Learn From Marathoners

Have you ever wanted to improve your will-power, or your happiness, or your productivity, or your ability to set and achieve goals? What is the usual approach to addressing these personal development desires?

80% of the population just wishes. They spend a lot of time thinking "I wish my will-power were stronger." or "I wish I were more productive."

You are aren't part of that 80%. You are on this blog because you truly do want to change your life and are willing to put some effort into it.

What is the approach of the 20% who actually do make an attempt to change?

Usually it goes something like this:
1. Motivate yourself to improve your will-power
2. Read a book about will-power
3. Do some research online about developing stronger will-power
4. Come up with a few principles that would be helpful to increase      will-power
5. Think to yourself "Hmmm, I should do some things different"

Then...???

Far too often not much happens after that. Remember, this is the top 20%. We aren't talking about the people who only wish they would change. We are talking about people invested in personal development. We study, learn, get motivated, and come up with good ideas.  We then struggle to fully implement them in our lives.

Now, compare this approach to someone who successfully runs a marathon. The first few steps are the same. They find motivation, they study up on marathon training, they develop a few principles that will be helpful in their training. So far, we are all on the same track.

What is the difference, then, between the marathon runner and you and I trying to develop ourselves?

I would submit it is one thing:

A Daily Schedule

A marathon runner has a specific schedule that tells them exactly how to train each and every day:

A marathon runner would never read a book about getting ready for a marathon, then assume they had the right information and wake up each day and just run whatever they felt like. It doesn't work. Even having the knowledge about proper training doesn't translate into making an in- the-moment decision about how to train on a particular day.

Why do we approach personal development differently?

We need to pursue personal development in the same way we prepare for a marathon. We need to have a plan. A plan which spells out specific activities for the day. Our job is then to wake up and follow our schedule.

 It doesn't work otherwise. All the knowledge in the world won't change us. What changes us is doing. And it's far to easy to not "do" when we don't have a plan.

What is your daily, specific, and measurable personal development plan?

Stick around, let's develop some together.