Changing Your Life: It’s All Down To You
June 9, 2010 by Oliver
A friend recently suggested one of his best-loved self-help books to me – it was the latest in a growing list of recommended reading. In talking with him, I enquired as to how he was progressing putting into practice his learning from all his reading. I discovered that, in fact, he was a life-long student of self improvement but was unlikely to ever actually take the plunge. He informed me that a friend of his had suggested to him that he “stop reading the bloody books and starting doing it!”
Bookshop shelves groan with self improvement and self help books. It’s big business – apparently the fastest growing niche of the publishing market. Also, personal development websites proliferate – offering all manner of inducements to purchase their package which is guaranteed to change your life in five minutes!
None of these websites, packages or books will change your life. They may well point you in the right direction, provide you with an understanding that was missing your range of experience or knowledge or suggest concrete tips on how to get more out of life, change your life, transform yourself or whatever. no doubt about it, there is some top-class stuff available – and some innovative and practical personal development online help – but it will be no use to you until you put it into practice for yourself and keep putting it into practice.
Only you can change your life. Only you can grab control of that awesome inner power that is simply waiting for you to muster up the courage or energy to unleash it. The interesting thing is that most of the advice provided by websites or books demands very little work of you, demands that you make only very minor alterations to the manner in which you use your mind. Sadly, however, having been in this business for nearly fifteen years, I have seen far too many people who will not take five minutes every day to make the other twenty three hours and fifty five minutes so much better.
And this leads me to the main point – one that I’ve already alluded to – you have to keep putting what you learn into practice. No book, program or package will change your life in five minutes. You won’t change your life in five minutes. However, five minutes every day is an entirely different matter – if you make or take the time to make sure that your mind is up to speed each morning then your life will change beyond all recognition. Psychology tells us in no uncertain terms that normal people only perceive what they expect to perceive and experience only what they expect to experience – that the normal life is created by the sadly blind normal mind. Open your mind each morning, change your expectations and you will change your life. But, at the end of the day, it’s entirely up to you – no one else is going to do it for you.
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