You’ve made the decision. Starting right now you are going to take the necessary actions to develop yourself. Maybe it’s personal development for business, marriage, family, kids, etc. You first need to decide which area you want to develop. I won’t get into that here. In this post I’m referencing personal development as a whole, and principles that will help you on your journey. Let’s begin…

1. Read 10 pages every day – experts agree that most successful people read before going to sleep each night. For most successful people, reading is a non-negotiable! Why? Because the key to personal development is being a life-long learner. The best and easiest way to engage in this process is through books. Some of you might not read at all right now. That’s not a problem. Start with 10 pages a day. That will take about 15 minutes. You’ll find that reading helps you sleep better at night because it helps you disengage your brain from all the problems of the day. You will also feel a sense of accomplishment. (If you are looking for books to start with, post a question at the end to start a conversation!)

2. Set goals – I’ve said it before, fuzzy targets don’t get hit. A great habit to start your personal development training is setting goals. They don’t need to be massive, life-altering goals. Maybe something as simple as reading 10 pages every night for a month? What a great goal to start with…you will kill two birds with one stone. If you want more info on setting goals, I suggest “SMART” goals. The “SMART” goals process is super easy and very applicable to your life!

3. Make a notecard – the notecard is the secret weapon for successful people. Before going to bed every night, write down 3 to 5 things that have to get done the next day. Those will be put on a notecard that will be carried with you all day. Why? At any point you can pull out your notecard and see what needs to be done! I can guarantee you will get more done by using a notecard (unless you are lazy and choose to not do anything, in which case you probably have already quit reading this post.)

4. Start a mastermind group – you more than likely know 5 people that are looking to improve themselves like you are right now. Why not start a group? Mastermind groups have been used by the biggest names in history (Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Ben Franklin, Steve Jobs, thousands of others.) Mastermind groups inspire growth, cultivate change with each other, and challenge the internal status quo. Personal development is easier when there are other like-minded people on board!

5. Get up earlier – I left this for last on purpose. Some people will immediately stop reading after this point. However, it still needs to be said. Think about it…how much more would you be able to get done in a day if you got up at 6am instead of 8am? Not only are you missing 2 extra (productive) hours a day by getting up later, but you are not fully awake when you start your work day! (The only exception to this habit is working the graveyard shift. Not much you can do about that.) If you are thinking to yourself that you’d never be able to get up earlier, I have a 6th habit for you….GO TO BED EARLIER!!! Most people do not have a getting up early problem, they have a going to bed too late problem! It has been said (and I agree) that nothing good happens past 10pm. Seriously, turn the tv off and go to sleep. Your body with thank you with more energy and vitality the next morning!

These 5 habits will catapult you towards your goal of personal development. As a side note, you don’t have to start all 5 right away. You can start one, develop the habit, then add another. Personal development isn’t a race. You have the rest of your life to work on this…..so take your time and increase your chance of success!

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