Self-development is the process of working on oneself to achieve success in various areas of life. It helps you stand out and increase your awareness. It’s never too late to start. If you think you’ve reached the ceiling of opportunity long ago and others’ success is unattainable, you may be the victim of a fixed mindset.
This term is used by psychologist Carol Dweck. She believes that there are two attitudes that a person lives with: the growth mindset and the fixed mindset. People from the second category think that they were given a set of skills from birth, the quantity and quality of which they cannot change. They are opposed to those for whom the “cards” received in the deal are just a starting point.
Step 1: Take Responsibility for Your Life
It’s very easy to blame someone else for all the problems: friends, the weather, an evil boss, a too warm bed. This thinking is called victim syndrome. The state is in many ways comfortable: the victim removes responsibility from oneself, which means that they do not feel guilty for failures. The fear of defeat is so great that they simply choose to do nothing to avoid it. And for all unfulfilled dreams and goals, someone else can be blamed.
But in reality, everything happens the other way around. By agreeing to take responsibility for your life, you do not become guilty of what you did or did not do. You have no one to report to. You realize that you have decided to lie on the couch instead of going to work.
Once you solve a difficult problem, you already want to go further, it is more difficult to break through the walls. Every effort and victory that follows it motivates to develop. Failure is part of the journey.
Step 2: Become Disciplined
German business consultant Bodo Schaefer wrote that 72 hours separate a person from an idea to the realization of a goal. During this time, the brain is sent a signal that the chosen goal is important to you, and it concentrates all its resources on achieving it. If you don’t start making at least some notes, the motivation will fizzle out after 72 hours.
To achieve results, motivation for 72 hours and for one evening must flow into discipline. In the case of jogging, you will need to make some reasonable arguments that explain why you need to get up so early to run in cold and rain. Find a photo of your ideal body and put it on the screensaver of your smartphone, think of a champion marathon runner who inspired you by their success. Or hang a list of the benefits of running over your bed.
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Step 3: Fall in Love with Books
Reading often ends up on the list of abandoned pursuits after graduation from high school and university. Adult life creates the illusion that evenings with a book in their hands are left in carefree times that are long gone.
Although today publishers offer an uncountable number of works on almost any topic. Books help you learn a new skill, find a useful habit, and be inspired to change. Reading also increases vocabulary, which makes a person more charismatic.
Electronic devices or audio formats will allow you not to carry heavy books with you. Book download services often offer discounts and trial periods. Paper copies are sold in online stores, which is often cheaper than going to a second-hand bookstore. Bookcrossing communities, flea markets, and good old town libraries can also help save money.
Step 4: Learn to Rest
The ability to rest is a real skill, which is increasingly difficult to master in a world that repeats the mantra “sleep is for weaklings.” Without a balance between productivity and relaxation, there is every chance of burnout. And it will cost your health and time more expensive than a 15-minute rest between tasks.
To maintain this balance, you can follow the focus-defocus method. When we concentrate on study, work, education, we focus. Consciousness becomes like a lantern that illuminates certain areas of life.
In order not to overwork, the consciousness needs to sometimes switch to the spotlight mode, which illuminates everything at once – defocus. We feel this state when doing our favourite hobby or sports, meeting friends, meditating, or walking. It is even useful to just dream in between activities. Take a nap if your daily routine allows. Or lie on the couch for fifteen minutes, but only if the smartphone and laptop are left to the side.