How Courage and Personal Development Can Transform Your Life

We’ve all felt it, the familiar creak in our bones on a Monday morning when we simply don’t “feel” like getting out of bed.  We’ve hit the ‘snooze’ button one too many times on our alarm clock and we know we’re going to be rushing to get to work on time, but we stay cocooned in our blankets for “just one more minute”. We eventually dig deep enough to get moving, even if the only motivation we have is the thought of the hot cup of coffee waiting to be brewed in the kitchen, but what we lack is the passion, the drive and the excitement about what the day ahead has in store for us.

Guess what, we’re not the only ones who have felt this way. I’m willing to bet that most of the greatest achievers in the world have experienced moments of apathy, passivity and mornings when they just don’t “feel like” getting out of bed. After all, we are all human and we all struggle to some degree with the same emotions – fear, self-doubt, anxiety, to name a few.  So, what is it that sets those high achievers apart from those of us who face the drudgery of each day with our shoulders slumped forward and our eyes half closed?

The Heavy Hitter:

Yes, it is widely understood that top achievers in every field of baseball or business developed traits that have directly influenced their success by being self-disciplined. They have learnt self control and they’ve consistently adhered to the principles they’ve identified as being beneficial to success, and they avoid the temptations that are detrimental to their progress. But without passion and joy, self-discipline is just another form of drudgery.

The truth is, a successful person started off as a regular person, just like the rest of us, but they grew into someone who would be able to overcome the obstacles required to achieve their goals. They’ve learnt how to break their goals into smaller parts, and they understand the importance of mini milestones. This keeps them motivated and confident in reaching their bigger goals. The speed of pursuit towards their goals is more important than the distance from their goal. A disciplined mind recognizes the reasons for waking up early to get a head start on the day and ignores the pleasure that may come from a few extra minutes of sleep.

The Major League Mindset:

But where does that mindset come from, and how do you tap into that?  Whether you’re a salesman who must walk up and introduce yourself to a stranger in the car showroom, or you’re a World Series pitcher who must step up to the plate in front of tens of thousands of fans, what both of those people have in common is courage.  Courage to face their fears.  Courage to face the possibility of rejection, embarrassment and failure.  Courage to overcome their own nerves and to “walk confidently in the direction of their dreams and live the life they’ve imagined” (Henry David Thoreau).

The path to success is filled with hurdles and barriers that require persistence, dedication, and inspiration to overcome. Once you “play” with the mindset that making mistakes is okay, that, no matter what the outcome, “getting in the game” and taking a shot will always teach you more than sitting on the sidelines ever will, you will achieve a stronger sense of self-confidence. You’ll see positive results. Even if you make a mistake, you will learn from it.  It’s about making that decision, versus not making one at all.  That ONE decision is a gateway to realizing and accessing your inner strength that will empower you to overcome life’s biggest obstacles through efficiency, focus and patience. Perhaps most importantly, even just the pursuit of success creates happiness and satisfaction we all want out of life.

The Curve Ball:

Top sales performers or super achievers are self-motivated, trendsetters and natural leaders. They don’t wait to be told what to do, they lead by example, which is why they’re easily spotted, by their peers, managers and potential clients. Top performers are always busy building and doing business, which can ultimately drive them to a higher rate of success and income.

But even the best of the best will almost inevitably have those days when they want to give up, throw in the towel and call it quits.  Unforeseen challenges, personal or financial crisis can knock them down, and just like the rest of us, they must dig deep to find that inner strength to stand up and keep going.  One of the best and most effective ways to do this is by throwing your ego out the window and humbly admit that everyone one of us, no matter where we are in our respective careers, need continued and ongoing personal development to learn and grow.

For most, this is never realized until it is too late, but when you pay attention, you can understand the reasons why a few individuals do significantly better than the majority of others in the same work environment.  Over 80% of sales people have never read a sales-related book, let alone invested in any form of personal development.  Yet these are the same people that wonder why they are mediocre at best, and are puzzled when they discover that months and years have disappeared without any significant accomplishments or progress.

Cover Your Bases:

If you’re looking to make meaningful progress in your life, as Warren Buffet says, “the best way to invest in yourself is through personal development”.  Or to put it another way, the best investment you can make is in yourself.

What is personal development? According to the official definition, “personal development involves the conscious pursuit of personal growth by expanding your self-awareness, knowledge, and improving personal skills or talents.”

Once again, the core message here is the best way to improve is to TAKE ACTION. Knowledge about a new discipline does not make one proficient in that discipline. Once your new learning patterns are established, practicing, using, and repetition of those skills is imperative to make it a part of one’s daily rituals.  This is what will ultimately lead to better performance results and a higher rate of success.  It will also create pathways to improved focus, energy and stamina, so when life kicks you down, you can get right back up and keep going.

The Home Run:

“Because I failed and never quit, I succeeded.” – Todd Stottlemyre

In discussing his book “Relentless Success: A 9 Point System for Major League Achievement”, Todd said, “When people see a successful story, they don’t see the pain, the suffering, the sacrifice, everything that went into helping you become that. This book wasn’t about me winning all the time, it was about me massively failing, and going through tragedy, but through each step in my life, somebody around me helped me come from that place, to go to a different place.”

Part of Todd’s incredible and inspiring message is that, no matter where you come from, what kind of neighbourhood you were raised in, or what kind of upbringing you had, you can’t use that as an excuse.  You must use it as a trampoline to propel yourself out of your circumstances.  There is ALWAYS a way out.

Playing Hard Ball:

Does this approach to life take a pursuit towards personal development and being the absolute best version of yourself you can be?  Yes.  Does it take courage to take risks, face your fears and get back up after you’ve been beaten down?  Absolutely.  But the beauty of it is, once you’ve made the decision to stand up and face your fears (and you will have to consciously make that choice over and over and over again); each time you choose to get up again after you’ve been beaten down; every time you soldier on in the face of challenge and adversity, everything you could ever want for yourself, whether that’s in your business, your personal relationships or your athletic or creative pursuits, all of it is awaiting you on the other side, waiting to be experienced and enjoyed.

Want to hear more of Todd Stottlemyre’s story?  Join Everold Reid on his very special LIVE podcast of “The Reid Method Insider”, Thursday, September 20^th at 7pm EST!  Subscribe to The Reid Method Insider through the links below!

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