Boarding the Train of Self-Development

Voluntary self-development can change the trajectory of your life.FOREVER!

“There is no other road to genius than through voluntary self effort.” said Napoleon Hill in his bestseller “Think and Grow Rich”. When I read this for the first time in 2015 it didn’t make any sense to me. Up until then I thought genius is something you’re born with. Einstein, Mozart, Newton, Shakespeare...Didn’t they all come to this world ready to unleash their inborn genius? I learned later that this wasn’t the case at all.

The last part of Hill’s quote stuck with me though. “Voluntary self effort”? What is that? Back then my efforts were based on circumstances and needs, but rarely were they voluntary. How about you? How much voluntary self effort do you put out every day? How hard do you try to improve yourself? In what ways? In what areas of your life? Which of your daily activities contribute to your growth or lack of it? Do you even measure your growth in skills and results? If your honest answers make you feel uneasy then don’t worry. First of all, you are not alone. Second, that’s about to change!

It’s important to shine a light on the reasons that keep us from even considering voluntary self-development. Here are a few:

Lack of desire. Life happens. We get trapped in daily routines, working long hours, running errands, keeping our families going. At the end of the day we feel exhausted. There’s not even any energy left, let alone a desire to pick up a book. We deserve to end the day with watching some TV for relaxation, right?

Ignorance. How many times have you heard phrases such as “I already know that”, “that’s the way I’ve always done it”, “I’ve been doing it this way for 30 years”, or other statements of similar nature? Your mind seals hermetically against growth when you think you know everything. It doesn’t even occur to you there is more to learn.

Lack of time. Are you saying you can’t find 15 minutes in 24 hours to read a book, watch a seminar or practice a certain skill? Check the screen time on your phone. How much time did you spend on social media and other unproductive tasks? It’s apparent that YOU DO HAVE TIME, you just CHOOSE to spend it on other, sometimes wasteful activities.

Self doubt. What does self doubt have to do with self-development? A lot! When you see successful people around, you think to yourself “I am not like them. I don’t have the confidence, I’m not as smart, I’m not as talented, I don’t have such a drive, I didn’t go to college”, etc...These thoughts keep you from even trying because you are afraid you may fail. You’re “safer” not trying.

Lack of focus. Have you ever tried to consciously control your thoughts for any meaningful length of time? It’s difficult, isn’t it? They seem to constantly jump around from one topic to another. This process never seems to stop and it can keep us from contemplating something productive.

Self image - Some of us just don’t see ourselves as “that type of person”, a person who reads, listens to audiobooks and podcasts, tries to voluntarily develop new skills. Your self-image has been constructed during your entire lifetime so it’s no easy task changing it. But it’s certainly achievable!

All of the above may seem like legitimate excuses.Here is my question to you. Putting your hand on your heart, how happy and satisfied are you with your life right now? In hopes of awakening your hidden inner power I’m going to be blunt. You may as well know here and now that your life won’t improve in any meaningful way unless you start improving yourself. On the flip side, if you do hop on board the train of voluntary self-development, your life will flourish in unimaginable ways.

Where do you start? Right here, right now. Wherever you are at the moment reading this article, make an irreversible decision that you are starting your self-development journey RIGHT NOW. The fact that you are reading this article is your first step. You don’t have to decide that you’re going to read 50 books this year, but you can decide that you are going to read for 15 minutes every day. How difficult is that? You may later look back at this moment and realize that it was the turning point in your life! My turning point was in November of 2014. Just like with any new habit, it was difficult at first to make myself read daily so I had to push through for a couple of months. Subsequently, the push became a pull and now I can’t imagine living a day without some sort of self-development activity. I’m confident you will reach that point as well IF ONLY YOU GET STARTED.

What should you do? Regardless of your profession, goals or dreams the first stage is reprogramming your mindset. Once you shift your mindset, you are on the way to your best life ever. That’s why I recommend starting with self help books such as “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, “The Success Principles” by Jack Canfield or other similar books. Another powerful way of learning is through listening. Listen to motivational talks on Youtube while you’re driving, listen to audiobooks.In all honesty, 55 out of the 65 books I’ve finished in the last 4 years, I have listened to while driving. Your commute may be your window of opportunity. But be mindful and remember that growth comes from applying what you learn, not from merely learning.

What should you expect? The long term consequences of self-improvement may be hard to tally up because they are so vast. But here are some concrete outcomes you can expect within a few months:

Growth in confidence. You will start noticing this fairly quickly. By reading up you will feel more knowledgeable, more educated and, therefore, more confident.

Growth in skills. If you practice what you learn you will perfect your skills. You’ll develop better people skills, improve your presentations, become a better communicator etc.

Growth in imagination. When you are reading, or listening to a book, ideas will start popping into your head regarding your own circumstances. Not infrequently solutions to long time problems will just reveal themselves in a bright flash.

Growth in competitiveness. Self-improvement is guaranteed to give you a competitive advantage. You will benefit by contrast. Most people like doing business with above average professionals and you are guaranteed to become one if you follow this path.

Growth in income. I could have easily listed this first, but I wanted to show that all of the above will help you make more money. When you grow as a person, growth in income becomes inevitable.

Improved self image and self respect. It’s an amazing feeling when you can stand in front of a mirror, look yourself squarely in the eyes and feel humble pride and gratitude for the person you have become. This in itself is one of the highest rewards.

Increased happiness. Last, but of course not least, self-development can lead to a happier, purposeful, meaningful and more fulfilling life.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are in life, what you have been through. You have a gem hidden deep within you. This gem is the source of your happiness.This gem is the access point to the infinite universal intelligence. It may be covered with layers of dust from years of laying dormant. With every book, with every seminar, with every purposeful self-development action you are getting closer to this gem, removing one layer of dust at a time.

So, which book are you starting with today?