When discussing professional and personal development, personal accountability seems to be a phrase left out of the self growth plan. We can acquire knowledge from the many resources available to us from the internet, to books to professional coaching and mentors but the final icing on the cake is to take personal responsibility for our individual growth.
The seven simple tips written in this article are the basic boundaries to help strengthen your self-growth foundation.
The first tip is to get a good start in the morning. If we want to have a positive attitude and a good productive day, it is important to get a good start in the morning. A good morning starts with a good night’s sleep. Set a principle to get up in the morning when the alarm goes off. Set your clock 15 to 30 minutes early so you can awake and not have to “get going” as soon as your feet hit the floor. Set a routine. Doing the same few steps in the morning will put your mind into a pattern of moving forward when your day starts. Everyone is different. Maybe you awake to a cup of coffee and the daily news. My day starts with prayer, inspirational reading and daily writing to get my day going. Whatever will cause you to start your day off the right way, do that to ensure a fresh mind to face the day.
The second tip is to keep a schedule. Even if you are not a business owner, Mentor it is good to keep a schedule. Unless you have an administrative assistant to remind you every day all day of your daily agenda, it is no one else’s job to remind you that they set an appointment with you last week for today. Before I start my work day, I look over my schedule. It gives me a preview into what my day should look like and then I can pre-determine how much energy I need for that day. If I need to re-schedule or rearrange something, I will know that before my work day begins. Keeping a schedule will assist you in remembering your professional work as well as your personal time if used effectively.
The third tip is to simplify. Operating a business as well as living life can be a lot of work. It is easy to get to a place of running on overload all of the time. It is important to take some time to simplify. You can simplify the operation of your business by simply delegating to others. If you are a solo entrepreneur, it is imperative to hire a virtual assistant as soon as you can. It will free some of your time to focus on other ways of expanding and growing your business. Simplify what you need in your office. Organize your office so you can conduct your business in the most productive manner which sets you up for success. Constantly looking for a piece of paper or your car keys on your office desk will keep your mind unclear which causes you to forget small details because you are always looking for, forgetting or misplacing the items you need.
The fourth tip is to be generous and help others. This is something which we already know but sometimes our behavior does not always allow us to follow what we think. We can get so busy running our businesses and living our lives that we can overlook being generous or helping others with something they need. If we stop for a minute and remember one of the main reasons for starting our businesses in the first place was we had a product or service which we believed would help other people. Be on the look out for that sneaky culprit called selfishness.
The fifth tip is acceptance. It may sound easy but it is one of the foundational boundaries we must have in place for personal and professional growth and development. Acceptance of yourself, other people and circumstances can bring peace to your mind. No one is perfect and unforeseen obstacles are going to happen. Getting “your tail feathers in rough,” will not change a situation. Acceptance doe not mean not doing anything, if the condition warrants, it just means some things are just they way they are and out of your control.
The sixth tip is to avoid procrastination. Someone said a long time ago, “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you could do today.” I live by the following principle, “A leader does what he has to do, so he can do what he wants to do.” Procrastination can lead to feeling sluggish and subtly lead to your mind thinking phrases like, “That can wait.” or “I don’t feel like it.” Before long it will become a destructive pattern and then you can find yourself finishing projects at the deadline or constantly running late for appointments and meetings. The major key to avoid procrastination is to do what needs to be done, now.
The seventh and last tip is to take breaks, rest and have fun. After making significant growth in your self-improvement, completing an important project or if you have worked hard all week, it is a good idea to take a break, rest and have fun. The mind needs down time in order to think clearly, strategize and create. Also taking a break will release some undiscovered tension and it will make you better company for your family and friends. Even though we love what we do, no one wants to hear us talk about our businesses or what we are personally working on all of the time. Relaxing will allow you to have other interest or hobbies to pursue.