Self-Development & Entrepreneurship (Part 1)

What is Personal Development?

 Personal development is a conscious, disciplined, and sustained series of investment in the self through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, as well as the application of acquired knowledge and skills for enhanced lifestyle. Areas of Self-Development ¡ Spiritual Development ¡ Mental Development ¡ Emotional Development ¡ Social Integration ¡ Physical Development ¡ Professional/Career Development The Spiritual State of Man Man is a tripartite being. He is mainly made up of a spirit, a soul, and a body. The spiritual side of man has to do with the state of his spirit in relation to the Supernatural or God, his Maker. 

In other words, the spiritual aspect of man is that part of him that relates with the supernatural. The Mental State of Man The Mental state of man is one of the two components of his soul. The soul, which is said to be the real man, comprises the mental faculty and the emotions. The mental faculty involves the mind (thoughts bank) as well as the intellectual state of man. The Emotional State of Man The emotion is the second side of man’s soul. The emotion, according to Hargie (1997:38) has three main components; “the direct conscious experiences or feeling of emotion, the physiological processes that accompany emotions, and the observable behavioural actions used to express emotion”. In simple terms, emotion comprises the feelings and desires of man in their expressed and unexpressed form.

15 Steps To Cultivate Lifelong Learning (Part 4)

(11) Start a Project

Set out to do something you don't know how. Forced learning in this way can be fun and challenging. If you don't know anything about computers, try building one. If you consider yourself a horrible artist, try a painting.

(12) Follow Your Intuition

Lifelong learning is like wandering through the wilderness. You can't be sure what to expect and there isn't always an end goal in mind. Letting your intuition guide you can make self-education more enjoyable. Most of our lives have been broken down to completely logical decisions, to the extent that making choices on a whim has almost been stamped out.

(13) The Morning Fifteen

Use the first fifteen minutes of your morning as a period for education. If you find yourself too groggy, you might want to wait a short time. Just don't put it off until later in the day when urgent activities will push it out of the way.

(14) Reap the Rewards

Learn information you can use. Understanding the basics of programming allows me to handle projects that other people would require outside help to accomplish. Meeting a situation that makes use of your educational efforts can be a source of pride.

(15) Make it a Priority

Few external forces are going to persuade you to learn. The desire has to come from within. Once you decide you want to make lifelong learning a habit, it is up to you to make it a priority in your life.

Scott Young is a university student who writes about productivity, habits and self-improvement. http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/

15 Steps To Cultivate Lifelong Learning (Part 3)

(6) Teach Others

You learn what you teach. If you have an outlet for communicating ideas to others, you are more likely to solidify that learning. Start a blog, mentor someone or even discuss ideas with a friend.

(7) Clean Your Input

Some forms of learning are easy to digest, but often lack substance. I make a point of regularly cleaning out my feed reader for blogs I subscribe to. Great blogs can be a powerful source of new ideas. But every few months I realize I'm collecting posts from blogs that I am simply skimming. Every few months, purify your input to save time and focus on what counts.

(8) Learn in Groups

Lifelong learning doesn't mean condemning yourself to a stack of dusty textbooks. Join organizations that teach skills. Workshops and group learning events can make educating yourself a fun, social experience.

(9) Unlearn Assumptions

You can't add water to a full cup. I always try to maintain a distance away from any idea. Too many convictions simply mean too few paths for new ideas. Actively seek out information that contradicts your worldview.

(10) Find Jobs that Encourage Learning

Pick a career that encourages continual learning. If you are in a job that doesn't have much intellectual freedom, consider switching to one that does. Don't spend forty hours of your week in a job that doesn't challenge you.

15 Steps To Cultivate Lifelong Learning (Part 2)

(2) Keep a "To-Learn" List

We all have to-do lists. These are the tasks we need to accomplish. Try to also have a "to-learn" list. On it you can write ideas for new areas of study. Maybe you would like to take up a new language, learn a skill or read the collective works of Shakespeare. Whatever motivates you, write it down.

(3) Get More Intellectual Friends

Start spending more time with people who think. Not just people who are smart, but people who actually invest much of their time in learning new skills. Their habits will rub off on you. Even better, they will probably share some of their knowledge with you.

(4) Guided Thinking

Albert Einstein once said, "Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." Simply studying the wisdom of others isn't enough; you have to think through ideas yourself. Spend time journaling, meditating or contemplating over ideas you have learned.

(5) Put it Into Practice

Skill based learning is useless if it isn't applied. Reading a book on C++ isn't the same thing as writing a program. Studying painting isn't the same as picking up a brush. If your knowledge can be applied, put it into practice.

15 Steps To Cultivate Lifelong Learning (PART 1)

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." - Marcel Proust

"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." - Abraham Lincoln

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain

Assuming the public school system hasn't crushed your soul, learning is a great activity.

It expands your viewpoint. It gives you new knowledge you can use to improve your life. Even if you discount the worldly benefits, the act of learning can be a source of enjoyment.

But in a busy world, it can often be hard to fit in time to learn anything that isn't essential. The only things learned are those that need to be. Everything beyond that is considered frivolous. Even those who do appreciate the practice of lifelong learning can find it difficult to make the effort.

Here are some tips for installing the habit of lifelong learning:

(1) Always have a Book

It doesn't matter if it takes you a year or a week to read a book. Always strive to have a book that you are reading through, and take it with you so you can read it when you have time. Just by shaving off a few minutes in-between activities in my day I can read about a book per week. That's at least fifty each year.

10 Reasons why People Fail

1. Holding on to the past

2. Fear

3. Negative Attitudes

 4. Poor People Skills

5. Lack of Focus

6. Sin and Compromise

7. Excuses (Focusing on Who instead of Why)

8. Non-Adaptability to Change

9. Lack of Plan

10. Giving Up Too Soon 

Becoming and Unbecoming

No man is an Island. We oftentimes feed off other people for our excitement, love, affirmation, survival, and so on. That is why our best moments in life are usually tied to the activities of other people; the same way our worst times can be spin-offs from the doings or undoings of fellow humans. Such is the dynamism of life.

For good or bad, we are all products of our environment, and that includes the residues of our personal/virtual interactions with people in our lives, family, work, associations, communities, and institutions. We are either the best for mingling with these people, or we are the worse for it.

Yes, people bring out the best and the beast in us to various ends. But we can always manage these dynamics and remain true to our ideal self, even though it can be very difficult.

This May, the focus of discussion at Thrive Academy shall be Becoming and Unbecoming: how people bring out the best and the beast in you and how you can hold true to your ideal self.

You simply cannot afford not to be there.

Venue: 1A, African Church Close, off Coker Road, Ilupeju, Lagos.

Date: May 26, 2017

Time: 4:00pm

Attendance is free, but pre-registration is compulsory. To book your seat, please click www.bit.ly/ThrivewithBabs or call: +2348110832280, +2348188708026.