PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE POWER OF VISION & MAXIMISING THE MOMENT

SELF-DEVELOPMENT: A Major Recipe For Success Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self–crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. - James Allen What is Self-Development? Personal development is the conscious, disciplined, and sustained series of investment in the self through the acquisition of knowledge and skills, as well as the application of the acquired knowledge and skills for an enhanced lifestyle. Areas of Personal Development The development of the self is as composite an entity as the very nature of man. It consists of various interdependent aspects of human, which all work together to produce a better person when cultivated, or result in a debased existence when ignored. The different aspects of man open to cultivation for development are his: Spiritual state Mental state Emotional state Physical state Social status, and his Professional/vocational performance If you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. - Jim Rohn Painting The Right Picture: THE POWER OF VISION AND FOCUS What is A Vision?Vision is the ability to see what is not yet, so you can create what never was. -Doug Firebaugh A blind man’s world is bounded by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world by the limits of his vision. - E. Paul Hovey Visions and dreams are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements. - Napoleon Hill The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision. – Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author and Lecturer Aligning Goals to Your Personal Vision do an Inventory of your skills, Abilities, Knowledge, Character Attributes/Weaknesses, and Spiritual Gifts ¡ What are your God-given abilities? ¡ What skills have you acquired? ¡ What education do you have? ¡ What are your Character strengths & weaknesses? ¡ What is your Spiritual Gifting? Draw A Life Plan How does your Life Vision Statement translate into practical goals? ¡ Do you have a calendar of when you will do what? ¡ What tasks do you have to undertake to accomplish these goals? ¡ How will you know when you have achieved your goals? Goals must be SMART: Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Time Limited. A Career Plan: ¡ What are your career goals? ¡ Do you have a plan to advance in your career? ¡ What experience do you need for advancement? ¡ What education do you need for advancement? 3. MAXIMISING THE MOMENT: Making The Most of Every Opportunity What the Bible Says Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave where you go. Ephesians 5:15-17 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. What the Sages Say Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it all is possible; without it, nothing. The supply of time is truly a miracle, an affair genuinely astonishing when one examines it. You wake up in the morning, and lo! Your purse is magically filled with twenty-four hours of the unmanufactured tissue of the universe of your life. It is yours. It is the most precious of possessions… no one can take it from you. It is unstealeable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive. In the realm of time, there is no aristocracy of intellect. Genius is never rewarded by even an hour a day. And there is no punishment. Waste your infinitely precious commodity as much as you will and the supply will never be withheld from you. Moreover, you cannot draw on the future. It is impossible to get into debt! You can only waste the passing moment. You cannot waste tomorrow; it is kept for you. I have said the affair is a miracle, is it not? You have these twenty-four hours of daily time to leave. Out of it you want to spin health, pleasure, money, contentment, respect, and the evolution of your immortal soul. Its right use, its most effective use is a matter of the highest urgency and of the most thrilling actuality. All depends on that. Your happiness – the elusive price that you are all clutching for, my friend – depends on that. If one cannot arrange that an income of twenty-four hours shall exactly cover all proper items of expenditure, one does muddle one’s whole life indefinitely. - Jim Rohn We shall never have any more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is. - Arnold Bennet Time is the most precious commodity we have. Therefore, how we manage it has the most profound effect on how our lives turn out. - Jim Rohn