Article by Susan Velez

The importance of personal development is the teachings that we can create the life of our dreams.

It is unfortunate that many americans today do not pursue the “American Dream.” They get stuck working a 9-5 job for 20 plus years with nothing to show for it.

With the importance of personal development at hand you learn how to begin taking small steps towards a life filled with joy and passion.

This has become such a fast and growing industry everyone wants to learn about self help in some area of their lives; you begin to understand the importance of personal development.

So why all the fuss you ask? Well we have all be raised in a society that instills limiting beliefs, and yes you probably still possess the beliefs that you picked up when you were young and they continue to hold you back today.

Personal development will teach you techniques that have been utilized in the past and are still used today to assist individuals to begin creating and working towards the “American Dream.” The importance of personal development is not taught in our schools. (which I believe it should be)

So what are some of the techniques that are utilized by athletes, entrepreneurs, salespeople, proffessionals, and anyone else who decides to utilize them?

I have listed some of the techniques below:

1.) Goal Setting: believe it or not this is the most important step in the whole process. Without a goal you have no direction, and you will keep going in circles.

2.) Action: Okay now that you have a goal in place, take the time to write it down on paper. (believe it or not this is extremely powerful) It now becomes more than wanting, what are you willing to do to reach this goal? How much effort will you put forth?

3.) Set A Date: A goal without a date of accomplishment is just a wish. However learn to set a realistic date, if you set a unrealistic goal, you can tend to become discouraged a not ever pursue an endeavor again.

4.) Read, Read, and Read: Never stop learning. You must continually be open to receiving more education. You can receive this educationthrough books, weekend seminars, or classes.

5.) Mastermind with others who understand the importance of personal development as you do, and they are on the path. The more you can surround yourself with people who think like you do, it will benefit you both.

Remember the saying “birds of a feather flock together.” We become like our closest friends we hang out with.

The importance of personal development is; it is never too late to begin. However the sooner you begin your journay the sooner you can begin to let go of your limiting beliefs.

Once you let go of your limiting beliefs you will begin to find the courage to pursue your dreams. Without dreams, we are just living without a purpose. When we do not have a purpose, We have no spark or happiness. We as humans must have something to look forward to everyday.

So why not begin your journey today? You will begin to develop a passion and begin to find out what your passions and hobbies are. You also will be able to assist your children and encourage them to “follow their dreams” and lead by example.

Remember the importance of personal development is to help you lead a more positive and powerful life. Is that not what everybody would love their life to be like anyways?

Article by Jim Gerlits

Copyright (c) 2010 Jim Gerlits

Amazing how we are bound to each other. Our daily activities with the people in our lives affect our outlook on our own individuality. In the beginning, we already have a sense-of-self, of what we are capable of and what we can do. As we progress with this knowledge, our relations with other people tend to affect our self-esteem.

Self-esteem is based on our self-evaluation. Our decisions depend on the choices we make and this is affected by our judgment. All these add up on how we perceive ourselves. We critique and regard ourselves to a certain extent until we come to a concept of who we are. This is self-esteem. This is how we know ourselves.

Psychologist Nathaniel Branden said that self-esteem includes two components: self-confidence and self-respect.

No man is an island. Whenever he goes out of his home, he deals with others. A person’s confidence is affected by his society. Those who are confident know who they are, even among a number of strangers. However, there are those who easily become insecure when they compare themselves to others. A person must learn how to stand on his own and stand tall at the same time. As long as he is not doing anybody harm, then there is no reason for him to feel inferior to his fellows. Dealing with society cannot be generalized because people have all their own ways of handling confidence and insecurity.

It is important that parents teach confidence to their children at a young age. Take note that it must be the right amount of confidence. Too much can mold arrogant children who think they are superior to everyone. Too little can result in children who are bullied. It is the parent’s task to instill in their children’s mind that confidence comes from within and is an attitude to others. It is the perfect mix of not letting yourself get stepped on and at the same time not stepping on other people as well.

When self-confidence is achieved, self-esteem follows. The person then figures out that he is a worthy human person and will not bend for others to let them have it their way. He knows when to compromise and when to fight for what he thinks is right. With a confidence based on the solid belief, self-esteem is pumped up.

Do not mistake self-esteem by the approval of others. Insecure individuals have to be commended by their friends in order for them to know who they are. This is not self-esteem but a sign of weakness. Self-esteem, like self-confidence, must also come from within.

Too much self-esteem is also a problem because the person will be narcissistic and self-centered. He will insist to always have his way. Again, a balance must be achieved. One must know his worth simultaneously as he knows the other’s worth. In philosophy, this is depicted by the Self and the Other. The Self is in constant relation with the Other and their actions affect one another. Self-esteem is good for the Self because it helps him to become a confident individual who is ready to face life’s challenges. However, if he is too much into himself, then he will hurt the Other.

We need self-esteem because it impacts various aspects of our lives. Our emotions, desires, values, choices and goals are rooted on our self-esteem. People who have low self-esteem tend to have psychological problems.

Article by S. Bidinger

I’m not sure I ever understood the importance of personal development in my life. For years I found myself just going along with the flow. I took life as it came, but I didn’t take control. It took a major crossroads to open up my eyes to some of the most basic truths about the world and it’s Natural Laws and how I could use them to be much happier in my life.

Once I understood both the Universal and Spiritual Laws, specifically the Law of Attraction, I started to work in accordance with them instead of unknowingly against them and I began to feel profoundly changed inside.

My personal development quest had begun. I feltso empowered and clear on what steps to take to next. What a relief to finally move forward.

