Personal Development: The Investment in YOU

Are you stuck in a rut? Do you wake up each morning and find yourself just going through the motions? Is your tank running on empty? If this is you, I’ve got great news – there IS a way out. Find out how you can leverage what’s in your wheelhouse and use it to your advantage – both personally and professionally.

Get In the Driver's Seat

I’m going to get raw and real here for a bit. Because, #transparency. Being stuck is normal. In fact, it’s an indication you’re a bit too comfortable. 

Excuses. They slow you down, disappoint, and keep you complacent. Can you relate? Allowing excuses and negative thoughts a space in your life is a choice. And, you control them both. I know you can relate to these feelings. Giving in a little here and there to excuses seems like no big deal at the time. Fast forward and those same excuses find you smack dab in the middle of being stuck. You’re stuck because you got yourself there. 

Excuses are a slippery slope, and the way I look at it you have two options. You can either spray the slide with cooking spray and keep spiraling, or you can put your foot down and stop excuses right in their tracks. The first step is recognizing you’re comfortable. The second is the desire to change.  

Find a Route

Making any sort of change stirs up a mix of emotions. Change is something that can be applied to all of areas life – relationships, career, challenges, and successes to name a few. If you’re feeling off-track, recalculate, make a plan, and take action.

Here are three questions you can ask yourself if you are feeling this way:

1. Are your goals realistic?

2. Do you have a solid action plan and are you prepared for speed bumps?

3. Are your choices and behaviors moving you towards your goal?

Frame your change with a deadline or deliverable. This will keep you motivated and accountable. Yes, it really is that simple. That may mean choosing differently. How do you know if those choices will be successful and lead you down the correct path? You don’t. But if you never take the risk, you’ll never know what’s on the other side. It’s also a really big deal to take ownership and responsibility for your choices. At the end of the day, you answer to you. #adulting

Take the Wheel

Take control. Not of the things you can’t – weather, the smell of your co-worker’s lunch, or how well your kids behave in public. Because those things just are. Take hold of the things you can. When you shift your focus to what you can control, you’ll find a whole new arena of possibilities.

What can you control? So very many things. Choices are made from the moment you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night. Do you press snooze once or several times? Black ink pen or blue? Radio on or off? Socks or no? All of those what seem to be little, auto-pilot, or out of habit choices take effort. And you’re doing all of them and then some. When you apply choice and control, you’re essentially marketing yourself.

How do you turn control into something measurable? Because, marketing is all about metrics, refining, and connecting. Action. (cue a-c-t-i-o-n cheer with pom poms and confetti) When you’re ready to take action, here are five things that will help you stay the course:

1. Share your goals
2. Check your progress
3. Use the information you have
4. Find an accountability partner
5. Focus on what matters

Remember: this is not a contest. You might say goodbye to some relationships, tasks, events. That’s OK. Is it hard for you to say no? Over-committing doesn’t get you anywhere but frustrated. Flex your “no” muscle. Learning how and when to say no is an effective way to identify when you’re “biting off more than you can chew.” Because in the end, the only person you’re disappointing is you.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

Go Places

So how do you apply this? Frame yourself up just like you would a project or task, and an important one at that. Dedicate time, development, resources, ask questions, and assign deadlines. Is it going to be easy? Change never is. But, the reward is yours for the choosing. When you’re stuck in your own way, the only way to get “un-stuck” is to grow and get outside of your comfort zone. This means taking it to the #nextlevel. Which is precisely what personal development is all about.

Looking to learn more? We’re hosting Central Minnesota’s marketing event of the year that will hit on all of these notes. Grow yourself. Grow your business. Even if marketing isn’t your cup of tea, it’s important to understand the basics and their impact on you and the business environment you are in. Marketing is a science that requires a specific expertise and experience. And you deserve the excellence.

Get out of your own way and become a more empowered, happier individual on all fronts.