Seven Ways To Grow Your Own Success

by

Elaine Bailey

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I decided to start my own business I was fired up and ready to go! I bought all the books my mentor (and other people) recommended and signed up for numerous online programs and packages.

Then I drowned in an ocean of self-help modules and leadership resources! I felt overwhelmed and scared because I had so much stuff to learn. I had no plan so the learning tools gathered dust on a shelf as I got busy doing coaching and trying to be successful!

My personal development stopped. I'd get stuck with some of the basic business challenges because I wasn't growing. Others around me seemed to be growing faster and getting more success, this hurt!

Here's what I realized...

Buying learning won't help you to learn - You have to READ and APPLY the tools consistently! This is where most of us fall down.

I was trying to grow my business without growing myself.

This also applies if you work in the corporate world. You get promoted and take on a leadership role and there's a whole new set of responsibilities placed on you!

Whether you work in corporate or for yourself, one of the minimum requirements of being successful is your ability to grow. The "Future belongs to learning." Active continuous personal development separates the successful from the mediocre... and the gap between the two is wide!

Here's my personal development success formula...

You have to INVEST in yourself on three levels:

1. Invest money (I was good at buying the books, mentors and resources!)
2. Invest time (I didn't invest the time because I was too busy doing!)
3. Invest attitude (I invested in a growth mindset and take my personal development very seriously)

All three need to be present...

I know individuals who have ignored these and it has destroyed their careers by developing fixed mindset and relying purely on status, ego and past experience to solve future problems. Learning is seen as a weakness by these people!

If you stop learning, you stop leading. You stagnate and you will fail.

Successful people invest time, money and attitude in their own personal development and it pays off. They take learning seriously because they recognize its real value.

Here's how to grow your own success from the inside-out:

1. Start from where you are now - You may have loads of resources backed up. Just choose ONE! Commit to working through that one resource, then move onto the next. Begin today.

2. Read for an hour a day - Wake up an hour earlier each day and read each morning first thing. If you do this 5 days a week - that's five hours of reading! Just think how many books you could read in a year and the advantage you would have over your peers! Make notes and apply one thing you've read during the day (Start with 30 minutes and build up. Turn the TV off and read for an hour each night if you 'don't do' mornings!).

3. Listen to audio books on the move - I listen to learning while I'm working out at the gym! I find the gym boring! Now I learn as I workout and time flies by. I make a few notes back in the changing room! You can also listen as you drive, fly or take the train!

4. Have an ATTITUDE for learning - Is your passion and commitment for what you do greater than any inconvenience in timing or traveling? I travel thousands of miles for my own personal development it's not always convenient - I look beyond discomfort because I'm passionate about being the best I possibly can be. Get out from behind the convenience of your computer and look beyond the discomfort of traveling! Take your personal development seriously - Mean it! Activity seek out specific events and trainings that will help you grow. Group learning can expand your mindset and your skillset. Go to the source of the expertise and learn from the best if you want to be the best!

5. Plan your personal development time - Schedule dates and times for each week and show up! Look for opportunities to learn - Carry a book or IPad with you! Read while you wait for appointments (Instead of wasting time on Facebook!).

6. Apply what you learn - Reading is only a small part of the process. Growing involves USING what you've learned and is critical for success. I know hundreds of managers who have read: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, but only about 15% have actually applied any of the content to their life.

7. Work with a mentor - If you want to run a million pound business, then you want to learn from someone who has first hand experience and can provide wisdom, intuition and support. Working one on one will help you to: stay focused, be accountable, keep your commitment and create the discipline and persistence to make things happen. A coach or a mentor can help you to maximise your potential and be the best in your career or business.

Are you passionate enough about your success to seriously INVEST in your personal development?

How much do you REALLY WANT to be successful?

About the Author:

Elaine is founder of Elaine Bailey International Ltd. a company devoted to coaching busy and successful women and men into their best lives. Elaine spans the Atlantic from the UK to the USA in her life and business coaching. She is a sought after motivational speaker, whose topics include "Business or Busy-ness? Four Ways to Get Your Life Back on Purpose. Please visit http://ElaineBaileyInternational.com.

Why Read Self-Help Books

Today's article is by Yan Wei Chue, who ran a personal development blog http://www.livingthegreat.blogspot.com.  When I last checked there were no recent blog posts by Yan Wei, but I found this particular article so powerful I obtained permission to reproduce it here.

When you have read all about WHY you should read self-help books, if you want to get access to a regular stream of FREE personal development material, then join my Great Personal Development Material project!  You can join here:

http://beallican.com/gpdm/greatpdm.htm

Why Read Self-help Books and Attend Personal Development Seminars?

We live in a very competitive world. Any individual who wants a piece of pie in this world has to fight for it.

Today we go about getting a larger piece of the pie by increasing our self-worth through various means. For some, it means going back to school to pursue a higher education. Some continue to believe that sheer hard work is the practical way to success. Whereas a minority does nothing and hope that they can become better people.

There is an increasing trend where people turn to self-help books and seminars to improve themselves. And the results are extremely promising and encouraging.

To many of those who do not have the habit of reading, this alternative may seem boring and nerdy. Boring and nerdy would never be the words you or I would use to describe once we recognize the many benefits they have.

