There are essentially two things that will make you wise: the books you read and the people you meet.
Jack Canfield
Many people wonder how I come up with the blog post ideas. They ask how I get the information for my blogs. They think it takes me only minutes to sit down and write out a blog post. Some think it only takes a few minutes to get the blog completed.
That is farther from the truth. No one, except for maybe my husband and kids, really see what goes into each blog. They only see the finished product. My family knows how much more I do away from my blog and, sometimes, even away from my computer. This is where today’s blog will come into play.
Anyone who is successful or on their way to success understands what goes into preparing for what they desire to accomplish. Success starts with planning what it is you want to do. This is easily done by looking at others who are successful at what you want to do. Before I started a blog, I read through other blogs and saw what they were writing about and how often they were blogging. These bloggers that I read helped me to define what I wanted to blog about.
Once I knew that I would blog on personal development, I needed specific topics I would write on. These topics came from more reading and researching online about what personal development was and how I could use it to improve my life. Now, it was time to write, right?
No! This is where the real education came in. Yes, I said education. No, I am not telling you to go back to college. Although, maybe that is a step that you have considered and are ready to take. The education, though, that I am talking about is self-education. Every topic I write about is one that I study. This doesn’t just mean read a blog post or watch a little Youtube video. Even though those are two parts of self-education, it goes even deeper than that.
Every day, I read blogs and books, listen to an audiobook, watch Youtube videos on the subject, talk to people who have experience or are experts in the area I am writing about, and write out personal experiences that can help me understand the topic I am writing on.
Of course, anyone who knows me well knows that my husband, Brenton, and I are self-education junkies. We love to read and listen to books that are motivating. We also like to read in the fields that we are interested in. Yes, the books that we read are a lot the same. Brenton and I read books on personal development, image, leadership, biographies on successful individuals or companies, and, yes, education.
This is something we did before I read Success Principles by Jack Canfield. When I did read Jack Canfield’s book, I immediately raved about it to Brenton. It took me a while, but I finally got him to read it and he loved it. Jack Canfield believes that lifetime learning and learning for growth all through your life is vital to success. He talks about doing the same things we do naturally every day. Reading books, listening to audiobooks, watching television that is educational, and going to training of any kind will rapidly increase the rate of success in anyone’s life.
In Success Principals, Jack Canfield also talks about a subject that may break some hearts. It sure did mine. Television! Yes, to really become successful we need to limit the amount of television time. One hour a day is the most any of us should watch in a day. There are times I realize that I have watched six or more hours of television. It is a mind-numbing habit that can take over your life.
Once I heard this fact about television, I decided to go a step further. I am challenging my family to stop watching television Monday through Friday. We can watch it on the weekends, but we can only watch one hour on Saturday and one hour on Sunday. For one or two of my kids, this will not affect them in any way. They really don’t watch that much television. There is one that will flip out. Together we will learn a new habit. We will take that hour and read instead.
Why am I doing this to my family? Because I care about their success. Reading can help us become experts in any field. Since I want to become an expert in personal development, it is important that I challenge myself and read, at least, an hour a day, but I know that my kids have things they want to accomplish in their lives, too. Giving them the opportunity to read on a subject that they love will increase their success. It could also help them decide what they want to do with their lives and what direction will get them to that desire (start creating a map for their success).
If you aren’t thrilled about reading, listen to an audiobook. Audiobooks save time, you can listen to them in the care, and they still give you the information that the book would give. Some may not be audio learners, so watching a training video on the book would do the trick as well. Youtube videos that have authors of books I read help me to visualize the author and really solidify what they are saying (I am a visual learner).
We will continue to talk about life long learning this week and other keys to success. Today, we started with learning, because it is the most important key to living your dream life. Just because we get through school and graduate doesn’t mean we need to stop learning. Read below what you need to do today to further your success.
Challenge: Today, I want you to pick a nonfiction book that you can read for learning. It can be paperback or audible, but it needs to impact in you and teach you something new. It could be a book on a skill you want to or are learning. It could be a book on someone you either admire or don’t know much about and you want to learn more. It could be on how to cook or live a healthier lifestyle.
All I ask is that it is something you read or listen to and you complete it all. In addition, it can not be fiction right now. Although I love fiction and you can learn a lot from fictional stories, I am talking about setting up an educational system for yourself so you can grow in ways you never thought possible. The books below would be a great addition to any educational system that you set-up. I actually have both because I coach adults and teens in Personal Development.
Please, check out the My Map to Success Featured Book this week:
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
The Success Principles for Teens by Jack Canfield
Please, if you have any questions or would like to schedule your complimentary Introductory Personal Development session, please email me at tinawhite@mymaptosuccess.com
Personal Development Coaching Includes:
You will create a success map in…
Eliminating Limiting Beliefs, Finding Your Passion, Making Connections, Developing Relationships, Maintaining Your Personal Development Growth, and etc.
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