Personal Development
Here are a few tips you may use as a starter guide in
your personal development quest.
Imagine yourself as a Dart Board.
Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or
another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in
ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the
best of you. So which dart pins should you avoid?
Negative Work Environment
Beware of “dog
eat dog” mentality where everyone fights just to get ahead. This is where
non-appreciative people usually thrive. Regardless of what you do, nobody will
appreciate your contributions. Most of the time you'll work without getting
help from other people. Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Be
healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competitive way.
Other
People’s Behavior
Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers,
whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers,
complainers, exploders, patronizers, sluffers… all these kinds of people
will pose bad vibes for you and hinder your personal improvement
scheme.
Things Change
Changes challenge our paradigms. It
tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will
make life difficult for awhile and may even cause stress but it will help us
find ways to improve our selves. Change will always be there and we must
adapt.
Past Experience
It’s okay to cry and say
“ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform
itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat
each failure and mistake as a lesson and opportunity to grow.
Negative World View
Be aware of what you’re looking at.
Don’t get all wrapped up with all the negativities of the world. Rather
than seeing ourselves as victims, we must learn how to make the best out of
worst situations.
Determination Theory
The way you are and
your behavioral traits is a mixed product of your inherited traits (genetics),
your upbringing (psychic), and your environmental surroundings such as your
spouse, the company, the economy or your circle of friends. You have your own
identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a
failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never
have to encounter the same mistakes.
Sometimes, you may think some people are born leaders or
positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Self
development is a choice, not a rule or a talent. God will not come down from
heaven and tell you – “George, you now have my permission to build
self esteem and improve your self.”
In life, its hard to stay
tough especially when things and people around you keep pulling you down. When
we get to the battle field, we should choose the right luggage to bring and
armor to use, and pick those that are bullet proof. Life’s full of
options. Along the battle, we will get hit and bruised. And wearing bullet
proof armor ideally means ‘self development’. The kind of change
which comes from within. Voluntarily. Self development and improvement will
change 3 things: our attitude, our behavior and our way of
thinking.
Self development begins when we start to become responsible
for who we are, what we have and what we do. When we embark on a
self-development journey, we take control of our mission, values and
discipline. So how do you start that journey? Be positive. Be contented and
happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment. A positive way
of living is your starter guide to self improvement.
