There are many ingredients to creating success, this 52 week program can help you improve. This will be a marathon, not a sprint. The first month is about personal development.
Personal Development is a journey because you will not get there overnight. But you will get there. Step by step, you will get a little bit closer – a little bit further down the path.
I invite you to take this journey with me. I share my answers, my views alongside with the speeches from the course.
Jim Rohn about personal development:
First, I believe the personal development road is an invitation that is sent to all but recognized by few. It seems to me that those on the PD road often times are somehow invited into a special banquet hall to take a sneak look at what is possible. This glimpse then invites those rare questions that most people simply don't ask themselves. What if I decide to set and reach higher goals? What if I decide to go for my dreams? What if I can change certain unpleasant things about myself? What if I can significantly make a difference in the lives of others? So from this special sneak preview and these new questions, a new life begins to evolve. Why? Because of your new vision and possibilities. Yes, it can be said Personal Development opens up a whole new world of potential and possibilities for you and for those you affect.
Secondly, Personal Development requires a plan. I’ve often said that all good things in life are upstream, but the natural flow of life is downstream. So you need a plan. You need a map to help you get where you need to go.
Third, Personal Development is about association and influence. We are affected by everything around us. What we read, what we watch, who we talk with, who we spend time with; it all plays a part in how we view our world, our relationships, our opportunities but mostly ourselves.
And fourth, Personal Development is about learning and education. All 12 Pillars of Success we study over the next year will involve personal development and becoming a student and learning.
You have to be ready. Jim says that when the student is ready the teacher will appear. This is true. And I believe – no, I know – that you are ready because of your participation in this year-long development program. You are set to go and to grow. That’s great!
As we focus this month on personal development, I would like to elaborate on Jim’s point about being a student. Reading is the core of any personal development program. The higher your stack of books, the higher the shelf you can reach. Want to reach higher? Stack some more books under your feet! Reading is what brings us to new knowledge. It opens new doors. It helps us understand mysteries. It lets us hear from successful people. Reading is what takes us down the road in our journey. Jim says, “Everything you need for a better future and success has already been written.”
Personal development is whole life. Some people might only want to get rich and thus allow other parts of their lives to suffer. Others might just want to be healthy, thus letting the other parts suffer. Jim’s perspective is that success in personal development is whole life: Physical, Spiritual, and Mental. All through this journey we will focus on different areas of your life so you can arrive at your destination a well-rounded and balanced person.
It will take discipline. Each and every day you must take another step forward toward your destination. This is a discipline. Some days it may mean going to the gym. Some days it will mean listening to a CD. Some days it will mean having a difficult conversation with the goal of restoring a relationship. All of these are things we must discipline ourselves to do.
It will take perseverance. Many people start. Successful people finish. All of them hit hard times. All of them are tempted to quit. People who will always stay at the average level are those who will not persevere. Those who succeed are the ones who, regardless of the size of the obstacle, persevere. Onward they move.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Are you ready? I mean really ready? Are you tired of being where you are and excited to get where you want to be?
Yes, i'm fully ready for this journey. I actually doing it for quiet a few years now and i'm in love with the process!
2. Will you make the commitment to read? Think about one great book you have read and the changes it brought about in your life. Now imagine what this next year is going to do for you!
Yes, i want to read a lot to improve. One of the best books i read is Way of the Peaceful Warrior
3. If personal development is whole life, then which area of your life is in the best shape? Which is the worst? Take some time to think through where you are so you can evaluate where you stand and how you are going to grow in the next year.
I'm pretty fine with most areas of my life: Physical, Spiritual, and Mental. Nowadays i lack discipline to train my body as much as i did, i will try to get back on track. I'm not doing that much meditation, and my brain is slower than before :) I still feel i'm on the right track to improve all this step by step.
4. How disciplined are you? Is it something you struggle with or is it a strength of yours?
Discipline is a hard fight when you begin, then you get stronger and stronger. My discipline is varied by tasks and mood, so i feel i should get much much better at it.
5. Which are you more focused on: Intake (learning, gathering information) or output (doing, taking action)? We all have a bias, so to speak. The answer to this will determine how you need to make adjustments over the coming year.
Until the last few years, i was heavily focused on Intake, but i started to focus on taking more and more action. So its on the right track, but still too focused on Intake. I feel like i'm a little afraid to take action and search for opportunities to take expletive action instead of focusing on the right things to do.
Action Steps This Week:
Write down three great books you have read and three great books you want to read. Now, buy one (or pull it off the shelf) and start. (I recommend Jim’s Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle and also his Season’s of Life and Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich - If you have already read these books or just have something else in mind that’s fine, just start the process of reading daily). Jim, Kyle and I all recommend reading the Bible or a book that will spiritually enhance you in the morning, and reading what is on your recommended reading list at night.
Take at least one tangible action to make yourself stronger in the following area that you are weakest in: Physical, Spiritual or Mental. For example, if you are weakest in the physical arena, then walk a mile three times this week.
Take an area you lack discipline in and set up a pattern for yourself to follow this week and then do it!
Lastly, celebrate the fact that you have accepted the invitation to go on the journey of self-growth and personal development. Regardless of the challenges you may be facing, today is a new day, the beginning of infinite possibilities. As Jim says, “You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction.” Congratulations on taking that step.
I'll let you take the actions and answer the questions if you want! Before I post the next week of this series, i will do a summary of the related actions i take this week.
Jim Rohn: One Year Success Plan texts, mixed with my thoughts and answers what you find in these series. We will walk together the one year path to improve ourselves. You can get a notepad and write your own answers, or you can do it in the comments here. The important is not just read, but take action, that's what helps you get better.
Keep strong,
Robert
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