Personal Development

I recently caught up with a good friend of mine from high school. During the course of our conversation he mentioned that he wasn't suprised at all at the success I have enjoyed in my personal and professional life. He remembers way back to high school that I was a always reading this book or that book about personal development or success strategies or always seemed to have some motivational tape in my tape deck. He admitted at the time he thought I was weird and sort of a freak. Today he sees the fruits of that preparation paying off and playing out in my life and fortunately recognizes he wants a little taste of that fruit!

He got me thinking about personal development and why so many people fail to take the time to invest in the single biggest asset they own....their own self! As is the case with my old buddy, he is 34, not particularly happy in his life, not doing a job he loves and certainly isn't feeling all that great about his future. Coming out of high school this guy was one of the more postive, more happy go lucky guys one could know. What happened? In 16 years what has changed.

When pressed, he finally admitted that he started not caring so much. He didn't worry so much about where he was going or what he was doing because he assumed life would just happen and it has. He had resigned himself to belive that there wasn't anything more for him than what he already has and his life was pretty much the way it was going to be forever. That's a completely sad perspective.

I believe that each day we should strive to add something of value to our lives. I myself am trying to find a way to not lose my temper so quickly. I am personally focusing on how to communicate in high tense situations without attacking, lashing out or being made to compromise just for the sake of compromise. It is difficult for me but it is something I recognize I need and want to do to improve as a person. It is something to work on, something to study and something to put my energy into and isn't that what personal development is all about?

After chatting with my buddy for a few minutes we determined that he wants to feel better about himself physically. He is basically a coach potato when he is not working and he knows he is setting a bad example for his daughter. We started brainstorming about all that he could do to impact himself each day physically and improve this little piece of his life. We started exactly where you should start....with a drive to make a change or some sort of impact. When you know what you want to do, it becomes easier to put your focus on accomplishing what you have set before you.

C.A.N.I. is a neat term used by Tony Robbins and it stands for Constant and Never-ending Improvement. I love this term because whatever you want to change or impact in your life CANI is a great barometer. What little things can you be doint today to make an improvement or a change? Ask the questions and you will find the answers.

If you are feeling like my friend, want to share a personal story or just want to talk, please feel free to post here or email me at steve@swotvision.com

Ripple On!!!!