Posted on August 22, 2019 by dragonspitapothecary
I have worked in corporate America for the past 30+ years and have sat through a lot of training classes. I am a horrible student and cringe at the thought of another training class I need to attend. Training has its period where it is hot on the corporate landscape and then there are times when it lulls in focus and funding. It’s expensive to create and keep training programs going and even more expensive to put thousands of employees through training. Companies spend billions each year on training to help their employees stay on top of latest trends, find ways to make working together easier and teach us new skills.
In all of the training I have been through in the corporate world nothing prepared me for the onslaught of personal development training that rushes through the direct sales industry. Every where you turn there is a new program, training, webinar or book about personal development. It is as if this single industry has more to develop personally from than any other out there and there is never enough done on this very important topic. If you feel you need help navigating the personal development section of your local bookstore, find a direct sales representative because they will have read every title and heard every speaker known on this topic.
When I first started my small business I was amazed at how much people talked about, spent on and attended personal development training courses. If you weren’t talking about the latest book author on personal development or had been at the latest personal development training course then were you really not even trying? Were you really one of those people who thinks they have it all together and personal development was for those that didn’t? I literally remember someone physically gasping when I said I had not read “Girl, Wash Your Face!” Tsk Tsk
What Personal Development Is
Unfortunately not everything is taught from a textbook or even YouTube video. Just like when we were in school, even college, you never really learn what life is really all about until you start working, living on your own and paying your own way. There are just things in life you have to learn on your own or with only guidance to help get you going.
Personal development has morphed into this topic everyone is talking about and yet no one has truly perfected. It’s the latest buzz word of how you should be evolving into a person who is continually growing and learning. In reality, personal development is a multi-faceted topic that means you are learning something about your self, developing or refreshing skills you have, learning from your mistakes and stumbles and building strengths. Personal development all comes down to how well you know what you are capable of and how best to leverage that to succeed in your small business and life. It truly is a fascinating and ongoing experience to learn about and apply every day and will greatly enrich your life the more you know but there are many ways you can go about achieving that.
I’m a firm believer that personal development isn’t always something you learn from a book, webinar, training course or even guru and mentor. Sometimes personal development is literally the school of hard knocks where you learn by doing, failing, picking yourself up and trying again. It’s amazing how much we can learn about our self and what we are capable of doing simply by taking action. It also is sometimes picking up a book, listening to someone else and learning from their journey. Personal development can be inspiring, motivating and uplifting at those times we are doubting our own strengths.
Now reading those beautiful printed books, attending those wonderful courses and hearing about personal development can help you realize where you can focus and how to develop yourself but if you really want to develop you have to start actually doing and trying and trying again. You have to apply what you learn and make it your own. You have to take the nuggets of information that you believe you can best relate to and apply and test it out in your very own life.
Maximizing Personal Development
If we can avoid making a mistake and getting to our goal faster, easier and smoother I think most of us would take that route. You can learn a lot from others who have failed and share their stories. Often these are great content included in personal development training courses. However, those same mistakes may not occur when you try them. Those same failures may not happen to you. You cannot live by someone else’s mistakes. Heed the warning but make your own decision for what is right for you.
When it comes to being successful in business sometimes going where others have failed and bringing your own style, approach, strategy and insight can reap huge results! Listening to the experts and those that have been there helps you avoid the pot holes along the way and see opportunities where they may not have seen them before. Don’t let their limitations and failures become your own. When you attend a personal development training, read a book on the topic or have a mentor helping you realize the golden nuggets of truth they give you and take what you need, leaving the rest. Not everything will be of use to you and not everything will apply to your situation.
I was recently in a group of peers where we decided to read a book on living more healthy and aligning our weight goals to that of being more mindfulness to achieve our desired health status. This was an award winning book, endorsed by several people and listed on bestseller lists. I read the book. I wrote notes from the book. I disagreed with a lot of what the author said in that book fundamentally, philosophically and religiously. Yet I read the book and took from it the nuggets of ideas, concepts and thoughts that applied to me and what I could make work to help me. That is the key to maximizing personal development. Even if the webinar stinks and isn’t all you thought it would be stay tuned to the underlying messages and actively look for things that can serve you.
Assessing Your Personal Development Needs
All of us can benefit from continually learning and developing our skills. Having a great understanding of yourself is a great asset in your small business. There are lots of surveys and tools available to determine where you need help growing and learning but if you are honest with yourself you already know what they are. You really are the one who knows you the best. You know deep in your heart what you need and where you are strong. You know where your confidence limits are and where there is opportunity for you to expand.
Many small businesses do not account for training and personal development budgets upfront. All of your money is being used to setup websites and funnels and to purchase materials and business cards. Budgets are tight even for the direct sales small business owner so don’t beat yourself up because you haven’t been able to afford $5000 a year in personal development training and books. It’s ok not to be like everyone else reading the same personal development book that’s hot right now. I promise you will still develop and blossom.
Be realistic with yourself on what and who you are and where you need to grow. Use community resources like your local library to select books that are critical for you to be reading. Find blogs and podcasts to find inspirational people who focus on an area you need help on. Spend time journaling and listing out what you need, how you can accomplish it and what is truly meaningful for you to know. None of these activities need to cost money and still count as personal development.
Interested in more?
It’s ok to acknowledge where you need help and it’s ok to be different in how you get that help. Each of us is different and already has many wonderful creative strengths that will serve us well just as we are too.
If you have questions and would like help with finding out if doTERRA is right for you please reach out. I’m happy to help you.
Contact me!
If you’re ready to start your small business with realistic, collaborative and supportive like-minded people we welcome you! Click here to get started: