I always laugh at the story about a child who walks into a stable filled with manure, jumps on the pile, starts to dig through the manure with all her might and gleefully shouts, “I know there’s a pony in here somewhere!”
I laugh because life usually trains that optimism out of us. But there are simple ways to put it back in.
An essential part of accomplishing anything in your life is to improve your attitude, resilience, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills.
Where many people struggle with developing these imperative skill sets is with being patient! You’ve got to realize that, although the time spent developing these skills may not appear to have an immediate or direct impact on your life, your job, or your business, it makes a significant difference in your experience and your results if you stick with it and consistently develop in these areas.
Whether it’s a magazine article on how someone overcame the odds to achieve a dream or a podcast that helps bring to mind principles you already know, personal development material really does remind you that good things happen when you don’t give up.
After all, the more you learn from other peoples’ experiences, mistakes, and successes, the faster you can make adjustments, and get to where you’re going! You don’t have to do it all yourself; you can learn from others how to do it more effectively or efficiently. We often refer to that as “working smarter, not harder.”
Don’t overthink how to improve these skills on a daily basis. Here are some easy things that you can do everyday to move you closer to your dreams:
- Read books (audiobooks are great for commutes or while walking the dog!)
- Free courses online (there are a ton!)
- Listen to podcasts that motivate you, educate you, or just make you think
- Surround yourself with people you want to be like
- Surround yourself with people who make you feel good
- Stop hanging around people who suck the energy out of you
- Observe people who are proficient with the skills you would like to improve
- Seek out additional training, workshops, webinars, and videos that will help you level-up
Each day is new; regardless of what you did or didn’t do yesterday, you get to start fresh. Add one thing each day to your calendar, even if it’s just five minutes, that lifts you up. All of those little lifts will add up, and you will rise to where you want to be before you know it.
XOXO!
Belinda