What is the magic behind these books and seminars? Foremost, they provide motivation. Massive and focused motivation in areas you are interested in improving on. Motivation is a crucial key to success in life. And the most convenient source of motivation comes from these books and seminars. Motivation empowers an individual with a positive mindset, the correct attitude: this greatly increases his energy, drive and productivity. We are constantly surrounded with negativity, from people, TV, radio, it's important that we get out of this negativity by reading uplifting and positive books.

Self-help books and seminars provide an array of specialized knowledge that is not available in the current education system. What is this specialized knowledge? What you seek is what you get. There are lots and lots of books in so many areas, all it requires you are some time, effort and maybe money to get your hands on the information you seek through the book. This specialized knowledge is extremely valuable and practical once you applied it. New knowledge opens the mind. You will be exposed to new ideas and perspectives from different schools of thoughts to improve yourself and to an extent for some, they suffer "information overload". My advice for you is to apply as many of the ideas you have learnt, discard those that do not work for you, keep those that are effective and see the positive changes take place in your life.

The acquisition of new knowledge is vitally important to remain competitive in today's world. However, knowledge alone is not sufficient to bring you to greater heights. What I have learnt from these books and seminars is that they have the ability to act as mentors in our lives. Mentors have valuable experience in their specialized fields to share that will provide any individual with insights and ideas never known to them. This can greatly shorten the learning curve and reduce any trial and error needed to achieve the outcome. However, everyone recognizes the many benefits of a good mentor but not many of us take the effort or are lucky enough to find such a mentor. Self-help books and seminars are an extraordinary source of accumulated experience of the authors and speakers. The essence of their experiences lies deep in these materials and is easily accessible to anyone who makes the effort to understand, learn and apply what is taught. For some, they never managed to see the valuable experience that lies right in front of them and they never will until the day they feel that is so much pain in their lives and that something must be done. Wouldn't it be too late by then? Read with a definite purpose; ask yourself, "What information am I seeking for, what is my purpose of reading this book?" Self-help books and seminars are your best mentors till you find the one that is willing to enrich and guide you.

Looking for a mentor to guide you is a MUST if you seek to achieve success in the shortest time possible. Where and how do you go about finding them? A self-help seminar is one highly possible place. These seminars are a congregation of highly motivated individuals who come from various fields and age groups and most importantly, many of them are very helpful people. The speakers themselves can be your mentors as well. There is no other better place as compared to a self-help seminar. Networking is the key to finding your ideal mentor. You will never know when you will find such a person. In short, it takes courage, persistence and a respectable amount of self-confidence in yourself to impress and convince someone to be your mentor. Remember that these mentors you seek are very busy people themselves. Instead of satisfying your needs, think about what you can offer to your mentor first. Give before you receive. They may not become your mentors but beautiful friendship may bloom and soon you realized that you are completely surrounded by positive and highly motivated people. It was Jim Rohn who said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." And since you are surrounded by positive and energetic people, you will experience new vibrant energy to propel you to greater heights in your life.

Copyrights © Yan Wei Chue

All Rights Reserved

Swinging on a Star

One day in either late 1943 or early 1944 (can any reader help me here and fill in the gap?) one of the sons of the legendary Bing Crosby complained he did not want to go to school but wanted to stay home and play instead.  Bing replied "If you don't go to school you might grow up to be a mule.  Do you wanna do that?"  Song writer Jimmy Van Heusen was there, and thought this could be the beginning of a great song, so he took the idea to lyricist Johnny Burke.  Together they wrote the song "Swinging on a Star" for the movie "Going My Way". The song was released in February 1944 and became one of Bing Crosby's greatest hits.

Why am I writing about a Bing Crosby song in a blog on personal development?  At the end of this article I have reproduced the full lyrics and have also included a video of Bing singing this song in "Going My Way".  Read the lyrics carefully and thoughtfully (ignoring the insults to some lovely animals!) and I think you will see exactly why!

This song may have originally been aimed at children not wanting to go to school, and the lesson there still applies (my younger readers take note!).  But the lesson is actually very much wider.

Where do you really want to be in life?  Are you aiming at the stars or settling for something far more mundane?  If the latter, why?  If the former, what are you doing right now to get closer to your dream?

This is not simply about material success, although it applies equally here of course.  What "aiming for the stars" really means is a very personal thing.  It may simply mean becoming a much more loving and caring person.  Making a real difference in life.  But whatever it means to you, take inspiration now from this song and start doing something to make your dream a reality.  You can do it!



"Would you like to swing on a star,
carry moonbeams home in a jar,
and be better off than you are,
or would you rather be a mule?

A mule is an animal with long funny ears.
He kicks up at anything he hears.
His back is brawny but his brain is weak.
He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak,
and by the way if you hate to go to school
you may grow up to be a mule.

Oh would you like to swing on a star,
carry moonbeams home in a jar,
and be better off than you are,
or would you rather be a pig?

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face;
his shoes are a terrible disgrace.
He has no manners when he eats his food.
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude.
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
you may grow up to be a pig.

Oh would you like to swing on a star,
carry moonbeams home in a jar,
and be better off than you are,
or would you rather be a pig?

A fish won't do anything but swim in a brook.
He can't write his name or read a book.
To fool the people is his only thought
and though he's slippery he still gets caught;
but if then that sort of life is what you wish
you may grow up to be a fish.
A new kind of jumped up slippery fish!

And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo;
everyday you see quite a few.
So you see it's all up to you,
you could be better than you are
you could be swinging on a star."