Personal development: Waiting hopefully for opportunities October 5, 2018
Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Goal Setting and Realization.Tags: achieving goals, action steps, getting things done, goal setting, inspiration, life, opportunity, philosophy, psychology, self-actualization, writing
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In our efforts to improve ourselves, whether in financial matters, emotional balance, or adding to our accomplishments in general, we may turn to such assists as affirmations, statements of intent and purpose, and goal planning in order to succeed.
Essentially, we are looking for opportunities.
And the key process lever for prying loose those opportunities is action.
Why is action so important?
Because the opportunities made available to us, or sent our way, do not wake-up those who are asleep. (1)
We ensure that we are awake and alert to incoming opportunities by making sure we take action steps towards our goals and do not spend excessive time in planning and other non-action steps.
Planning and similar activities are important, but usually comfortable.
Taking action is hard, and scary.
But it’s the only route to really getting things done.
(1) Paraphrased from a quote by Richard Templar
Dennis Mellersh
Four ways you may be defeating your personal growth efforts May 9, 2018
Posted by Dennis Mellersh in personal development ideas.Tags: achieving goals, goal setting, inspiration, life, personal growth program, philosophy, procrastination, psychology, self-actualization, writing
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Personal development, like any other sustained objective we are trying to reach, requires some discipline and guidelines, otherwise our efforts will be ineffective and counter-productive; especially if we fall into certain habits and practices.
(1) Too much theory, not enough action
Because self-improvement is such an interesting subject we can easily become over-absorbed in the research and study of various materials, to the point where we are not putting into practice what we are learning. The action steps are as important, and perhaps more so, than the theory.
(2) Scattering our efforts
Instead of picking a self-improvement program and sticking with it, we try to incorporate too many different ideas or concepts into our program, with the result that our action steps lack focus, leading to frustration with our goal-directed activities.
(3) Working in bursts
We have all probably “crammed” at night to pass a test, but if we try this technique with self-actualization, the result will be disappointment. Any long-term goals require what Seth Godin calls the drip-drip-drip approach for success.
(4) Procrastinating with the hard stuff
Reading the books and expert blogs, watching instructional videos, and listening to podcasts are all helpful, as are all the appropriate action steps. But often with personal growth, the hardest part can be the internal work we need to do to achieve attitudinal change. And that’s the part we often put off doing, because it’s probably the toughest part of personal development.
— Dennis Mellersh
Personal Development Ideas 