The Cutting Edge to Success: Personal Development and Time Management Skills That Will Change Your Life!

THE CUTTING

EDGE TO SUCCESS

Personal Development and Time Management Skills That Will Change Your Life!

TRACY THOMAS

Martial Arts Master Instructor

Multi-Business Entrepreneur

Copyright © 2012, 2014 Tracy Thomas.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1344-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1345-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014910390

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 06/05/2014

CONTENTS

Chapter 1:   Personal Development

Chapter 2:   Time Management Strategies

Chapter 3:   The World Doesn’t Need To Change, You do

Chapter 4:   Self Control For Enhanced Willpower

Chapter 5:   Productive Thinking that really works!

Chapter 6:   Motivation and how it can Change YOU!

Chapter 7:   Minimizing and Managing Stress

Chapter 8:   Assertive Developmental Skills

Chapter 9:   Where is your I in Teamwork?

CHAPTER 1

Personal Development

Introduction – Become who you are

We, humans, are social animals. Everything that we do is interconnected. As such, there’s always a pressure to do well relative to the society. Peer and social pressure can determine the way we live our lives. This, in turn, affects our ability to take control of our lives. We are always under the cloud of being judged and this seriously limits our potential for doing great things.

Most of mankind is on cruise control now. We go to school, achieve grades, go to college, and get a job until it’s over. But maybe, you are among the ones who have had enough of the cruise control setting, and just maybe, you have decided to take control of your life. This will be a guide in your pursuit to getting a better control over your life.

Want to be successful in life? Do you want to be on the cutting edge of success? These personal development skills will give you the tools to do just that. Only you can define your success and become who you are. There are many success stories of people who have broken away from the shackles of society and reaped the benefits of personal development. Personal development has many benefits for people such as happiness derived from growth, control over their lives, a sense of contributing to the world by being a role model for others and a variety of factors that you may view as personal happiness.

Personal development eludes people for a variety of reasons. A major reason is that people tend to drown in their own lives and drama as age progresses. Fear of change is another impediment in gaining personal development. An accepting nature and being persistent is the key to overcoming the fear of changing yourself.

Misconceptions about personal development also affect people’s desire to achieve such growth. People need to realize that personal development is aimed at improving their lives and then, those around them. It doesn’t involve wholly changing the way people live their lives, but making appropriate and defined steps to contribute to self-growth.

Sadly enough, the society we live in today, does not accept personal responsibility or accountability. Quite frequently you will see others pointing a finger and playing the blame game which prohibits personal development in ourselves, and those around us. This creates chaos and stress within any environment. Many people often seek out and than see the negative in mankind, society, government, religion and other aspects of the world. They believe the world needs to change to accommodate them, their family and friends, their way. In order for humans to grow they have to come to the understanding and realization of the truth with regard to their own actions, or in many cases, non-action. We must accept responsibility and hold our self- accountable for our own thoughts, traits and actions. Is it the world that needs to change or is it you? Personal development steps will help you become who you are and who you want to become.

Be Real

People either like you for who you are or not… don’t be fake, Be YOU!

What is personal development?

Personal development signifies the conscious pursuit by a person to achieve growth by expanding his or her knowledge and self-awareness, and improving one’s own personal skills. Personal development includes a set of qualities or skills that one tries to achieve in order to live a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life. This is a very broad topic and can include anything that is even slightly beneficial for you.

There are many definitions for personal development, as everyone has their own definition of self and how they can improve that self. Personal development, in essence, is the process of developments of self-awareness, developing knowledge and wisdom, enhancing identity, and continual improvement of ones own accomplishments and personal goals. The Cutting Edge To Success will help you grow yourself in a positive manner with a fresh out-look.

Personal development involves continuous improvement of a person’s ability to master his or her own self. It is also a process of individual development that is concentrated on refining talents, enhancing awareness, utilizing talents, improving knowledge, using one’s marketability, and achieving aspirations.

You may have your own definition. For you, personal development may be about seeking happiness, peace with yourself, attaining knowledge, or knowing who you actually want to become in life. You may simply want to have a new outlook on life and the world. Whatever may be your definition, personal development essentially reflects on what your values, morals, and beliefs are. Our personal definition is basically a reflection of the things we want out of our lives, and how we can attain such a contentment level by ourselves. We must define ourselves to set our path in personal development within life.

Nine circles of personal development

The following nine personal development circles will be a guideline in which you can set your life on a path you envision. Pull out a pen, computer, a tablet or simply think about the following areas within your life.

1) Life philosophy and belief system

From when we first gain cognizance of the world around us, we start developing our own personal belief system. These beliefs are a result of both rational as well as irrational input. Irrational input refers to the development of belief systems based on personal experiences of the world.

This belief system matures as you mature. Everyone has his or her own personal philosophy in life. This philosophy shapes the way one behaves and feels emotions, guides the decisions and choices one makes, and dictates what a person’s motivations are. Have you ever wondered why someone was doing something or what motivated them?

Most of the successful people have gained impressive performance levels owing to their personal beliefs and life philosophies that they have developed over years of hard work and education. These beliefs and philosophies are the reason why successful people tend to be happy and receive what they deserve in life, while others do not. This is due to the collection of assumptions, convictions, and ideas that these people live out of – personal philosophies.

The clearer a person is about what he or she believes in and values, the happier and more effective that person will become. Beliefs denote our assumptions regarding others and ourselves around us, and how we want things to actually be. Beliefs denote how we presume things to be, what we believe is the real truth, and consequently what our reactions will entail in such situations. Understanding with clarity will enhance personal development.

Beliefs basically arise out of five reasons:

The 5 fundamental reasons we have a belief system can be studied for a more open and enhanced growth within ourselves on a journey to self-improvement.

