It’s said so often, that I feel kind of cliché just writing it, but it’s a very true statement – personal development is a lifelong journey. We are not perfect people, nor will we ever be perfect. The daily, constant goal is to continue to move towards the most perfect version of ourselves as possible, but there is always work to be done.
This process is something we have to consciously, and constantly, pursue. It’s not natural, it must be purposeful. Our minds and bodies are more like a garden. If we plant seeds or plants, and leave them unattended, the garden will be overgrown with weeds and everything else will eventually die. You have to focus on pruning, weeding, feeding, and watering on a daily basis.
Tend to your mind
This is how we must approach our minds. We have to tend to the growth on our minds all of the time. It’s not a ‘one-and-done’ process. You could spend 5-10 years working diligently on yourself, with incredible growth, but if you take the next 5-10 years off, all that work will regress.
Although this must remain an ongoing process, it doesn’t have to be a lengthy process. This goes back to the 1% Improvement we talked about in a previous blog. Just focus small improvements and let them compound over time.
There are three different areas of personal development to focus on regularly:
Books. This is the main one (and often first one) that most people gravitate towards. There are so many incredible books out there to help in the area of personal development. And the best part is…you can always find a book to study on any area your trying to grow in. With this, 20 minutes a day could lead to a lot of growth:
If the average adult reads, at a minimum, 150 words per minute;
And the average page in a book is roughly 300 words;
Then it would take the average person 2 minutes to read a page.
If you read for 20 minutes each day, that’s 10 pages per day.
If the average self-improvement book is around 250 pages;
That would mean it would take 25 days to finish a book;
Which would be 14-15 books per year!
Podcasts. I’ve heard it said before that you can turn your car into a rolling university. Podcasts may be one of the easiest ways to start working on your personal development. Instead of turning on a morning radio show, or listening to music, you can find a couple of podcasts (or audio books) to listen to. I recommend finding about 5 or so podcasts that you really like (and there are hundreds out there), this will give you a variety to choose from each day. Then just focus on listening to an episode on your way to and from work.
Events. Whereas books and podcasts tend to be inexpensive, and a bit easier to implement, events take a bit more dedication. Most cost money (with the exception of a few virtual events), and if you have to travel, you have additional costs to consider. They are usually a few days long as well, so takes a bit more of your time. But I will say, there has never been a time that I went to an event and didn’t come out feeling like the value I received was way beyond the investment to attend. For events, my recommendation is to find at least two each year to attend – one virtually and one in-person. Almost every single month you can find a free virtual event, just takes a little bit of research. Or just do a couple of Google searches and let the Facebook ads bring them to you. The in-person events, I have found, are much more impactful and can be a bit harder to find. Lewis Howes hosts a great event every year in the fall called Summit of Greatness that I highly recommend.
And of course, for the men, I would highly recommend our Breakthrough & Conquer Mancamp.
