By Hansel Orzame
In the past I saw self improvement as a crutch for people who were too critical of their own lives. I saw personal development gurus as uptight and as irrational perfectionists who created an industry that was preying on the fears of people being insecure about who they were. I truly thought in my mind that these people were weak and needed a cheerleader so they can find happiness in their miserable state.
But everything changed when I started dreaming. I began to wonder what would happen if I became better than the average person at a mediocre job.
Would my dreams materialize? I came to the conclusion that to learn how to become extraordinary, I had to be around extraordinary people. So I went on a journey to meet many affluent people in my local area. Most of these people had successful businesses and I was interested in their mindset in creating that kind of success for myself.
The more time I spent with these amazing people I noticed a few habits they had in common. These habits ranged from being simply proactive to having an attitude of service. They were constantly working to become better at their craft or business. Nearly all of them had strong leadership ability and a generosity that really surprised me.
These observations opened my eyes to a completely different set of values that were vastly different than the ones I had. It was an eye opening experience. Now for the ironic part. As I got to know these extraordinary people, they got to know me, and eventually gave me some advice. You probably guessed what they said. They advised me to go and seek some personal development.
Hearing this began to break my prejudice against the personal development movement. I began to see my previous attitude as self-righteous and arrogant. So I decided to do some more research to test out their advice. Just as I feared, the personal development material I acquired sounded much like my talks with the successful people.
But something in my gut told me that this was the only way to separate myself from everyone else. As they say, “You have to risk it to get the biscuit.” That was the beginning of my love for personal development.
Once I started devouring all sorts of material to develop and grow myself into a better individual, I noticed something really amazing: people started to like me more. I realized that the people around me, if all things were honest, wanted me to change for the better.
I also noticed that doors were opening for me that never would have opened before. Relationships would lead to opportunities for work and business, and these opportunities led me to have the desire to become better as an individual. I became more honest, more humble, more charitable, more patient and more loving.
Wow--all that benefit just for making the choice to become better.
Now I truly realize why the world needs personal development. Just as it was in my case, it’s the people who don’t care for it that need it the most. Imagine the whole earth with people who have rock solid integrity? How about people who are more generous?
Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was filled with people who were creative and produce tremendous products and services. I think you get the picture.
Personal development isn’t a luxury at all. It is a necessity if you want to live a life to the fullest. I can’t stress enough how, without the desire for self improvement, that communities that we live in will crumble. If you are not growing, then you are dying.
So give it up for personal development. The more of it that we have, the better the whole world will become.
In the past I saw self improvement as a crutch for people who were too critical of their own lives. I saw personal development gurus as uptight and as irrational perfectionists who created an industry that was preying on the fears of people being insecure about who they were. I truly thought in my mind that these people were weak and needed a cheerleader so they can find happiness in their miserable state.
But everything changed when I started dreaming. I began to wonder what would happen if I became better than the average person at a mediocre job.
Would my dreams materialize? I came to the conclusion that to learn how to become extraordinary, I had to be around extraordinary people. So I went on a journey to meet many affluent people in my local area. Most of these people had successful businesses and I was interested in their mindset in creating that kind of success for myself.
The more time I spent with these amazing people I noticed a few habits they had in common. These habits ranged from being simply proactive to having an attitude of service. They were constantly working to become better at their craft or business. Nearly all of them had strong leadership ability and a generosity that really surprised me.
These observations opened my eyes to a completely different set of values that were vastly different than the ones I had. It was an eye opening experience. Now for the ironic part. As I got to know these extraordinary people, they got to know me, and eventually gave me some advice. You probably guessed what they said. They advised me to go and seek some personal development.
Hearing this began to break my prejudice against the personal development movement. I began to see my previous attitude as self-righteous and arrogant. So I decided to do some more research to test out their advice. Just as I feared, the personal development material I acquired sounded much like my talks with the successful people.
But something in my gut told me that this was the only way to separate myself from everyone else. As they say, “You have to risk it to get the biscuit.” That was the beginning of my love for personal development.
Once I started devouring all sorts of material to develop and grow myself into a better individual, I noticed something really amazing: people started to like me more. I realized that the people around me, if all things were honest, wanted me to change for the better.
I also noticed that doors were opening for me that never would have opened before. Relationships would lead to opportunities for work and business, and these opportunities led me to have the desire to become better as an individual. I became more honest, more humble, more charitable, more patient and more loving.
Wow--all that benefit just for making the choice to become better.
Now I truly realize why the world needs personal development. Just as it was in my case, it’s the people who don’t care for it that need it the most. Imagine the whole earth with people who have rock solid integrity? How about people who are more generous?
Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was filled with people who were creative and produce tremendous products and services. I think you get the picture.
Personal development isn’t a luxury at all. It is a necessity if you want to live a life to the fullest. I can’t stress enough how, without the desire for self improvement, that communities that we live in will crumble. If you are not growing, then you are dying.
So give it up for personal development. The more of it that we have, the better the whole world will become.
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