Making a Habit of Personal Development

By Justin Popovic 

It can be a rather amusing task to sit back and analyze some of the daily rituals we perform, often without giving any conscious thought. I believe this is a good thing because we would accomplish very little if we had to stop and think about every task we perform.

Just today, I was making the short drive from my home to the library where I do most of my writing, when I noticed I had been completely engrossed in thoughts about the book I am writing. I had to look in the back seat to check if I even brought my laptop and writing materials. I then became aware of all of the other things that had to take place just to make this short trip. Among other things, I had to put on my shoes, put on my jacket, walk from the house to the car, unlock the car with the keyless entry, place my bag in the back seat, sit in the driver’s seat, fasten my seatbelt, start the car, and so on.  The entire time this was happening, my thoughts were directed towards my task for the day.

This got me thinking about some of the other habit patterns in our life that we consciously decide to do without really asking ourselves if the task is really the most important thing on our list. For example, many people choose to watch a number of hours of television each day. I personally know people who spend an unusual amount of time daily cleaning their home or randomly browsing the internet. The point I am trying to make is that most of us can probably uncover at least one hour of time each day that we give to meaningless tasks.

The interesting thing is, if you ask most people if they are happy with all of the results in their life, the truthful answer is often no.

My goal is to encourage people to dedicate some time every single day to personal reflection and self development. If you are unhappy with a certain situation, you have the ability to change your thinking, and ultimately your behaviour, so that you can improve that particular circumstance. Instead of watching a daytime drama or indulging in excessive dusting and mopping, you might want to consider picking up a book or audio program that forces you to examine your results.  

From my personal experience, this simple action produces an internal reaction. Because you are examining your own personal results, you quickly realize that you are the only one who can change them. Unfortunately, in our society today, people are fixated on producing immediate results and having tangible evidence in their hands the minute they ask for something. With personal development, the true benefits can only be realized when we incorporate the ideas into a habit.

Think about it this way. If you were to make a firm commitment to read or listen to personal development educational programs for even 30 minutes a day for the next two weeks, what kind of positive impact could this have on your life? What if you did it for two months? Similar to unconscious activities such as getting dressed or brushing your teeth, you would start to create a new habit and become the kind of person who automatically takes action on ideas that move you in the direction of improved results.

From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that this kind of self study works. It really is a never ending process because it is part of our nature to grow, expand and develop and ultimately, it provides an excellent opportunity to make positive life changes. As you become more involved in personal development, you will start to notice areas of your life that are working well and other areas that require improvement. This kind of education will help you harness ideas that will improve your results while at the same time, overcome all of the inhibitors standing in the way of you achieving your aim!

A common question I hear is, “Where do I start?” There are so many good authors, philosophies and ideas on this topic that you can never really say which style will work. The best advice I have ever received from this perspective is to study and learn from those who are producing results that you would like in your life. It’s a pretty basic lesson but a very important one. Seek out the people who have already achieved what you would like to achieve and learn from them. Success often leaves clues and it is up to you to find those clues and act on them. With a daily commitment to personal improvement, you will quickly become a master detective you will transform each clue into a tangible action that will lead to a more fulfilled life.

Justin Popovic

justin@igniteyouressence.com

www.igniteyouressence.com

Justin Popovic is the founder and key speaker for the personal development education company, Ignite Your Essence.

The benefits of and growing as a person and making constant expansion is an innate part of us as human beings. All of us want to grow more and more and one’s definition of personal growth along with a list of personal skills for use in your personal development is of paramount importance. Reaching your potential personal and professional development becomes more and more important as time goes by as everyone wants to get better in his or her life in every way possible.
Now when considering one’s personal development, looking at wanting or having more with a list of personal skills does not necessarily make you better. To become a better person you need to get better inside and in reaching your potential personal and professional development quicker that you otherwise would have. You need to improve your inner self. Personal development helps one to become a better person and the our definition of growth is one of the first things to get defined.
Taking on personal development is a serious task. To make the world a better place (reaching your potential personal and professional development) we have to start with ourselves first. When your ideas, habits and attitudes change for the better, you could help others live their lives better. Though it sounds simple, it takes a lot of effort on your part. If it is so easy then why aren’t others trying to become better? The theory of Self-actualization states that in order for human beings to grow to a higher level, they have to get their basic needs satisfied. The basic needs of a human being are: physiological, safety, acceptance or belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization. Let us see why these factors are important in helping us to become better persons.
o Man’s physiological needs are food and water, i.e. basic survival. If you are starving and not having enough food and water to take care of your hunger and thirst, where would you get the strength from to think about becoming better? Only when you physiologically satisfy these needs can you think about your psychological hunger and thirst for self-knowledge. Your basic survival needs take the first place in your life and then your personal development.
o One has to ensure his personal safety above everyone else’s security. If you do not feel safe in your personal life, how can you try to bring safety to others? Your constant fear would not make you think about others.
o With personal development acceptance or a sense of belonging is another essential need for human beings. We need understanding and love from our family and friends and the society we live in. This acceptance will make us think of doing good things for the people who accept us and in that process we become a better person.
o The need for self-esteem along with a list of personal skills – once you are a recognized person among your people, you believe that they respect you. This feeling promotes power and prestige in you. To maintain this self-esteem you would do good deeds to better their lives. This in turn would reflect on your goodness. People would recognize you as a better person among them.
o Finally, we all have a definition of personal growth and when you satisfy most of the above needs, the concept of Self-Actualization will dawn on you. With a satisfied hunger, security, acceptance and power, you want to develop stronger ties with others. You rise above yourself, in the sense you start giving more importance to other peoples’ needs and wants. You believe in being committed to a greater cause than yourself.
Once you enter the doorway for self-realization you would eventually learn to put other people ahead of you in life and you become a better person, naturally!
When is comes to personal development and our lives, the reality is that you can be whoever or whatever you choose to be, if only more of us would believe and act upon this then we would not have the level of apathy and the situation we see in our society.