Article by Declan O Flaherty

Over the years I have amassed a great deal of knowledge relating to my favorite discipline. When I was first introduced to Personal Development I pushed it away. If I’m being honest I felt insulted that anyone would suggest that I needed any development in my life. I was a young adult, and even for me to contemplate that I needed to develop personally was like admitting that I was doing something wrong, or that I wasn’t good enough.

About a year later when I came across a book by an author named ‘Napoleon Hill’ my views completely changed. The title of the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ was unlike anything I had ever read before. I won’t go into the details of the book but although written decades ago, it is one of the most successful and influential Personal Development books ever written and has helped millions of people throughout the world.

Personal Development is hugely misunderstood by many people, I know this for sure, I was one of those people who believed that Personal Development was for the weak, the insecure, the people who were struggling with their own identity or with life in general. Nothing could be further from the truth. Personal Development is for the strong, courageous, non conformist thinkers who recognize that they are powerful individuals capable of great achievements and know that the only way possible to be your best is to work on yourself every single day for the rest of your life.

All human beings are responsible for their actions so it makes sense to direct those actions towards successful outcomes with a focused attitude. We were never introduced to this kind of thinking in school or by our peers and as a result many people today journey through life without any clear understanding of their amazing potential. That’s what’s so important about studying Personal Development, it gives you other alternatives to your usual mundane way of thinking.

Your mind is far more powerful when stimulated by new concepts and ideas designed to make you question the choices you generally make on a daily basis. In school and as we were growing up, we were all thought to see reality in the same way, hence the reason why we live in a conformist society where limiting beliefs keep us from questioning and breaking old thought patterns, thus keeping us stifled within a structure of perpetual regurgitated information.

Dare I say that most of us have learned about life from unsuccessful people and as a result, we have ingrained unsuccessful thought patterns into our subconscious. Too many people these days get their daily dose of information from local news, TV, magazines and other forms of media. A positive attitude towards life is a key component in the quest for fulfillment. Unfortunately, most of the information pumped through the media today is pure garbage. In order to live an authentic life we must separate ourselves from these information streams if we want to change our views on reality. You are so much more than what you have been led to believe.

I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college. 80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. 70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years. 57 percent of new books are not read to completion. 70 percent of books published do not earn back their advance. 70 percent of the books published do not make a profit.

Average thinking begets average results. Personal Development is a window of opportunity for people to advance their skills in critical thinking and force them to ask the right questions concerning their future achievements. If you don’t ask the right questions you can never obtain the right answers. If you have never consciously made the effort to personally develop your mind then you may not know what questions to ask in the first place.

“Learning is the best of all wealth;”it is easy to carry,”thieves cannot steal it,”the tyrants cannot seize it;”neither water nor fire can destroy it;”and far from decreasing, it increases by giving.”(Naladiyar [16])

How many people do you know (including yourself) that work harder on themselves than they do on their jobs. It is absolutely paramount to your success as a human being to work on yourself regularly. What you are becoming of greater importance than what you are getting (Jim Rohn).

A very rich man once said, “If you took all the money in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was before.” Successful people have a successful mindset. Average achievers have a limited mindset. We were never taught2think…period. If you keep on thinking the same thoughts, you will invariably obtain the same results.

Personal Development helps in the process of defining your thoughts in such a way that you begin to develop new insights into the possibilities of change from a perspective of positive influence. You are the one who ultimately makes the decisions in your life but the decisions you make can be clouded by the judgments and prejudices you have been programmed to believe from repetitive negative thought patterns.

If you know how to apply your mind in the right way, you will live a rich life regardless of your previous accomplishments. Personal Development is the key to the lock of your prison door. Your thoughts determine your attitude, which, in turn, determines your motivation, which, in turn, determines your actions and ultimately your outcomes.

Personal Development above all, creates a positive mental attitude by helping you realize the truth, the truth that you can be, and do, whatever you want, if you just believe in your own abilities. You are the master, Personal Development has the tools, your mind is the engine, the road to take is the one less traveled. Don’t stagnate your god given ability to master your destiny by failing to work on your future, today. Don’t be another victim to circumstances and situations, control your outcomes by creating a concrete mindset, capable of mastering anything you believe you can.

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you”. – Brian Tracy

The information you need is waiting, all you have to do is take the first step. To get you started I will list just a few of my favorite Personal Development books, I will not be giving a review but rest assured, these books will change your life if you use the information provided within.

Brian Tracy – Maximum Achievement

Napoleon Hill – Think and Grow Rich

Dale Carnagie – How to win friends and influence people

John Kehoe – Mind Power (into the 21st century)

Charles F. Haanel – The Master Key System

Stephan R Covey – The 7 Habits of highly successful people

Dr Wayne Dyer – Excuses Begone

You can start out with any of these but I recommend doing a search for reviews online for more information on each of them. It only takes one book to change your life, as I mentioned earlier in this post “Think and Grow Rich” was the one that did it for me, but you always gain great and significant insights by studying others advice.

Ps…The Master Key System is a fantastic 24 week course and it is free to download at the address I listed. Maybe you should check that one out first for a taster. That program alone has changed the lives of many and I guarantee if you completed the 24 week program, your life will dramatically change for the better.

About the Author

I write reviews for The First Years Wave Stroller web site for parents.