“I’m competitive with myself. I always try to push past my own borders.” — Tyra Banks
Getting started with a personal development program is always a reality check; we must know who we are and where we are. Coming to understand what we don’t about where we want to go is a game-changer. We read and listen to gain knowledge; we put that knowledge into practice, assessing the outcomes to acquire wisdom and understanding.
Now that we know more, we can do more, and the development cycle begins again. I’m all for education, yet; it’s the life experience that gives us wisdom. Life-long learners transform life into a classroom; it’s the best path to reaching our potential. Jim Rohn said, “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
Realize and Develop Your Potential
“Bet on yourself and reach your potential.” – John C. Maxwell
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale encourages, “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” No one is successful without realizing and developing their potential, and that requires intentional living.
Choosing to live the intentional lifestyle is all about steadily improving yourself by degrees. Writing out a detailed plan for personal growth fixes your attention on the road ahead. The life-changing journey of intentional living adds value to others and pays excellent dividends.
Consistent, focused personal development is the foundation to successful living. The road of intentional living is paved with planning, accountability, and focused thinking.
Always be learning
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein
We can settle for living with low expectations; having been disappointed so often, we may keep our expectations low to avoid the pain of discouragement; I assure you that isn’t wisdom talking. Believing it’s safer not to expect or hope for the best in life doesn’t address the problem of fear of failure; it exasperates it.
Allowing ourselves to live with “less than” fosters the frustrations that come with never rising higher. Our desires for improvement never disappear; they’re still present, albeit suppressed. The issue lies in our thinking, not in “the roll of the dice,” or accepting the “fate life has dealt us.” Life is designed to be lived intentionally intelligent. View life as an education, study, practice, and review your lessons daily to earn your degree in wisdom.
Always Be Making a Difference
“Life-long learners know that there’s always something more we can experience and learn.” – Maxwell
Life-long learners think beyond doing the right things; their thinking is more along the lines of doing those things right. Whenever we’re in the habit of not doing the right things correctly, we can find ourselves trapped in the tyranny of the urgent.
Doing what’s important each day and doing them correctly and consistently is rewarding and yields positive outcomes; if they’re the kinds of things that make a difference in our lives and others, the rewards come with compound interest.
Continue reading and learning, reflect on all you’re learning, do things better, and spend time with people who challenge you. Life-long learners are consistent in these things because they make them their lifestyle; therefore, they’re always growing.
Earl Nightingale said, “One hour per day of study in your chosen field is all it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years, you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.”
The Key to Life-Long Learning is Making a Difference Intentionally
“I’d rather be the jester who adds value to those around me than a King with no vision or intention of making a difference.” – Janna Cachola
John Maxwell writes, “Do you know why most people quit going to the gym so soon after the New Year begins? Do you know why so many people give up on their diets or lose their motivation at work? The answer is simple: they’re only motivated to improve themselves. And because they’re only in it for themselves, they let themselves off the hook too easily. We grade ourselves on a curve; everyone else is pass/fail.
But what if your actions weren’t motivated by just your own success? What if your diet had more to do with being healthy for your kids? What if your motivation for work was to make the office a better place for everyone else? What if the purpose of the gym was to encourage others as they worked towards their goals? That’s the key to intentional living: daily actions focused on making a difference, large or small, in someone else’s life.” (1)
“Set a goal so big that you can’t achieve it until you grow into the person who can.” – Zig Ziglar
End Notes
(1) Your Year of Living Intentionally by John Maxwell https://bit.ly/3aflRP5
*** This article was authored by John Picarello, Chief Leadership Officer at Lions Pride Leadership Co.***
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