• Evidence

• Traditional

• Authority

• Association

• Revelation

Evidence based beliefs are derived by learning from experiences and evidences, and this is honed as we mature over a period of time. Evidence based belief systems are a derived form of our success, failures, and life lessons we have witnessed.

Traditional beliefs are handed down from families or societies. Cultural and family traditions are the primary reasons for the formation of a belief system in people. Although this is a primary reason many people learn to change or alter their belief system as they grow in life. Many times, breaking a traditional belief system that doesn’t fit oneself in today’s world will immediately alter life’s outcome in a positive manner.

Authority belief systems will steer beliefs. People who hold some authority in our lives from our perspective tend to affect what we believe in. These may be traditional or independent of traditions.

Another reason for developing specific beliefs is through association. The types of people we hang around with tend to affect our beliefs by reinforcing common philosophies and beliefs with the whole group. Association is one of them that is easily controlled in a persons life. Managing friends, groups, organizations, or associations with like minded people can truly affect the way in which we live our lives.

The final reason for development of personal beliefs is through revelations. This may be a hunch, an intuition, an insight, or even an imagination. This type of inspiration can strike you at any time, whether awake or while dreaming.

Most of the beliefs that you develop in your life may not originate from you, but from what is sensible to your understanding and experience at that particular time. Accepting ideas that come into our consciousness mainly develops our belief systems. This understanding can help us review our belief system, as it’s reasonable for the belief system to undergo growth and change as your knowledge increases.

Benefits of positive beliefs

People see what they believe. Like attracts like… They attract themselves to the experiences that match their existing beliefs. As such, you have to change your thoughts so as to expand your mind and improve the quality of your life. You may wonder why you end up in similar situations that tend to re-occur in your life. You may have heard the saying; If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got, and you’ll always feel what you always felt. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. You need to replace those beliefs that restrict your personal development with positive ones that assist in your growth. A black cloud is not following you, bad luck is not upon you, and the world isn’t out to get you. What you focus on you will attract. One of the most amazing gifts we are given in life is the ability to visualize. Through this visualization we attract that which we want to have in our life.

Positive beliefs can guide you to the right path of personal development. If you are accompanied by the right beliefs and philosophies in your journey through life, then you can be sure of turning out a better person on the whole. With the correct set of beliefs, a person can achieve anything he or she puts effort into. Beliefs also tend to turn results into goals, which are the cornerstones of success in life. A person having strong beliefs cannot deviate from his chosen course and will see the deed done. A goal without a belief in something will not yield the same results.

If you believe that you are somehow restricted due to your education, background, age, and so on, then you will actually be limiting your potential. The truth about beliefs is that a person can be anything, learn anything, and do anything if he or she believes so. The first step is creating such a belief and one that will profoundly give you the happiness you seek in life itself.

Finding others with similar beliefs

It is very important to surround yourself with people whose beliefs and philosophies match your own, or the ones you are trying to understand to achieve. Hence the term like minded. As I mentioned earlier, belief through association can be a huge factor in developing personal philosophies and beliefs. Your immediate circle of friends and acquaintances has a huge role to play in developing your own beliefs. Some say you become that which to read and those you hang around. These wise words can guide us in the right direction.

When in a group, people tend to have the same beliefs, like minded and motivations for doing things. As such, if you are surrounded by people who share your beliefs, you can be sure that all of them share the similar basic goals and will help you in staying on your course with much less confusion, distractions and stress in life.

2) Improving your mental and physical conditioning

Mental and physical conditioning are some important factors of personal development. No type of personal development can be achieved without proper mental and physical conditioning. With mental and physical development at your side, you get one step closer to attaining complete personal development for yourself. The equilibrium of the mind and body can assist a person on a their path to the stairway of personal development.

Mental fitness

Mental fitness involves being in a fit mental condition to control one’s actions, emotions and choices one makes in life. With proper mental fitness, a person can control all the areas of their lives, from removing the physiological mess from their closets to living life a whole new way!

Mental fitness, both results to and from personal development. Mental fitness requires perseverance on the part of an individual. When embarking on the journey to improve yourself, you will find that the journey has molded you in the process. The destination is the goal, but the journey and pleasures in life are where the lessons are hidden for us to find. With a proper goal in mind, and unwavering commitment to it, you can be sure that you won’t falter in your endeavors. The following points will guide you in your pursuit of mental fitness:

Exercising for about half an hour daily can help re-energize your brain by delivering oxygen to it, thus improving memory, reaction, and reasoning abilities.

• Reading often can provide exercise for the brain and improve its fitness levels while challenging the thought process.

• Accept challenging and entertaining tasks like solving puzzle pieces, playing chess, crosswords puzzles, learning a language, or even playing chess. This can improve your mental power as well as social life.

• Resting regularly reduces the number of stress hormones in the brain and helps in keeping it fit.

• Engaging in conversations over varied topics can also test your mental abilities and lend to its growth.

• New hobbies and crafts can also contribute toward your mental fitness by giving a workout to the gray matter in your brain.

• You can also test your brain against others to test your knowledge and build your mental capacity in a positive way.

Physical fitness

Physical fitness is also an important factor in the personal development of people. Being physically fit ensures that you are in the best physical frame to carry on with your goals of personal development without worrying about your physical potential to achieve them.

There are lots of benefits of staying physically fit. It helps control weight, stress, health concerns and reduces the chances of getting sick. It can also improve the mood in a person, make them sleep better, and boost their energy level.

In terms of personal development, physical fitness contributes towards honing your mental skills, creating discipline, achieving goals, and maintaining your health. Physical fitness exudes the aura of a person who can take charge of their body, care properly for it, and push it to the limit, so as to challenge their own self and build discipline.

The advantages of