5 Powerful Reasons I Started My Personal Development Journey

5 Powerful Reasons I Started My Own Personal Development Journey

“Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it”- Brian Tracy.

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious” Albert Einstein.

Investing in my personal development has been one of the most powerful and worthwhile investments I’ve made. I always used to play it safe and follow a path that was prescribed for me. The only way I saw to define success was to get good grades, go to university and get a good job. But I’ve come to realise that there is so much more to life than simply living a life which other people expect of you.

MY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY

I hadn’t picked up a book or listened to a podcast in years. The excuse I would give myself was that I was tired from working all day, and I just wanted to come home and relax. I would generally spend my morning commute listening to trash radio and come home to catch up on the latest episode of the Kardashians. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some down-time (in fact I’m a big advocate for this), I always had this sense that I was driven by a higher purpose. I always felt I was capable of doing so much more.

Investing in my own personal development has opened up a whole new world of opportunities I never thought were possible. Reading personal development books and listening to podcasts has made me reconsider everything I’ve been doing. It has shaped my mindset, helped me to establish a morning routine and develop an entrepreneurial spirit. It’s also led me to invest in myself on a deeper level. One example of this is working with my own personal speaking coach to sharpen my presentation skills. Whilst this is something I would have normally shied away from, investing in my personal development has encouraged to face my fears head-on. It has resulted in me growing and becoming a better, more established and confident person.

There are some powerful reasons to embark on a personal development journey. Here are some of my insights as to why this is a worthwhile journey to embark upon:

1. UNDERSTANDING YOUR PURPOSE

I’m the first to admit that I didn’t always know what my purpose was. In fact, someone asked me a couple of years ago what my purpose was, and I had no idea. I hadn’t even thought about it. Each of us has a purpose in life and sometimes it may take some work to uncover exactly what that might be.

Investing in my personal development, reading books and listening to podcasts encouraged me to ask important questions about my life and what I wanted to do, and ultimately led me to understand and discover my purpose.

2. IMPROVED FOCUS & EFFECTIVENESS

Once you understand what your purpose is, you have a clear plan and direction for what you want to achieve. This ultimately leads to improved focus and effectiveness, because you know exactly what you are working towards. Having a clear purpose and understanding your ‘why’ will help you to block out the noise and distractions.

Reading the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss helped me to understand how to utilise my time more effectively and get the most out of my 24 hours.

3. GREATER CONTROL

Having a clear plan ultimately leads to you gaining greater control of your life. When you are driven by a higher purpose, you learn to say yes more to yourself and no to others. I went from living my life as a people-pleaser and trying to do everything for everyone else, to learning to set some parameters to protect my time and my energy.

I’ve found that having control of my life has enabled me to gain greater respect from the people around me. It feels good to sit in the driver’s seat when it comes to my own life.

4. INCREASED MOTIVATION

Investing in my own personal development has resulted in greater motivation. Every morning when I wake up, I jump out of bed and am excited that I get another day to work towards my goals and my dreams. Listening to podcasts such as Jocko Willink (ex-Navy seal who starts every day at 4:30am) has made me realise that I too can start my day early and gain a competitive edge.

Listening to podcasts, watching inspirational videos and reading about the daily routines of other successful business people, entrepreneurs and world class performers has encouraged me to do much, much more.

5. BETTER QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS

Investing in my own personal development has enabled me to have better quality relationships. Relationships with people in my social circle have shifted from just wanting to go out and have fun, to aligning myself with people who share similar values and mindset. This shift has enabled me to add (and receive) value to the relationships and to the lives of those around me.

YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY

Have you started your own personal development journey? Or are you thinking about investing more into your self? I would love to hear your thoughts- please leave your comments below!