3 Must-Ask Questions to Avoid Becoming a Self-Help Junkie
Are you the type of person who has read Tony Robbins’ books multiple times? Do you watch motivational videos every morning and get pumped up? If so, that’s fantastic, because it means you’re on a personal development journey. Now, what would you say if I asked you how your life has changed since you started studying personal development, reading the books, and watching the videos? Do you feel happier? Are you more successful in your career? Do you wake up excited to work on your goals? Or, have you been working on personal development for a couple of years without noticing drastic improvements in your life? If so, that’s not personal development. In fact, you might be a self-help junkie. 3 Must-Ask Questions to Avoid Becoming a Self-Help Junkie Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe A self-help junkie can go to a party and tell people how they can change their lives. That’s the easy part. We can all read self-help books and feel like we know more than other people. But is that what personal development is really about? I’ve watched so many videos on spiritual enlightenment that I could pretend to be an enlightened being and use that "knowledge" to position myself as a spiritual teacher. That, however, would be false advertising. I’ve spent a few months meditating for 25 minutes a day, and let me tell you, it hasn’t turned me into a spiritual teacher. 1. How has your mindset changed? How has your mindset changed since you started your personal development journey? For profound changes to occur in your life, there must be a shift in your beliefs. The simple fact that you’ve started working on personal development is an example of a shift in your beliefs. You’ve realized that you aren’t a powerless victim of your environment. You’ve seen that you have the power to make major changes in your life. Not everybody thinks that way. In fact, many people don’t believe they have any control over their lives, so you’re in a good place if you believe that you do. Yet, like anything else, personal development can easily turn into an addiction. Consider the following scenario: You read self-help books and feel great about yourself. Suddenly, you feel so empowered that you believe anything is possible. It gives you such a high that you buy book after book and watch video after video. It feels so good to have all this knowledge in your head. You may even start believing that you’re superior to other people. After all, you’re so much more aware and knowledgeable than the average Joe. The last thing you want to do is to come back to reality. You want to stay high by consuming information instead of taking concrete actions in the real world. You may start telling everybody that they have the power to change their lives, despite having little to show for your own life. You’re still at the same job. You’re not any happier than you were before you began working on personal development. You’re not making more money. Fundamentally, nothing has changed. So you keep getting high on self-help books and videos. You keep telling yourself that personal development takes time. You’re planting the seed -- and it’s true that personal development takes time. You do have to be patient. However, there’s something you forgot to do: close your books and water the seeds by taking relentless, daily action. Have you ever experienced any of this? If so, you’re likely a personal development junkie. 2. How has your behavior changed? How has your behavior changed since you started studying personal development? When you have new insights that shatter your vision of reality, profound behavioral changes tend to occur. One day something clicks and, for some reason, you just “get it.” You might wake up one day thinking “Oh! I’m not achieving the results I want because I’m not sticking to my goals long enough!” or “Oh! I’m not succeeding because my expectations are flawed and I need to be more patient!” These insights may be things that you’ve known for weeks, months, or even years on a purely intellectual level. If you’re genuinely progressing, however, these realizations are different. You get it on a deeper level, and that’s when things start to change. So, how has your behavior changed? What new habits have you formed? How have they led to better results in your life? Did you start meditating on a daily basis? Did you start setting specific goals? Did you start eating healthier than before? Have you started exercising on a regular basis? If you haven’t gotten the results you expected, ask yourself this: How has my behavior changed since I started studying personal development? Follow up by asking yourself whether you’ll achieve your goals if you keep doing what you’ve done today. 3. How have your emotions evolved? How have your emotions evolved since you started personal development? Real personal development must lead to changes in how you feel and in how you respond to and express your emotions. How have your feelings changed since starting your journey? Do you feel more content? Do you appreciate life on a deeper level? Are you excited to wake up every morning? Do you have a stronger sense of purpose? Note the changes you experience may not always be positive. Real personal development doesn’t make you feel good all the time. It’s not a magic pill, but rather a roller coaster of emotions. Sometimes, what you learn changes your entire view of the world. This can be quite depressing. Sometimes, you have to look at yourself and others with unflinching honesty, which can be very painful. On other occasions, it forces you to make challenging decisions, such as changing your career or ending a toxic relationship. So, do you ever experience a roller coaster of emotions? If not, chances are that you’re not doing real personal development. You’re merely staying at the surface, dipping your toe in every so often. You’re keeping things superficial and feeling good about all the so-called knowledge you’ve accumulated. While that may be fine for a while, it will never bring you the results you want in the long run. For that, you’ll have to go deeper. Personal development requires emotional labor. That’s why most people don’t do it and turn into self-help junkies instead. It’s more enjoyable and gives them the illusion that they’re making progress. As a result, they end up staying stuck in the same place they were before starting their personal development journey. Time to roll up your sleeves Real personal development is not mental masturbation. It’s not a hobby. It’s real and intensive hard work. To change your life, you must be willing to transform your mindset. You have to accept yourself as you really are. You also have to take the actions necessary to get from where you are to where you want to be. If you don’t do any of these things, you’re just kidding yourself. So, are you truly practicing personal development? I’d like to hear from you. Leave me a comment below with your answer to one (or more) of the following questions about your personal development journey: How has your mindset changed? How has your behavior changed? How have your emotions changed?
