Successful Business Leaders Work on Personal Development

Successful business leaders don't just work at growing a business, they also work on personal development.

Whether you're an Internet, Network or Affiliate marketer, learning about . . . and from successful people . . . inside as well as outside of your industry . . . will provide inspiration and insight that may lead you to greater heights in your career.

Successful business leaders spend as much or more time on personal development as they spend on building a business.

So here's a suggestion to help you get started. Spend 15 to 30 minutes each day reading, listening to or viewing material focused on:

• those who have achieved success . . . and
• self-improvement and personal development

You never know when that moment of awareness and enlightenment will strike . . . a moment that will change your outlook and your future. Here's a 3-step plan to help you get started:

1 - Create a Personal Development Journal

Start by creating a personal development journal. Now, this is not just about making a list . . . it's about focusing on where you need to improve. What changes do you need to make in order to become the person you want to be?

So consider setting up a loose-leaf binder with tabs for each area of your business . . . or life . . . where you want to see improvement. Set some goals and objectives for each item in your binder . . . what you want to accomplish . . . by when. Write them down and file behind the appropriate tab in your binder.

Then explore the personal development resources here on this site to see if any fit your needs. If not, start doing some research to locate information that will help you reach your goals. Make a list of the resources you locate for each goal and place the list behind the appropriate tab in your binder.

2 - Gather Personal Development Material

Start gathering the materials you want to read . . . and if you prefer select tapes, CDs and/or DVDs, or load up your iPod, Kindle or Nook . . . with personal development and self-help information.

If you don't have favorites sources yet, start with some of mine. They are located in the Personal Development section here on this site. Currently, you will find:

• In the Spotlight - Articles and posts from Success Magazine
• Jim Rohn - Selected articles and bits of inspiration
• MLSP Member of the Month - Outstanding community members  
• Mike Dillard - Videos and other works
• Todd Falcone - Videos and other works

3 - Set Personal Development Time

Schedule "Personal Development Time" on your calendar . . . it's best to set the same time each day.

Dropping this change into an already busy schedule can be challenging at first. But, give yourself time to adjust. Some success coaches suggest it takes 21 days to adjust to new habits. So, set a time, plug it into your calendar and set a goal to follow your new schedule for 21 days.

Now, during your "Personal Development Time", make notes about each of the resources you use.

Ask yourself questions like:

• How did this resource help me?
• What did I learn? (Write a brief testimony about the resource. Your testimony will come in handy for creating content for forum and blog postings).
• What's next? Did the resource your are investigating cause you to want to learn more? If so, what resources will you need in order to continue moving toward your goal?
• Am I on target to reach my goal?

Maintaining a personal development journal is a simply strategy to help you gather your thoughts, set some goals and timetables so that you can see yourself making progress toward your goals.

Stick with this and you will be amazed at what happens when you focus on personal development . . . amazed at the information what will start flowing your way. Some information will be appropriate to included in your "Personal Development Time". Other information will help you plan attendance at conference calls, webinars and events. Information will seemingly pop-up from nowhere . . . information specifically designed to help your reach your goals.

In addition, this strategy is a great "declutter" exercise because you will be focused on specific personal goals which puts you in a better position to quickly decide which resources to pursue . . . and which to let go.

Before you know it . . . you'll be looking forward to your "Personal Development Time".

To your success,