I started out writing a marketing blog this week but switched it up because I’ve learnt some valuable tools I figured would be rude not to share.
To cut to the chase, this week I learnt about the importance of self-development and emotional intelligence. More specifically, I learnt how crucial they both are to succeed in business and life.
Let’s start with self-development.
Whilst doing research for a client I came across this quote:
“Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.”
At first, I thought it was a little whimsical so I delved further into the content supporting the quote. The next header got me.
What do billionaires do every morning? SOLD.
The following are some valuable points that I pulled from the article courtesy of Pete Mockaitis, curator of “Miracle Morning.”
I cannot stress enough that as you read the following remember, we are conditioned in society to look for the new. None of the below points will blow your mind, but they are a crucial part of self-development. And as simple as they are, I bet like me, you aren’t doing all of them every day.
1. Silence
Ever wondered why your best ideas occur to you when you’re in the shower or right before bed? Silence. Silence has been proven to increase self-awareness, self-compassion and improve decision-making skills with improved mental clarity. So why not tap into this clarity every morning with a 10-minute silent meditation?
Meditation is a way in which you can set your mindset for the day. There are many forms of meditation and you don’t need to sign up to a course to start.
It’s a balance between relaxation and alertness. Try the following for 10 minutes:
– Sit up straight in a quiet room
– Close your eyes
– Breathe deeply
– Embrace where your mind goes and let the ideas flow
2. Affirmation
Another key to self-development is self-affirmation. What are you committed to achieving in life or business and more importantly why? The better you can define your “why” the more likely you are of reaching your goal. When you are writing down your affirmations, make sure you highlight the activities you are doing to ensure your success.
Creating results driven affirmations mean mapping out practical steps to ensure you commit and achieve what you want in life.
3. Visualisation
This one I found interesting. Visualising what you want to achieve in a positive manner, so that when you experience what you visualised, your mind has already been there.
For example: See yourself going to the gym with a smile on your face. Visualise enjoying the exercise, create the anticipation that you want to do it.
4. Exercise
I don’t think I need to explain this one, however the key takeaway was that it’s more beneficial to exercise in the morning. This is very loosely because when you work out, oxygen and nutrients travel to your heart and lungs, boosting energy and reducing fatigue.
5. Read
There was one line that struck me to my core:
“Every one of us is one book away from learning everything we need to learn.” If you have access to books and know how to read, you have access to everything you need to know, to transform any part of your life. Reading for 10 minutes a day can quite literally be life changing.
Just think. 5 pages a day, 150 pages a month. 1 self-help book a month. That’s 12 books a year to becoming a better you.
6. Scribing
The act of writing down what you are grateful for everyday is based on the science of positive psychology. What we focus on becomes our reality.
Download the app “The 5-minute Journal.” The app takes you through a short series of questions that will help you to focus on the good in your life. It quite literally takes 5 minutes.
The act of writing down the top 3 things you are grateful for every morning, will allow you to make progress on your goals that may have once been fantasies.
So that brain dump of what I learnt took a little longer than I thought. Stay tuned for Part 2 – Emotional Intelligence and why it is insanely important for career progression.
Have a good weekend guys!
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