I have been pondering on how do I provide quality content? How do I know anyone that came across my site finds it useful to create a long-lasting impact in their life? Even though I don’t have answers to all of these questions, I have decided to start off by writing whatever comes across my mind.
I consider personal development as a never-ending process. I believe that it is a journey that would only end with your last breath. I recently read a book the Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen. The stats are shocking.
58% of people in the world that graduate stop reading another self-improvement till they rest in the coffin.
Some people stay inside their comfort zone all their lives without ever realizing their potential. Some people have been seeking answers for many years and are still searching for their purpose in life.
I believe that anyone that came to this earth serves a purpose. Look at people like Steve Jobs that have changed the world with technology. He had left a legacy before he died and would be remembered for many generations.
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What Is Continuous Learning Mindset?
If continuous learning mindset is a journey, where do we start? When do people realize that it is time to make a change to their usual lifestyle?
The answer lies in events that trigger one to take action. The painful thought of working in an environment I hated till I retire force me to step out of my comfort zone.
Failed love relationships, divorces, seeing your loved ones go to heaven, losing a job, involving in a car accident are all great examples.
I have learnt a lot from books written by very successful people in this world. They include Anthony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Stephen Covey, Zig Ziglar and many others.
Based on my own experience, the most important fundamental of personal development is a deeper understanding of yourself as a person.
No one in this world would understand you better than yourself. Here are some questions to ask yourself
- What are your values?
- Are you a person with integrity?
- Do you stand up against what you feel is wrong?
- What do you believe in?
- Do you believe that you deserve a better life?
Or like the 95% people, you believe that you are trapped in mediocrity for the rest of your life? What are the current good habits or bad habits you have? Do you wake up early to prepare yourself for the day ahead? Are you a grateful person or do you always focus on the negative side of things?
Purpose In Life
What is your purpose in life? I believe everyone is born in this world for a purpose. Are you following your heart and doing what you love or doing what others expect you to do?
What are the good or bad experiences in the past that have developed your current self? Have you tasted success and built your self-confidence overtime or have you tasted too many failures and would choose to play it safe?
Doing nothing is also a choice. What thought processes have you inherited from your own parents? For example, your parents have always told you to work hard in your studies and get a stable job.
When you grow up you realized that you hate your job, but it seems to be the only option because your potential is being contained in this limited thought process.
In order to understand yourself better, I have shown a lot of questions that you have to discover yourself. It is vital to be honest with yourself In order to understand your strength and weaknesses. Basically, I would break it down into 5 main areas in life.
Wealth
Under wealth, it is of course related to how you manage your finances. As what I have learnt from Tom Hopkins’s sales book, always spend less than what you earn.
When you have the money, learn how to buy cash generating assets for yourself. A person who earn $3k/month with no debt and managed to save and invest $1k of his money every month may be better off than someone earning $20k/mth and having lots of credit card debts.
This person may even be able to retire earlier than the high-income earner living a temporary high life.
Relationships
These are one of the most complicated and difficult areas to excel in life. You can face relationships issues with your spouse, your parents, friends, siblings, colleagues, subordinates and many more.
The key thing to remember is to treat others the same way how you want others to treat you. The ability to control your emotions and thinking would help to resolve most arguments.
Misunderstanding mostly occurs because of a lack of communication.
Career
What do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years’ time? Do you see yourself as an employee or an aspiring entrepreneur? Doing what you love and excel in it may bring your more opportunities compared to a 9 – 5 job where you drag yourself to work every day.
For example, your passion is to become a motivational speaker. Read books and attend seminars to improve your knowledge. Join a toastmasters club near your neighborhood where you can practice speaking to a small crowd before progressing from there.
Of course, if you love your day job, there is perfectly fine too. The main point is to be happy and not dragging yourself to work.
More than half of US workers are unhappy in their jobs
Wellness
Experts recommend exercising 20-30 mins per day to keep your mind and body healthy. Slowly build it up. You can start with running for 10 minutes a day and slowly build it up to 30 minutes.
Good eating habits would also be beneficial to your body in the long run.
Inspiration
Read inspirational books whenever you have the time to do so. Reading blogs like hustlebees.com may help for your daily dose of positive energy. If you are busy, make it a point to read 10 pages a day which means 3650 pages a year.
That is compounded knowledge of steroids.
Build up a positive mindset and mix with the right people in life. It is very important to monitor what your mind is talking to you on a daily basis.
Too much negativity may hinder you from fulfilling your fullest potential in life. Our mind is programmed to keep us in our comfort zone.
For example, if you have ever thought of starting your own business, these are some of the common excuses that come out of your mind subconsciously.
1) I don’t have capital
2) I don’t have experience
3) I don’t have the time
4) It is too risky
We can always tweak it and tell our mind the complete opposite.
1) I can learn to start a business with little or no capital
2) I can learn along the way
3) I can better manage my time
4) I can start off with something small to minimize my risk
In my future posts, I hope to take out some of the pointers shared in this article and elaborate separately. Hope you have a great time reading my first post and feel free to leave any comments.