Getting Started in Personal Development- Growing the Self-Improvement Muscles! by Zig Ziglar

One of my favorite quotes from Dad is, “You can make radical changes in minute steps.” I love it because it is so pure and so simple, and it works! Many times people make the right decision to improve themselves and then go about it the wrong way, and this leads to disappointment and the wrong belief that their decision was flawed.

If you are just now making the decision to consciously improve your life, or if you are looking for a fresh start, here is a simple way to get started. The key is to START and then stay consistent.

Do you have five minutes a day you can set aside for your quest? It doesn’t sound like much, and it really isn’t much, but since it is more than you are doing right now you need to get the self-improvement muscles active.

Now that you have planned the five minutes, use the five minutes to put the good stuff in your mind. Read a great book or listen to audio. Do this every day. It’s ok if you go over the five minutes, but make sure you do it every day.

Do this for a week.

In your second week build up to ten minutes a day.

In your third week keep doing your 10 minutes, but figure out ways to get a two-for-one. Can you listen in the car or while you work out?

In your fourth week look for material that fits into three different categories – Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. People are tri-dimensional, so you need to develop all of these areas.

In your fifth week, get serious about setting goals for yourself. In fact, you could do this step anytime during the first four weeks, but sometimes it’s good to get the mind focusing on the good stuff first before you jump into goal setting.

Once you get your goals set you will realize that you will want to work on financial goals, health goals, relationship goals, etc. Continue to put the good stuff into your mind every day for at least 10 minutes, and pick the information based on your goals.

This is a very simple plan that anybody can do, and it’s a great place to start. In fact, you will most likely do better than this, and that’s awesome! So, do you
have five minutes?