Zig ziglar said, “Just any fool can be a success, if he cares to know what it takes.” You cannot become a success until you acquire relevant information that will help you realize your dream. The fact is that, “Your life only gets better when you get better.”
Successful and accomplished people in all areas of life are absolutely committed to themselves and to their future. They are eager to learn and practice new ideas, insights, techniques, methods and strategies. They are hungry for new information because they know that the key to transformation is rooted in information. Information makes the difference in the school of success. Every great mind is personally developed. Great minds are not born, they are developed. There is no one born a success on planet earth. Success is a conscious process that individuals subscribe to.
In this life, if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. I am convinced that, you can learn anything you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself.
Benjamin Franklin had only two years of formal education, before he branched off to become a printing apprentice. He spent the money for his food on books, and thus read himself to great heights. He taught himself how to read, and became one of America’s greatest philosophers.
Benjamin Franklin successfully founded a university, built a specialist hospital, became one of the foremost American philosophers, and did a particular study on lightning. He single-handedly negotiated the French Government’s support for the America revolution, which enabled America gain independence from Britain.
Richard Branson’s successful business empire is traceable to a book he encountered when he was a newspaper vendor. The book is titled, Small Is Beautiful. It is a book on economics and that was where he learn the art of breaking conglomerate into smaller units.
You have enormous untapped reserves of mental capacity that you have never used. You have the ability to learn and become excellent in more areas than you can ever imagine or dream of. But your brain is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it, at least temporarily.
The 21st century belongs people who are competent, people who are very good at what they do and who are getting better every single day.
Life will pay you whatever you request but to earn more, you must learn more. You must add more value. You must develop the ability to make a better and more important contribution. You must be asking, every single day, “What can I do to increase my value to my company and myself?”
I advice you invest heavily in your personal development. For every monthly income you earn, channel some certain percentage back into your mind via acquisition of relevant books relating to your field of practice or business. Take time to devour those materials and in little or no time, you will become better and the reward you will get is going to be unquantifiable.
You are your most valuable asset. Your ability to think well and act effectively depends upon the quality and quantity of knowledge and ideas that flows through your mind. You must continually feed and program your mind to develop more of your virtually unlimited potential. You must continually upgrade your abilities to think and perform at higher levels.
Here is a simple formula for lifelong success. It will make you rich. It is absolutely guaranteed. It works for everyone who tries it. “Invest as much in your mind each year as you invest in your car.” If you were simply to spend as much money upgrading your skills and abilities each year as you spend to keep your car on the road, you would become one of the most competent and highest paid people in America, if not the world. There are virtually no exceptions to this rule.
The three keys for continuous growth are simple.
First, read one hour or more each day in your chosen field. The highest paid people in America read two to three hours each day to keep current and to improve their minds. But if you were only going to invest one hour per day in a good book that helped you to be better at your job, that would be enough.
One hour per day of reading would translate into about one book per week. The average American reads less than one book per year. If you read one book per week, that would translate into fifty books per year, or 500 books in ten years. At the very least, you’d need a bigger house just to hold your books.
Second, listen to audio programs in your car, when you exercise and when you move around. The average car owner sits in his or her car 500 to 1000 hours each year. If you listened to educational audio programs as you drive from place to place, you’ll get the equivalent of full time university attendance. This practice alone can make you one of the best informed and highest paid people in your field.
Third, attend every course and seminar you can find, even if you have to pay a lot or travel great distances. Through this, you can learn something different that will accelerate your growth and change your life forever.
Please don’t take the above steps lightly. Practice them and your success will be colorful. We are in the age of success, so let us invest to acquire the necessary information that will push us forward. If you have any more suggestions for continuous growth, please share it via the comment box below.