Does Personal Development Really Work?
October 11, 2009 by mbelcher
Filed under Personal Development
This is a topic I have wanted to write about for a while. I guess I wanted to voice my opinion as I have read some interesting views and articles on this.
I obviously don’t have the final answer but I will give my thoughts and ideas on it. As always, it would be great to hear your thoughts on this also. The answer to this will be personal, rather than one for all.
So let’s really get into the question and see if we can come up with a tangible answer.
If you have read my story here then you know that I had dropped to a low point in my life. Financially and emotionally I was beaten. I still had something deep within me but I wasn’t in the right state of mind to start over again. I won’t go into the story here but essentially I was given a couple of great books and that started a life of reading and listening AND applying as much as I could. Essentially I changed my life, or I should say the information I took in helped me change my life.
So I am an example of someone that Personal Development has really ‘worked’ for. But this is only a small part of the story. It might be ‘working for me now’ but what if I stop reading or listening or going to seminars? Will Personal Development still work if you stop putting the effort into making it work?
What if I stopped wanting it to work?
And that is the real question we should be asking. Not Does Personal Development work but how does it work? I am not trying to trick you into reading this with the first title. What I am trying to get to is if we take it that personal development does work then why does it work. If it doesn’t then we don’t need to discuss that here!
Like the saying goes “It will work if you work it”. That is right for so many things. I remember in my career of software sales, a manager telling me that the sales process will work if you put the effort in. Then when I was involved in a Multi Level Marketing Company a successful speaker saying “The system will work if you work it”.
It’s the same in everything in life. Often it’s your belief and effort that makes ‘it’ work.
What about a Marriage? Isn’t that the same? I always think it’s odd when I hear someone say ‘my marriage didn’t work’ What does that really mean? It means, sadly, that neither side put enough effort to make it work. They may not have wanted to which is fine, it’s just the reality is that once that decision is made effort is not put in.
Fitness is the same. You can be given the best fitness plan created by a very fit sportsperson but unless you WANT it to work and put the effort it in won’t work.
And that’s really the point. Personal Development works if you want it to work. It doesn’t do it on it’s own. You need to be involved in the process. It is all fine and dandy reading 100′s of books, going to seminars and listening to audio but you have to WANT to make it work and start applying what you have learnt.
How do I make Personal Development Work for me?
This was the kind of question I was asking myself back when I started reading Personal Development Books. The books I was given were Magic Of Thinking Big and Rich Dad Poor Dad.
Two great books that made a huge impact. Once I stared to read these my mind changed, it changed from the ‘Poor me’ mentality to the ‘Get up off your backside and get out there and do something!’ I think this is key. I was already someone who wanted to achieve, I believed I was going to do something great all my life it’s just right at that moment I was feeling sorry for myself. Those books gave me the mental restart I needed.
But I was looking for it anyway. I wanted to be kicked up the backside, I wanted to be told I was feeling sorry for myself and I wanted to get out there again and start making it happen.
As I mentioned above you have to want it to work for you, really believe it is going to work. So once you have this you then need the next thing…..and that is – effort and the knowledge this will take time.
I give personal development books to people all the time. I just suggest they read them and if they do that is fantastic. Sometimes they come back to me and say ‘I read your book, didn’t like it much. Don’t think it has helped me’ That’s interesting. Interesting because I am normally giving them a book that has sold all over the world in multiple languages. So were all the people who read it reading something different? No. The person I gave it to might not have been ready to ‘hear’ what the book was saying. They might not be in the right place just now.
So I normally just smile and take it back off them and suggest they try another. I know they will remember something from that book and perhaps when they are ready to apply they will want to read more.
What makes the difference is getting out of the starting blocks and applying what you have learnt. Most likley you will not feel like anything you have learnt is making any difference. But you have to keep trying.
That’s where the amazing power of personal development comes in.
It starts to work when you keep trying. keep going, keep moving towards your goal. In Psycho Cybernetics Maxwell Maltz talks about how success is about adjusting as you go along. It’s not always a straight path to your goal. In fact I have never met a success person who had an easy time achieving their dreams and goals. And that’s part of the secret. It’s the journey that makes as change. Not the information we take in.
As you go along the journey you will find many things change. Not just you but the world and people around you. I am going to write an article about what happens when you start on your journey so keep looking for that!
The Personal Development industry is very much misunderstood. It’s not about just ‘thinking yourself rich’ (although using visualisation is very powerful) it’s about doing the work and learning along the way.
Books will open your eyes, they will give you things to work on. They will perhaps explain feelings you have had but didn’t really know why. They are tools not the answer to your success. You have to want to work hard for yourself and use these tools as you go.
So where should I begin?
Well, if you haven’t read any books yet or want to know what books to read then you can read my post about the Top 10 personal development books.
You can also go to Amazon and type in ‘personal development’ as a search and see what is suggested. What ever you do I would encourage you to read many books before you make a decision about what works for you.
There is always a nugget of information in each book so keep reading.
It would be great to hear what books have made an impact on your life. What have you read? What did you think is a great book?
Go for your dreams!
Matt
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