Personal Development and Living Well

The following article is from the new book, Getting Personal: A Guide to Personal Development by author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey.  To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.  

Our lifestyle is, quite simply, how we choose to live. It is the other four phases all put together. If you are full of worry and fear, you will live a troubled lifestyle. If you are positive, healthy and active, you will live an abundant lifestyle. The thing about lifestyles is that you choose, create, and control them.

We hear a lot about people’s lifestyles. Some believe they live a healthy lifestyle, while some believe they live an active lifestyle. You will find people identifying with an American lifestyle, a European lifestyle, a crazy lifestyle, or a steady lifestyle. You have lifestyles for every group, belief and habit you can find. What it all comes down to is how people choose to live and behave. The thing that many misunderstand is that the lifestyle we live is not permanent, unchangeable or forced on us. We never lose control: only we can give up that.

I want to encourage you to adopt a successful lifestyle. A successful lifestyle is one of personal power, development and fulfillment. Author and success coach Tony Robbins said, “My definition of success is to live your life in a way that causes you to feel a ton of pleasure and very little pain - and because of your lifestyle, have the people around you feel a lot more pleasure than they do pain.”

The pleasure that Robbins talks of here is not a “do what feels good” type of pleasure. There are many things that can make you feel good for the moment, but soon die away. These pleasures can leave you sick, broken and actually steal your dreams rather than bring them to completion. That is the case with drugs, alcohol and other addictive habits. In the end, you have tons of pain and no pleasure left.

Understanding and controlling your health is the power behind a successful life. The journey to achievement is a hard road, and it will take all you have to complete your trip and enjoy its rewards. Author Anne Wilson Schaef said, “Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account.” The effort and energy you invest in your physical and mental health will pay off in big ways.

We have not covered all the aspects that go into a healthy lifestyle. That is for you, in your personal development, to discover. You still have to deal with the issue of proper sleep and rest, recreation, and how important drinking lots of water can be. I encourage you to make health an area of study you will not ignore. When it comes to success, Ralph Waldo Emerson had it right when he said, “The first wealth is health.”

Personal development and the achievement of your dream will not happen on its own. It takes action and that action has to happen now. Click on the Free Membership button in the side bar and start your journey to achievement today!

© 2016 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.