If you're spending free time reading novels or listening to music, you're missing a major key to personal and business success. People who achieve high levels of abundance generally read two or three inspirational books every week. They aren't parked in front of the TV all night.
With today's technology you have many choices of how to best receive personal growth information. There is no longer an excuse for not having time to be educated.
Look at this partial list of delivery methods for getting professional development information to you:
-Read online or listen to PDFs online-software can read text to you!
-Listen to audio or watch streaming video online
-Download audio or video to your iPod
-Download print, audio or video to your cell phone or PDA
-Print out a PDF to take with you in a folder
-Read a print book
-Listen to CDs or watch DVDs-in your car, on a plane, on your TV or computer
You're probably thinking, "I barely have time to complete all my tasks now. How could I add anything else?" But, we all have the same 24 hours each day.
Since you can't add hours, it's up to you to decide how to spend the ones you have. The advent of the iPod makes it easier to access professional development tools. Now you can listen discreetly while standing in line or waiting for an appointment. iPods aren't just for kids. They're important tools for business success and personal growth.
To create the life of your dreams, you must make new choices about how to spend your time. If it were possible to achieve your personal development goals by doing what you're doing now, you would already have everything you want.
I'm sure you've heard the adage that you can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it. It's the same with any personal growth change you want to make in your life. You can't create a new life with the old habits that produced the life you have now.
Just as when you were a child and books magically took you to places you'd never been, inspirational books will guide you to become the person you want to be and will help build the business success of which you dream.
Every multi-millionaire I've met had many personal growth obstacles to overcome in their lives. Not one of them was born into a life of ease. They dealt with circumstances ranging from total poverty, abandonment as a child, abuse, depression, life-threatening illness, divorce, business loss and bankruptcy.
This reality shatters all the excuses you've been using throughout your life for why you can't succeed. For many, inspirational educational tools were the beginning of their road to personal and business success. These professional development tools will start you on the road to your dreams, too.
Let me give you some examples of abundant people who are big readers. Robert Allen, real-estate guru and author of best-selling books including my favorite, Multiple Streams of Income, reads several books at once by leaving them in various rooms throughout his home so a book is always available.
Cynthia Brian, co-author of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul and author of Be the Star You Are, finds it easy to read several books a week because she carries a book everywhere and spends at least two hours nightly reading instead of watching TV.
David Anderson of Famous Dave's really raises the bar. He's a self-proclaimed night owl, sleeping an average of five hours. He not only reads two or three books a week, but 20-30 magazines a month! He reads continually for personal development and to stay current on business trends.
You say you want more from life, but will you move outside your comfort zone to make it happen? Maybe reading a book every week seems unfeasible. Commit to reading one book this month, or in the next two weeks. When you find it's not so difficult, up your quota.
The key to effective use of inspirational books, audios and videos is that you implement what you learn. Put your new knowledge into practice; don't just read, listen or watch for the sake of spending time doing it.
Professional Development And Technology
Have you ever found yourself sitting in a seminar room hearing the same information over and over again? I admit this has happened to me many times. While typical business seminars are a great way to network, be visible, and learn (or be reminded of) some great business strategies, it'll serve you well to diversify your learning.
I speak about this from the personal experience I had at the 2007 Evolutionary Women retreat. It was the first "non-business" event I attended in more years than I care to count. I had been so focused on "business, business, business" that I only invested my time, money and energy in the usual business seminars and conferences. Along the way, I've learned invaluable information that has changed my business, and my life.
But, it's gotten to a point now where I realize I already know what I need to know to grow my business right now. I don't need any more information... or any more ideas to distract me from my mission and purpose. (I'm sure you can relate to what I'm talking about.) Sure, I'll still attend traditional business seminars, but I've decided to invest more of my time, money and energy into more diverse learning environments this coming year.
There are three reasons to diversify your learning, especially as a conscious entrepreneur because your business only evolves as much as you do. If you're not exposing yourself to new and diverse environments for learning, you may be missing out on the exact experience that's going to help everything fall into place. So, get ready to open your heart and soul to new opportunities that excite, and call you... opportunities that invite you to discover and BE more of who you are. In case you're not already convinced it's time to expand your horizons, here are three reasons to get on board:
Reason #1: New Understanding
Notice that I didn't say new knowledge. You already know so much, I doubt you really need to learn a whole lot more. I use the word "understanding" because, as a conscious entrepreneur, it's your responsibility to continually deepen your understanding; understanding of yourself, others, your passion, your purpose, your spirituality, your fears, your priorities... everything. The more you understand who you are, where you are, where you're going and the "reason" for it all... the easier the journey is to getting there. For instance, as a result of being at the 2007 Evolutionary Women conference I have a much deeper understanding of how important it is for me to attend events with a spiritual component. This is where understanding takes on a whole new level for me.
This understanding doesn't come from sitting in a seminar room where you listen to same the speakers and scribble down a bunch of notes; it comes from exposing yourself to new environments and new speakers that give you the time and space to be with yourself in a way that allows you to experience a new understanding.
Reason #2: New Perspective
Allowing yourself to be in a new learning environment opens you up to gaining an entirely new perspective. When you attend the same types of events over and over again (with the same speakers) it can become a waste of your valuable time. It's usually the same information making its "rounds" again where everyone has the same perspective.
Whereas, when you enter into a new learning environment (with new teachers), it's easy to gain a new perspective. Why? Because you're learning from speakers/teachers who are not the "same as usual"... they aren't speaking from the same PERSPECTIVE. New speakers/teachers make it easy for you to see new things; a new way of being, new wisdom, new insight and a new way of looking at everything. I invite you, like I did, to attend an event where you can learn from speakers/teachers that you haven't heard before. You'll open up in new and miraculous ways and begin seeing things differently. Chances are you'll gain insight that was exactly what you need to experience the success you desire.
Reason #3: New Relationships
The third reason to diversify your learning is to establish new relationships, because relationships are the most valuable asset you have in your business. When you diversify your learning environments, you instantly diversify the types of people you meet and the relationships you establish. More often than not, when you walk into a new learning environment, you won't see a lot of familiar faces. This is good news! Because, it gently nudges you to reach out and make new connections.
For instance, when I was at Celebrate Your Life Conference, I only knew 3 people out of 1500! Nobody knew anything about me, my business, my books, my publishing company... nothing. So, it nudged me out of my usual comfort zone of having a lot of people know me and I struck up conversations with new people... and have formed some very valuable business relationships as a result.
As you can see from these three reasons to diversify your learning, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I admit, sometimes it's scary to enter a "new room"... but there's such an extraordinary possibility that occurs in these new environments that it's well worth taking the risk to try something new.
Both Lynn Pierce & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lynn Pierce has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Personal Success and Personal Development Plan. Lynn Pierce, the Success Architect, has taught people how to live the life of their dreams for over 25 years. Now she shares her keys to success and life mastery. Get the first five lessons of "Change One Thing, Change Your Life: A Personal Transformation. Lynn Pierce's top article generates over 720 views. Bookmark Lynn Pierce to your Favourites.
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