Today is the five year anniversary of this day five years ago. And five years from today will be the five year anniversary of today. Still with me? My question for you is this: Have you progressed in all the important areas of your life since this day five years ago? In your work life, have you grown and developed your skills? In your personal life, have your improved relationships and grown personally? In your spiritual life, have you grown and developed in the spiritual areas of your life? And now the BIG question, five years from now, on this day, will you be a better version of yourself than you are today?
Where Am I Going?
Over the past few months in some of the Life Coaching work that I do the topic of making progress in life has been the focus of the conversation. Many people struggle I think with the idea of being in a different place three, four or five years from now. I went to school, I got my job, and that’s pretty much it. More than once I have heard it said that someone is just trying to keep up with their life. There is no thought of possibly getting ahead.
Getting Ahead
One of the quickest ways to get on and stay on the path to personal growth in every area of your life is to consistently read books, magazines, blogs, etc in the areas of your interest. As I was doing some research the other day for this article I ran across some sad statistics about the reading culture we exist in today.
If you take those numbers and add to it the 4-hours/day on average that we watch TV you begin to see why people feel stuck with no possibility of getting ahead.
The Days are Going to Pass Anyway
The way I see it, the minutes, hours and days just keep on ticking away whether we pay attention to that fact or not. Where I am today in my personal, business and spiritual life is a direct result of how I chose to spend the past five years. And five years from now I will either be right where I am today or I can be growing and improving in every area of my life. The choice is completely MINE. In order to make this progress I am going to have to make a simple plan that will give me the results I am looking for. The problem with simple plans is that they are also simple not to do. Consistent, daily practice of this simple plan is required for maximum results.
The Simple Plan
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you get started on the path to personal growth and development? One step at a time.
Step 1: For each area of your life that you would like to see personal growth and development, set a reading goal for yourself. For example:
- In my business life I want to read a leadership book (let me know if you need a recommendation)
- In my personal life I want to learn how to manage the family finances
- In my spiritual life I want to read the Bible from cover to cover
(note: I did not put time frames on these goals. You can do that after you develop the discipline)
Step 2: Choose the three (3) resources (books) you want to focus on from the goals in step #1
Step 3: Set aside 30 min every day and read a set number of pages in each book. You could read one page a day, one chapter a day, it’s all up to you. The important thing is that you do it every day.
Note: Some people ask me what I mean by EVERY day. Weekends? Yes. Sunday’s? Yes. Christmas? Yes.
The Results
What you will find is that the average book has about 250 pages. Reading 8-pages a day will complete the book in a month – the days are passing anyway, now you have something to show for it. The Bible has 1,189 chapters. Read a chapter a day will complete the reading in just over 3 years -the days are passing anyway, now you have something to show for it. (If you want to read it in a year – click here)
What I have found is that I can learn any skill and master any subject if I am willing to take the small steps necessary to grow and develop in the areas of life that interest me. The website you are reading this article on is an example of starting the simple process of developing a new skill.
I encourage you to start today to take the small, consistent steps that will have you in a new place five years from now instead of sitting in the same spot you are today asking where did all the years go? The days are going to pass; why not have something to show for it when they do. The choice is yours.
