Magazine listed Jay as one of the top 5 executive coaches in the country saying Jay’s specialty is, “Turning corporate under performers into marketing and sales whizzes”."
So why is Jay Abraham included here on this personal development blog? There are several reasons:
First of all, I have found that most business advice I have ever come across, are applicable to life in general too! The success of successful business people isn´t just accidental. They have applied certain success principles and skills that we all can learn, apply and benefit from, regardless of whether we are business people or not.
Secondly, in order to reach success in any given area, modelling other people´s success is a method that many personal development coaches and mentors recommend. Jay Abraham is one of the world´s most prominent business advisors. I am sure he has many skills and a lot of information to share that would be beneficial to anybody interested in personal growth.
Additionally, I´d like to share a quote from Success University, where Jay Abraham is one of the faculty members:
"The nation’s highest paid marketing consultant, he regularly works marketing miracles for his clients. During his 24 year career, Mr. Abraham has worked with over 5,000 individual businesses in 165 separate industries.
He has consulted for businesses large, medium and small, from one person operations to some of the world’s largest corporations including Weyerhauser, Coldwell Banker, Prudential-Bache, Dun and Bradstreet, Citibank and Sears Roebuck & Company.
Mr. Abraham specializes in successfully identifying and ethically exploiting a company’s hidden, marketable assets to create windfall profits for his clients. While he maintains a number of select clients on a contingency basis, Mr. Abraham also publishes a series of marketing reports as well as conducting marketing and business training seminars."
In conclusion, every member of Success University has access to Jay Abraham´s training in "Your Secret Weath". I LOVE accessing teaching material that I know others have to pay thousands of dollars for!
Thank You God for the wisdom that Wayne Dyer brings us! In a world that often needs a little encouragement, his views on humanity display so much insight and bring us back to hope.
I sometimes get religiously fond of an author. If a writer displays integrity, a unique voice and a clear and positive message I will like him/her. If he/she adds a sense of humour too, I will read every word they write.
Moreover, if what he/she writes is so thought provoking yet inspiring and optimistic about our human race, I will recommend that author to anybody I meet or speak to.
Yes, Dr. Wayne Dyer is such an author. My respect for him is so great that one of these days I will dedicate this site to him and his teachings. And God willing, I will meet Dr. Dyer, share ideas and experiences with him and then publish a photo of Wayne Dyer and myself on this web site as a piece of inspiration to my readers. :)
Why? I have enjoyed his work for many years. I did not however, read his first book Your Erroneous Zones when it was published in 1976. I discovered Dr. Dyer through an audio tape that I had purchased somewhere and kept in my car for ages.
Isn´t it funny how the teacher always appears when the student is ready? One day as I made a long car trip across Sweden, I began listening to the tape. Wayne´s voice was persuasive, emotional, personal and totally genuine.
I was so moved that I had to stop driving and stay at a parking lot to finish listening to the stories he shared. I wish I could recall the exact episode, maybe it was how he helped a man finding the true purpose in life through a series of letters that he had to read one by one by the sea, write his troubles in the sand and see them vanish with the tide.
Or perhaps it was about that time when Dr. Dyer was out driving with some youngsters and they were approached by a homeless man. The youngsters were scornful, but Wayne Dyer decided to give the man some money. The young men claimed that it was wrong and a waste because the beggar would just spend it on drugs or other useless things.Dyer then told them that he didn´t care. It was an act between him and God, not between him and the homeless man.
Another unforgettable story is about Wayne Dyer himself as he describes his search for his father, who had left the entire family as Dyer´s mother was in hospital giving birth. Wayne Dyer grew up not knowing or meeting his father at all. In his early thirties, Dyer was so wrapped up in hatred and bitterness that it was destroying his life.
After a long search and guidance which sounds improbable (but is true!), he found the grave of his father. Wayne Dyer then spent a few hours by the grave shouting, cursing and blaming his father for all the evil things he had done. It all ended in a deep sense of forgiveness. And love.
A realization that his father had been the most influential person in his life, a fact that had helped him become the man he then was. And as he forgave his father by the grave, he had no resentment left. None at all.
And after that magical episode, he has felt nothing but gratitude towards his father. That is so powerful! In fact, it was after the forgiving of his father that Wayne Dyer, according to himself, wrote the entire Your Erroneous Zones in 14 days, started a healthy life style and quitting his destructive relationships. It was a transformation.
And I strongly believe that Wayne Dyer has helped hundreds of others leaving their painful past behind just through the courageous act of retelling this powerful true story. Since that introduction to Wayne Dyer of mine, I have listened to countless of his excellent audio CD:s and read most of his great books. I personally prefer listening to him, and the reason is the personal and genuine tone of his voice.
Additionally I admire the seemingly lack of censorship. Wayne Dyer often relates episodes that he is not particularly proud of, but he shares them because he doesn´t pretend to be any better or wiser than he is. To most of us however, his wisdom is good enough for us and truly enriches our lives!
Here is a list from Wikipedia of Dr. Dyer´s books and CD:s so far:
* Counseling Techniques That Work (1975)
* Your Erroneous Zones (1976)
* Pulling Your Own Strings (1978)
* Group Counseling for Personal Mastery (1980)
* The Sky's the Limit (1980)
* Gifts from Eykis : A Story of Self-Discovery(1983)
* What Do You Really Want for Your Children (1985)
* The Awakened Life - 6 tape/CD audio book
* Happy Holidays! (1986)
* Real Magic: Creating Miracles in Everyday Life (1992)
* Everyday Wisdom(1993)
* How to Be a No-Limit Person (1994)
* You'll See It When You Believe It: The Way to Your Personal Transformation (1995)
* Your Sacred Self: Making the Decision to Be Free (1995)
* A Promise Is a Promise: An Almost Unbelievable Story of a Mother's Unconditional Love and What It Can Teach Us (1996)
* Manifest Your Destiny: The Nine Spiritual Principles for Getting Everything You Want (1997)
* Wisdom of the Ages (1998)
* There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem (2001)
* 10 Secrets For Success And Inner Peace (2002)
* It's Never Crowded Along the Extra Mile (2002)
* Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact With God Through Meditation (2002)
* The Caroline Myss & Wayne Dyer Seminar (2003)
* Staying on the Path (2004)
* The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way (2004)
* Incredible You! (2005)
* Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling (2006)
* Being in Balance: 9 Principles for Creating habits to Match Your Desires (2006)
* Everyday Wisdom for Success (2006)
* Making Your Thoughts Work for You published (2007)
* Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao (2007)
* Living The Wisdom Of The Tao: The Complete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations (2008)
* Excuses Begone (June 2009 Release)
Let´s add his film "Ambition to Meaning" (2009), in which he stars, to this extensive list of work.
What a productive man! He is often called "the father of motivation", to which Dr. Dyer responds; "as if I didn´t have enough children already!" He is a father of eight children....
Another thing I just love about Wayne Dyer is his ability to extract profound wisdom out of everyday events. He sees the extraordinary in the "ordinary".
Personal development comes through what goes on inside of you. It may sound obvious, but it is actually a very profound statement. If you realize that everything starts within yourself, you will begin to see that it is possible to affect your thoughts, values, beliefs and actions. As a result, you can create virtually anything you like!
For most of us, we have been led to believe that we need to have and do so many different things in order to become happy, fulfilled and successful. Through self development we realize that we need to first be in order to do and then do in order to have. We are human beings - not human doings. That is a huge difference!