How To Stick To Your Goals To Boost Your Results In Life
Just enough sense to stick with something – a chore, task, project – until it’s completed, pays off much better than idle intelligence, even if idle intelligence be of genius caliber. For stickability is 95 percent of ability. – David J. Schwartz Do you fail to get the results you want in life? If so, don’t worry. This article is going to cover the likely causes of this. The primary reason you fail is your inability to stick to what you’re doing long enough to get it done. Sounds too obvious? It’s very obvious intellectually, but knowing something isn’t the same as absorbing it. You’ll be amazed by the difference this seemingly obvious knowledge will make in your life once you come to truly understand it. If you struggle with stick-to-itiveness, the upcoming 3 tips will help. If you stick to them long enough, they’ll yield incredible results in the coming years. Now for the 3 stickability tips! How To Stick To Your Goals To Boost Your Results In Life 1. Stick to your most important goal When it comes to goals, the fewer the better. I see people trying to run 2 or 3 small businesses at the same time or trying to make several major changes in their lives at once. This rarely works and tends to block major breakthroughs. The next time you’re tempted to take on more than you can handle, try one of the following: Identify your most important goal. This should be something you want to focus on for the next several months or years. Set a clear deadline and stick to it. Decide how long you’ll stick to your goal (three years, for example) and commit to that decision. Give yourself permission to move on ONLY if the following TWO requirements are met: 1. Your deadline has passed 2. You haven’t seen tangible results. If you’ve been at it for two years, tough it out until you hit the 3-year mark. Constantly refocus on your goal. We all get distracted. Whenever this happens, refocus on your main goal as soon as you can! You may have to do this repeatedly, and that’s okay. Train yourself to say no to things that aren’t related to your goal, no matter how exciting they are. Why? Because you’re working on your goal right now! Do something daily. Take at least one step towards your goal every day. When you feel down, tweak your routine and do something small. Do whatever you need to do to maintain momentum, no matter how tiny it is. Finally, always remind yourself that you have time. After all, the deadline is still far from today! 2. Stick to a course, book, etc. UNTIL you get the desired results. Have you ever bought something that didn’t bring the results you expected? If so, did you ever consider that the problem wasn’t the content, but rather your lack of stickability? There are thousands of life-changing courses, books, and programs out there. If you aren’t getting anything out of them, you might be having one of the following issues: You aren’t fully committed. You don’t make a concerted effort to get as much value as you can from the material, nor do you apply what you learn in the course. You lack faith in the program. You don’t really believe that the program will work for you, causing you to take limited action that leads to poor results. You give up too soon. You give it a shot, but quit after a few setbacks. You don’t go back to basics. When you fail to see results, you don’t consider revisiting the course material. This prevents you from discovering details or key insights you might have missed the first time. You lack focus and patience. You’re taking too many courses at once and moving too fast. This makes it impossible to take effective action and absorb crucial information. You should make a habit of squeezing every bit of value you can from the course. Otherwise, why bother taking it in the first place? 3. Stick to your habits ONCE AND FOR ALL Most people’s New Year’s resolutions are unsuccessful. Does this happen to you? Have you already given up for this year? If so, you’re not alone. 92% of people who make New Year’s resolutions fail to stick to them. Habits are incredibly powerful because they compound over time. Stickability is far more important than intensity. It doesn’t matter how big you start, your ability to stick to your habit over time is what determines your success. If you start small but stay consistent, you’ll start seeing results over time. Now, let’s take a look at 7 of the most powerful daily habits you can have. They all take 5 minutes or less, and you can start implementing them as soon as you finish this article! #1 Setting daily goals In my experience, setting goals each day will double your productivity. All you have to do is make a list of 3 to 5 tasks you want to accomplish for the day, and complete them in order of importance. #2 Reading your goals This is a powerful way to stay on track with your goals. You shouldn’t just read your goals, however, you should also ask yourself why they’re so important. It’s equally important to visualize your goals and how achieving them would feel. #3 Meditating Meditation provides a plethora of benefits that you can’t afford to miss. You can begin with just a few minutes a day. There are many ways to meditate, but it can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breath. #4 Practicing gratitude Forgetting to express gratitude is a major cause of unhappiness for many of us. We take everything for granted and don’t fully appreciate the little things in life (or even the big ones). Take a few minutes every morning to consider some of the things you’re grateful for, whether it’s by saying them out loud or writing them down. #5 Consuming motivational material In the words of Zig Ziglar, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” No matter how exciting your goals are, you’re going to feel unmotivated at times. Feeding your mind with inspirational books or videos each day will help you maintain your motivation. #6 Self-reflecting Taking a few minutes to reflect upon your day is a very effective way to improve yourself. In fact, it will supercharge your growth. When you do it, consider asking yourself the following questions: What did I do well today? What could I have done better? What can I learn from today? What will I do differently in the future? #7 Exercising daily Getting some exercise each day is a great way to get happier, healthier, and more motivated, even if you’re just going for a walk or doing some stretching. Okay, you now know 7 habits that will lead to unbreakable stickability. Are you ready to stretch your stickability muscles and start getting consistent results in your life? Leave a comment below and let me know what you’re going to stick to from today onwards!
