The Four Principles of Personal Development

From Hobbs-Herder Business Trainers. Good advice on life.

The Four Principles of Personal Development

The four concepts this life philosophy is built on are amazingly simple. They are all truisms that go hand in hand. In the following paragraphs, I’ll discuss each of the following:

1. For things to change for you, you must change.

2. For things to get better for you, you must get better.

3. Attitude is everything.

4. The Great Promise – You can have more than you’ve got because you can become more than you are. But if you stay where you are, you will always have what you’ve got.

Simple enough, right? Now let’s break these down one at a time.

1. For Things to Change For You, You Must Change

In the hustle of daily life, most people get so wrapped up in the daily “grind” they never take a step back to really evaluate what they’re doing. They have no direction and, in most cases, are simply hoping things around them change.

Here’s the real truth: If you want things to change, you need to change. You can’t just sit around and wait for things to change for you. It won’t happen. I’ve often said my personal definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting a different result. It’s not going to happen, people. If you want things to change, change yourself. Now, chances are, you don’t want change simply for change’s sake. You want changes that will further your life and improve your quality of life. Which brings us to:

2. For Things to Get Better For You, You Must Get Better

Your initial reaction here is to probably think in terms of getting better in a business
sense. That’s okay, but improving your listing presentation isn’t going to overhaul your entire life. That’s why it really comes down to becoming a better person, and I don’t mean that you help old ladies across the street or say “please” and “thank you” at all the right times.

I’m talking about expanding yourself and expanding your personal capacity. Think of a jug of water being poured into a cup. That cup can only contain so much liquid. In order to grow, to improve, it must expand itself. For you, this means expanding your horizons, mentally – becoming more. One of the best and easiest ways to do this is through reading. If your personal capacity for joy and happiness is low, expand it.
Read books on joy and happiness. If a lack of organization prohibits your growth, study effective organizational techniques. It’s all out there, and it can’t hurt you to read another book. Conversely, the book you don’t read definitely cannot help you.

Increased personal capacity leads to all sorts of benefits, among them an increase in your self-confidence, self-esteem and generally, the way you carry yourself. Knowing you can take on any challenge and conquer it is a very powerful feeling. Which brings us to:

3. Attitude is Everything

The first step to gauging your attitude is asking yourself what you’re focused on. Are you, like most people, focused on the negative, what’s wrong, what you don’t have and what you’re not good at?

Hopefully not, because focusing on the negative will get you nowhere. Conversely, what you focus on is what you attract. Therefore, always remember to focus on what is good, about today, about you, about your life and what you’re grateful for.
That last point is a crucial one: Remember, gratitude affects attitude. Be thankful for what you have. Doing so forces you to focus on the good, whether that’s your family, your health, or anything else. In life, whatever you focus on is what you get. If you focus on it intently enough, you’ll get more of it. Which brings us to:

4. The Great Promise – You Can Have More Than You’ve Got Because You Can Become More Than You Are. But if You Stay Where You Are, You Will Always Have What You’ve Got.

Let me tell you, at age 18, this was a frightening concept. The funny thing is, it still is. The difference now is that I understand it, have accepted it and live my life by it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t strike a little fear in you, either. In fact, it should, because it’s true.

If you resist change, you will never change. You’ll just remain
stagnant. Doing more of the same just gives you more of the same. The good news is you control your own destiny. You can be anything you want to be and have anything you want to have. The bad news is it takes action and growth, and if you fail to change and grow, you will be stuck with what you’ve got.

The Decision is Yours

I hope you take this philosophy to heart, because let me tell you, it is true. Ever since I learned these important lessons, I’ve seen them prove themselves over and over, both in my life and the lives of others. So now it’s up to you. You can ignore this information, or you can take control of your life and your destiny. It’s not just going to happen for you.