I love to read self-help and personal development books because these books have changed my life. These books give you more confidence and bring you out of the world of your dream and shows you how to succeed in real life by teaching you plenty of life lessons. Not only that, but it also helps you appreciate small things around you and emphasize the importance of associating yourself with the right people and community.
If you are not a bookworm like me but still want to become a better version of yourself then, you are at the right place. I will share some of the valuable lessons I learned after reading dozens of self-development books so continue reading.
In this article, you will learn about nine lessons I learned after reading dozens of self-development books.
1. Set Specific Goals
Could you ever reach your destination if you do not know if you start moving in the wrong direction? No, right. Similarly, if you do not have a goal, you are more likely to get lost. That is why it is important to set goals as they give you clear direction, which helps you stay on the right track. Set SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Here is an example of a SMART goal. Let us say, your goal is to lose weight so instead of writing down your goal as “lose weight”, you should write down “lose 10 kg in 6 months” Not only is the goal specific but it is also time-bound. The goals you set should have all these five characteristics. If you have set the smart goal, now it is time to create a strategy to outline steps to achieve that goal.
2. Never Stop Learning
Most successful entrepreneurs whether it is Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos always stay in the learning mode. Despite reaching the top, they learn something new every day. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are voracious readers. Elon Musk did not know much about rocket science, but he put his time and effort to learn it for SpaceX. Mark Zuckerberg learned and created a personal smart home assistant called Jarvis.
With AI all set to take our jobs, continuous learning, and learning skills that machines can not replicate will become even more important. You need to continuously evolve and adapt to the changing industry dynamic otherwise, you will be left behind in this race. Another life lesson I learned is to make reading a part of your daily routine and read a book for 30 minutes every day.
3. Be Positive
Irrespective of which personal development you pick up from the bookstore, one thing is for certain, it will surely talk about attitude. A positive outlook is important for success. If your attitude is negative, you will never achieve success. Dr. Martin Seligman, Director of Penn Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania has conducted research to identify the impact of attitude on results.
His findings reveal that optimistic salespersons sold 37% more products as compared to pessimistic counterparts. Another study shows that cardiovascular patients who are optimistic have a 31% lower mortality rate as compared to their peers who have a negative mental outlook.
4. Accountability and Resiliency
Things do not always go according to your plan. You might face hardships along the way, but you must be resilient to come out on top. Never give up and keep trying. As Charles R. Swindoll said,
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
When you suffer a setback, you have two options. You can either blame others for it and stay down or and get back up and keep moving. Research has shown that entrepreneurs who have failed the first time have a greater success rate at the follow-up business venture than first time entrepreneurs. Hold yourself accountable for your action and take feedback from others to improve.
5. Health is Wealth
Nothing is more important than your health. If you are not healthy, nothing else will work. Your body and mind will not get better with age. In fact, it will get worse. That is why it is important to take care of your health. Eat a balanced diet that can give you the nutrition and energy you need. Exercise regularly to keep your body in shape.
Ditch unhealthy habits such as eating junk food, smoking, drinking alcohol etc.; They can have adverse effects on your health especially if you stick with them over a long period of time. Try to cook at home as much as possible and avoid packaged and processed foods. Eat raw fruits and vegetables and use dairy products such as eggs, chicken and milk.
6. Surround Yourself with the Right People
“You are the average of five people you spend the most time with.”— Jim Rohn
Common life lessons most successful people share is that they always surround themselves with the right people. Who are the right people? People that help you grow, share the same interests as you and are always ready to lend a helping hand when you need it. On the other hand, toxic people are always involved in leg-pulling and stop you from achieving your goals. Stay away from these toxic people as much as possible.
7. Control Your Habits
Habits are everything. They decide who you eventually become. The importance of developing good habits and staying away from bad ones are important life lessons to remember. Even if you have some bad habits, you need to try to get rid of them as it can hamper your progress towards your goal. You would see many unsuccessful and poor people spend a lot of their time in front of the television while most successful people don’t. Similarly, successful people value their time, so they don’t waste their time on activities that don’t deliver value.
8. Overcome Your Weaknesses
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. The faster you overcome your weaknesses and boost your strengths, the more successful you would become. For that, you should first identify your weaknesses and work towards overcoming those weaknesses. You do not want others to exploit these weaknesses to hold you back. Divert all your energies to overcome shortcomings because if you approach it with splatted attention, it will not work. Tackle one thing at a time and once you have got over it, move on to the next. Slowly, eliminate all your weaknesses and work towards improving your strengths even further.
9. Take Calculated Risks
Another example of common life lessons that most personal development experts talk about frequently in their books is the ability to take risks. If you are not willing to take risks, you will never achieve massive success. The higher the risk, the higher will be the reward. I am not saying that you should take risks recklessly. You should take a calculated risk. Get rid of the fear of failure because that is what prevents you from taking risks. Do not be afraid to follow a new path that no one else has taken before. That is exactly what innovation is all about.
Which life lessons did you learn the hard way? Share it with us in the comments section below.