5 Powerful Habits That Will Change Your Life
Did you know that a few, small habits repeated on a daily basis can bring extraordinary results over a long period of time? In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that you're just a few habits away from high levels of success, happiness, and fulfillment. In this article, I’m going to give you 5 powerful daily habits that will take a mere 5 minutes each day. They may not take a lot of time, but they yield a lot of incredible results after a while. You may be thinking, “If it were that easy, everybody would do it." Well, that's the thing. Yes, these habits are easy to do. The problem is that, because their impact isn't immediately visible, they're also very easy not to do. However, if you stay consistent with these habits, you'll begin to notice real changes in your life. So, are you ready? Great! Let’s get started. 5 Powerful Habits That Will Change Your Life in Just 5 Minutes A Day 1. Setting Daily Goals How long does it take to set goals every day? 5 to 10 minutes, right? But are you doing them? Probably not. Now, imagine what would happen if you were to take 5 minutes to set daily goals for yourself. How much more do you think you would be able to accomplish over a 5, 10, or 20-year period? You can take a mere 5 minutes each morning to write down the three main tasks you want to accomplish that day, then just a few seconds to visualize yourself accomplishing these tasks. That’s it! 2. Reviewing Your Goals Each Day Do you take a few minutes everyday to read your weekly, monthly, and yearly goals? Doing so can benefit you in a variety of ways. If you want to achieve goals, it's advisable to focus on them as often as possible. It's a pretty important step in the process. When you aren’t thinking of them, it's best to have them in the back of your mind. You want your subconscious mind to do some of the work for you. By reading your goals out loud every day, you're increasing the odds of achieving them. Better still, you enhance your ability to focus on all frontiers. Setting goals is often the first step in accomplishing them. Have you made yourself a list of goals? If not, that’s where you should start. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. - Zig Ziglar 3. Practicing Gratitude Are you genuinely grateful for everything you have? Do you realize how blessed you are? The fact that you're reading this article right now means that you probably have food, shelter, and access to the internet. If you've got these three things, then you already have a lot more than many other people on this planet! Most of us know perfectly well we should be grateful for these things, but we just aren’t. The human mind is as amazing as it is complex, but, like anything else, it has its flaws. Unfortunately, it's wired in a way that gives us the tendency to take things for granted once we grow accustomed to them. That's why being grateful is something that takes practice. You have to take the time every day to remind yourself how blessed you are. That said, it's not enough to simply tell yourself how grateful you should be, you must also tap into the power of gratitude. Otherwise, you’ll end up like the average Joe who complains about everything without really understanding how amazing life is. If we want to experience things beyond that which is automatic and reflexive, it's important to cultivate your emotions. You can do this just by taking a few minutes of your day to think about what you have to be thankful for. Dedicating a small amount of time to appreciating what you have is enough to help you tap into the power of gratitude. 4. Priming your Mind at the Beginning of the Day Do you feel awful when you wake up first thing in the morning? If so, you're not alone. Most of us wake up in the morning without trying to set a clear intention for the day. Rather than proactively working towards creating the results we want, we operate in a reactive way. We complain about the weather, we absorb all the negativity of the world (it's pretty easy to do if you watch the news every morning!), and we go to our jobs feeling depressed and demoralized. Wouldn’t it be better to set your intentions for the day and put yourself in a great mood as soon as you wake up? As mentioned before, setting goals for the day is a great way to set intention. However, you can also try the following: Ask yourself powerful questions. You can ask yourself what you're happy about, grateful for, or excited about in your life, or what outcome you'd like for the day. Repeat affirmations. You can repeat affirmations around areas of your life you want to improve. Maybe you want to focus on self-confidence. Or perhaps you'd like to improve your relationship with money and create more wealth. You can even select create daily or weekly themes. If, for example, you choose to focus on gratitude, you might spend your breaks during the appointed day or week asking what you're thankful for. You could even write the question on a piece of paper that you look at whenever you get the chance. Consume inspirational material (books, videos, etc). Instead of watching the news first thing in the morning, you can read an inspirational book or watch some motivational videos on YouTube. In the words of Zig Ziglar, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” 5. Meditating Just 5 minutes of meditation per day is enough to increase your levels of fulfillment if you stick to it. As always, consistency is crucial. After all, meditating is just as easy as not meditating. So, which habit are you going to start implementing today? I'd love to hear your story months or years from now and see how much it impacted your life. Keep working on your daily goals, and do everything you can to achieve the greatness that you want to become. Only then will you truly appreciate yourself, and your own life.