Chapter 2 - Your Personal Growth Plan
I imagine you have heard it said that “failure to plan” is “planning to fail”
If you want to grow in this life the good news is that you can, all you need is simple plan of your own because the bad news is if you don’t have a plan then you are probably part of someone else’s plan – and they have their own interests at heart and not yours.
The other good news is that is not complex or complicated to have your own plan.
Mind you it may be simple but it is not easy – you do need to work at this but it can and has been achieved by many already.
* First you just need to decide what you want from life
* Then start to act in a way that tells yourself and others that you already have what you want (i.e. BE first, then DO then HAVE as opposed to HAVE, DO & BE – back to front)
* Make a list of positive affirmations to help keep you on track
* Enjoy Your Life:
* Change Your Point of View
"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."-
Frederick Langbridge; from A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts
If you’ve been placed second in a writing contest, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?
In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.
So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?
Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.
On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged person’s disorder but also a teen- ager’s disorder’ as well.
Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:
Optimists expect the best
The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.
The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune--- it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.
Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.
They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”
Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.
The Optimist vs The Pessimist
(by William A. Ward)
The optimist turns the impossible into the possible;
The pessimist turns the possible into the impossible.
The optimist pleasantly ponders how high his kite will fly;
the pessimist woefully wonders how soon his kite will fall.
The optimist sees a green near every sand trap;
the pessimist sees a sand trap near every green.
The optimist looks at the horizon and sees an opportunity;
the pessimist peers into the distance and fears a problem.
To the optimist all doors have handles and hinges;
to the pessimist all doors have locks and latches.
The optimist promotes progress, prosperity, and plenty;
the pessimist preaches limitations, liabilities, and losses.
The optimist accentuates assets, abundance, and advantages;
the pessimist majors in mistakes, misfortunes, and misery.
The optimist goes out and finds the bell;
the pessimist gives up and wrings his hands.
Answer the following questions and you are well on the way:-
What motivates me?
It's an answer you have to find out for yourself.
There are so many things that can make everyone happy, but to choose one of the may be the hardest part.
It's not like you can't have one serving of your favourite food in a buffet and that's it. Just try it piece by piece.
What Really Makes You Tick?
What really makes you tick? You can be just about anything you always wanted to be, but to realize that attaining something that may seem very difficult is already giving up before you even start that journey.
Always remember, that self-improvement is not just about the physical or philosophical change you have to undergo, but it's something that you really want. And it’s a continuous process.