Why did it take me so long to do it? I wondered. I really wish I had known all of this before so I could have avoidedsome of the pain and confusion. Then again, now I know that it was all necessary to bring me to this point of my personal journey.

The fact is, in a world like ours, we just get swept up into the frenzied pace of life. It isn’t often that we stop and evaluate what we are thinking, how we’re acting or what we believe in and why.We also don’t usually ask, “How is What I think and believe truly affecting what I am experiencing? Maybe that’s a question none of us knew we should be asking, but I assure you it is a very important one.

Let me share something with you. Ever since I watched Oprah’s show on The Secret something clicked. It wasjust that quick. I instantly knew I had the power to control my own happiness and now I had the knowledge and themeans to make it happen. I never heard of the Law of Attraction before, but then I watched the movie and just had this “knowing.”

The movie explained the life principles of giving, taking action, having positive thoughts, gratitude, purpose and faith…itseemed to me that these were ideally the right ways to live. But, what I didn’t know is that the gift of truly living by these principles, would attract wonderful things into my life, by Universal Law. It offered me the kind of knowledge and guidance that I had been looking for for so long.

I started studying and asking questions…

How exactly do you use the Law of Attraction?How you do integrate these principles into your daily life?What specific steps and ways of thinking do I need to haveto attract what I want?

I came across some of the most enlightening, motivating and life-altering information I could imagine.

It seems like when our lives aren’t going as we planned and we feel overwhelmed with a lack of control, that’swhen we’re the most in need of true guidance. It’s easy to get confused and overwhelmed. There are countless self-help books, programs, courses, and even personal coaches out there willing to help.

The bottom line is, they all have the potential to work but not everyone is the same, so you must choose what works for you.You are always the one who has to make it work no matter which one(s) you choose.They say “knowledge is power” but knowledge is only power when you put right action behind it.

Everyone has the same desire to improve their lives but so few of us know how to do it. It’s a wonderful feeling knowingthat the system is, and always was, in place working on your behalf. You just have to know how to work with it and now you can.

Let’s face it…you’ve got to live in the “real world” and it’s hard to integrate new ideas and change your way of life and how you look at the world. It’s a process and it doesn’t happen overnight. That’s why they call it personal development. It’s a journey of transformation and growth not a destination that you can reach with the snap of a finger.

Your personal development growth will always be a “work in progress” but the good news is, once you have the right tools and mindset…every day life just gets better and better and you can look forward to what’s next with joy.

Some of us will wait until we are so overwhelmed or unhappy with our lives to start our personal development quest and that’s fine. The answers will always be there to be found when we need them the most.

But why wait until a crisis happens? You can choose to wakeup right now to the fact that YOU havecontrol and can influence what direction your life goes by the choices you make, the thoughts you think and the actions you take.

If you’re ready to open your mind and make the choices that will have you living a healthier, happier life, then I’m happy you’re reading this and hope you’ll follow this path and that it can make a difference in your personal development growth.

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Article by Leila

Improve your self-esteem and you’re sure to gain the confidence that you need to rise above every challenge that you are faced with. It sounds easy, right? But building your self-esteem is something that you need to put all your efforts into. Once you have a strong self-esteem, you’ll find that the things that you hesitated doing before will come so easily, like approaching someone for a business proposition or clinching an important job interview!Why is self-esteem so important? How is it related to self empowerment? According to Abraham Maslow, man has a hierarchy of needs that lead to self-actualization. First, one has to fulfill the physiological needs, which includes food, water and shelter. Second, is the need for safety, which includes stability, security and freedom from being in fear. Third, is the need for belongingness, which involves the need for friendship, love and family. Fourth is the need for self-esteem, which then leads to the top need of self-actualization, which denotes the feeling of fulfillment.Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it can be seen how self-esteem, which means having the confidence and respect of others in order to believe in one’s self and achieve success, is a crucial step in realizing one’s self. Hence, self empowerment can only be achieved when one has a strong self-esteem; and only when one has gained this can one truly know what it is to live a fulfilled and happy life.So you see now that to improve self-esteem is one of the tasks that is most important for you to be able to complete yourself. It is important for you to realize this in order for you to do something about it. This is what personal development training is all about. Professionals have studied self empowerment because scientific facts show that it is essential in being able to succeed in life and in overcoming the many challenges that life gives you. Self-esteem is what makes you strong; it is what makes you get up failing and say, “I can do this!” And it is through this that you are given the courage to learn from your mistakes and succeed.Where other people say that self-esteem starts from the inside, I say that the outside appearance also helps. When you dress in an appropriate manner, wearing colors that flatter you, people will start to take notice of you and take you seriously. When other people show you the respect that you deserve, you feel good inside and you start to gain confidence and improve your self-esteem. For instance, when you dress shabbily and in gloomy colors, people tend to ignore you. And this does nothing to develop your self esteem. It makes sense, right?But at the same time that you’re developing your own style that makes a statement about your personality and the goals you want to achieve, you should also work on your inner equilibrium. Ask yourself what your priorities are and what you really want to do with your life. Know yourself better. Don’t stress yourself over every little thing. Find a balance between work and play. These are just a few things I want to share with you; but most of all I want to let you realize the importance of improving your self-esteem.Hi, I’m CarolAnn Edie and I would like to invite you to my women empowerment website, so that I may help you improve your self-esteem so that you may achieve your life’s goals. I have free weekly newsletters, articles and tips that I’m sure you’d find useful. Remember that having a strong self-esteem takes you one step closer to self-actualization, happiness and fulfillment.