Personal development is something that has exploded in recent years. More and more books are written about how you can believe in yourself more. More and more courses pop up on the subject, how to think and what to do, but the challenge is that the majority will never act on it.
Jim Rohn said: ”It doesn't matter how much I promote a book. Only 10% of you will buy the book, but the real tragedy is that only 10% of those who buy the book will read it.”
Studying is one thing and developing is another. Let me rephrase that. Studying is one thing and doing is another. In my eyes, personal development ought to mean that you develop, and development happens (as far as I understand) by doing. The world is full of people who want to be a little inspired. People look for shortcuts. They want it to be easy all the time, even though we know that resistance is what makes us stronger, it's what we grow from.
They'd love passive income. (Which leads to them being lured into scams instead of building something serious.) They'd love everything to just sort itself out without them actively doing anything. That's often the big problem, they want something for nothing. They want muscles without training.
The simplest way to succeed is to find something you're passionate about and do it. You'll get really good at it. Whether it's about marketing something or building something up, you'll find your audience. Learning marketing and sales is therefore also a part of personal development, which most people don't want to admit. That personal development means learning sales, oh dear, let's not go there. That'll be another post.
Educating the market about something you've learned that most people haven't learned is sometimes challenging, because there are so many people out there running around with their own opinions based on ”truths” they've learned from others who don't know either. Are you listening to someone who has a strong opinion because of something, or are you listening to someone who knows what they're talking about?
If you've taken a real estate agent course but never managed to sell any houses, you might be fairly negative about the profession (and to avoid looking stupid you advise others against it…), which can be completely wrong, because you haven't done the work. You haven't learned to become a good enough communicator and you can't possibly tell anyone else what it takes. If you want to become a YouTuber it takes quite a few thousand hours before you get good at it.
How many of those who dream of becoming actors and apply to a drama school then make a living from it? Make it to Hollywood? Get rich?
I work with education. I educate people. If you're an affiliate or work in direct selling, you need to invest the time to learn. You need to be interested and you need to do the work. There are many people who are interested in internet marketing but never get started.
”I'm interested in personal development, so I take action.” – Patric Nilsson
Those who are only out to be inspired can listen to Johannes Hansen talk about how hard and tough he is on people, and then they feel a little inspired until Monday morning when the alarm goes off and they have to go to a job they don't enjoy. That's not a life I intend to live.
I do what I'm passionate about. I do what I'm supposed to do. I educate people in a compensated community. I show people ways to build something, for those who are interested in personal development.
