2015 was one of my favorite years yet. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in my life-one of personal growth.

It’s been almost a year since I left my office job and joined my husband Kendrick to run our personal training business. However, it wasn’t as clear at that point what my next step would be. Kendrick was my rock and encouraged me to take the time to be in solitude- read and write and not just jump into another job. As I reflected on my previous role, I realized that it wasn’t the best use of my skill-set. I am a people person; and I wasn’t able to shine because the job did not match my abilities. I also learned that just because you are a nice person, does not mean that everyone will like you. I struggled to fit in and looked for approval in the wrong places. It hurt to know that there was nothing I could do to make someone like me- that simply being nice was not enough.

But as I’ve grown, I’ve realized that’s okay. It’s okay that not everyone likes you. I’ve also learned this past year that my time spent with people is precious. We only have a certain number of hours in the day; and if we’re spending time with people who are bringing us down, we’re only going to become frustrated and lonely.

“It is better to spend time alone, than with the wrong friends.” -Jim Rohn

There was one book that I read in 2015, that completely changed me. It was John Maxwell’s The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential. I picked up this book shortly after I left my job last April. At first, it was really tough to read. Not in the literacy sense, but in the emotional sense. I felt like John was sitting in my living room and speaking directly to me. I started making it a daily ritual that when I got up to eat breakfast and have my coffee, that I would read a chapter of this book. It helped give me understanding that this period in my life was happening for a reason…and I could choose to let it pass me by, or I could be intentional.

 

The Law of Diminishing Intent says, “The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.”

“You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.” – Jim Rohn

That is exactly what I did; I changed my direction. This is what I learned..

• Personal development is the belief that you are worth the effort, time, and energy needed to develop yourself. -Dennis Waitley
• Self-Esteem is the Single Most Significant Key to a Person’s Behavior
  • If you believe you are worthless, then you won’t add value to yourself.
• The Value we place on ourselves is usually the value others place on us
• In the end, it isn’t what we are that holds us back; it’s what we think we’re not.

• Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.
• We will never change our life until we change something we do daily.
• Unhappiness is not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it.

“God’s gift to us: potential. Our gift to God: developing it.”

• Our history is not our destiny.

If you spend your time with people who subtract from you, who belittle or undervalue you, then every step forward that you attempt to take will be difficult. But if you find wise leaders, good role models, and positive friends, you will find that they speed you on your journey.

• If we live life with the intention of making a difference in others’ lives, our life will be full, not empty.
• The greatest gift we can give to someone is our own personal development. 

That’s why I feel so compelled to be sharing this with you!

I hope you feel inspired to pick up this book, and share it with a friend. I always love a good book recommendation, so feel free to share your self-help favorites below!

xo