Personal development is a slow, methodical process. For anyone looking for a quick fix, let's read an article and call ourselves highly motivated, you're apt to quickly become very frustrated. This is true with dieting, developing aerobic endurance, lifelong learning, and virtually any other process where we attempt to create a long-term change in our bodies or minds.
Think of your personal development simply as a daily workout. In fact, it's much easier than any sort of physical routine. You don't have to change into workout clothes, drag yourself to the gym, or be forced by your significant other into a shower. You can work on your personal development when it's easiest for you-the most important thing is to have your personal development "workout" written down and to setup a series of reminders to trigger the mental response to go into "workout" mode.
Follow these 5 steps and you're on your way to daily practice (what I call my "Daily Mantra"):
- Type out your personal life goals on a 4x6 sized card. If you've been at this personal development idea for a while, you have 5 to 10 goals and a personal mission statement. What if your goals are still in your head? Goals are just dreams until they are on paper. They create contract with yourself that you can't default on or change the terms.
- Printout several copies of this card.
- Place these cards in places that will provide a visual cue when you come across them. It's important NOT to put them where you'll see them all the time. Just like a painting in your house, it will become part of the scenery. You need to be able to stumble upon them regularly, like a new discovery. I put one in my wallet that occasionally gets stuck on a dollar bill as I pull cash out. This randomness forces my mind to react.
- Now, the hardest part of this process is to train yourself to take five minutes to reflect on these goals when you come across them. This may mean that you're at the checkout counter of your grocery store, but this is the best time to review them because you can immediately start to put your thoughts into actions.
- Lastly, you'll need to find 30 minutes during the week to take a longer look at your goals and see how to apply them to upcoming major decisions. I find that Sunday evenings while I'm thinking of the week ahead works out best.
These random reminders are by far the most effective way to remember your goals and to start applying them to your life on a routine basis. How often do we really think about our goals when we're wrapped up with work or family? Yet, this is when it's most important to actualize our goals and thus achieve them that much quicker.
