Written by guest blogger Kurt Gielen

1. Take 100% responsibility of your life.

Sure you could just as easy decide that somebody or something else is responsible but then that takes away the chance of developing yourself and you will never be able to fully improve every area of your life. And then it wouldn’t be part of a personal development program, would it? So we’ll save the option of blaming others for when you’re in the pub with friends.

For now, we’ll choose the option that you have 100% responsibility.

2. Everything worthwhile takes time.

Now that you know this, start by giving yourself time. Either sign up for 12 months or more or leave now.

3. Start where you are today.

A lot of people say you have to start with the end in mind. They compare it with a map and identifying your destination. I say they’re wrong.

You got to start where you are today. Unless you know where you’re starting from, figuring out where you’re going doesn’t even make sense.

Often this is one of the hardest things to do. If you don’t think so then tell me who you are and I’ll tell you what you’re not telling me.

4. Once you know where you are, then write down what you want.

Marc Allen, cofounder of New World Library and author of “The Millionaire Course”, calls this “Envisioning your Ideal Scene”.

Maybe this is even more difficult then rule nr. 3 because when was the last time you wrote down what you wanted? And I don’t mean that new phone you want. I mean something as big as your ideal house (remember we’re here for the long term, something that’s worthwhile). And not just saying ‘I want a new car or house’. But going into every little detail, all the way down to the color of the walls in the kitchen and how big that swimming pool is going to be. Really seeing the destination in full color, 3D view.

5. Always give 100%.

I learned this when I started lifting weights with a personal trainer. He would keep me doing bench presses until I literally could not move one single millimeter. And then he told me I had given 100%. The same rule applies to mental work too.
Now I know what 100% means, I also know what 99% feels like. And I can tell you, it’s a bitch. You’re left with that nagging feeling that you didn’t give it all.

So always give 100%, and then stop and go home. Or go do something else.

6. The only time we fail is when we don’t try.

I see so many people quit because after a few attempts they haven’t succeeded in whatever it is they’ve set out to achieve. And then they say they’ve failed.

This is one of the worst social conceptions that needs to be broken down. Failure, or finding a way how not to do something isn’t real.
It’s a lesson learned in disguise. Thomas Edison found 37 ways on how not to make a light bulb. He then found one way on how to make a light bulb.

This is also why I have replaced the word “goal” with “future results”. When you set yourself out to achieve a goal, you leave room for failure. When you say the result has just not happened yet, you won’t stop until it does. Much more efficient.

7. Let go of everything that’s good.

Letting go of something good is the hardest thing to do. I recommend you only do it when it no longer makes you happy.

I let go of a 60+ hours per week job. I kept the same job, just turned it into a 40+ hours job. I’ve always loved my job but at a certain point I felt something was missing. And it wasn’t something was missing in my job. Something was missing outside of my job. But the only way to add stuff into my life outside of my job was to let go of a part of my job first.

At first I didn’t succeed because I hadn’t decided yet what I was going to replace those hours with. It was only when I decided what I wanted in other areas of my life that I managed to let go of part of my job. And now, every area of my life feels great, perhaps for the first time ever in my 35 years existence.

Balance, I guess, is the right word.
And funny enough, I love my job even more now.

8. The only long term key to happiness is to work in each of the 7 areas of your life.

These areas are:

1. Career or job
2. Financial
3. Relationship
4. Personal
5. Health/Appearance
6. Free time
7. Community

You can succeed with just a few of those, but from experience I know the best result is when you work in each area.

9. Personal development is just another term for happiness.

And this is the only rule you need to remember.

This article is courtesy of HR InSights –  a collaborative network of HR Professionals, facilitating a fusion of discussion, content and learning. InSights allows you, the HR Professional to keep up to date with the latest ideas and industry trends, allowing you to connect with your peers on a global scale.

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