365 Personal Development Tips 5-10

Tips 5-10

During our lifetime we learn many lessons. Many, I wish I had known as a kid, but grateful I have learnt them now. Personal development is about continually improving and growing. We never stop learning, and we often learn lessons that change the way we think, act, and behave. Life lessons can usually change the course of our life, sending us down a completely different path to the one we are on now.

Some lessons are simple and some more complex, yet every lesson has the potential to shape you into a more successful person. Much of these lessons come from simple little tips of advice such as these gems.

Tip #5 – Never Post Anything Negative

If you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all. It is better to be humble than to be nasty and destroy a person’s confidence because you disagree with a comment they made on social media. Posting negative comments only make you look bad, not them.

The same goes for writing reviews. I often write reviews for many businesses. I am a consumer of, be it a hotel, resort, take away shop, or supermarket to name a few. I used to write both positive and negative comments. Until one day, my partner pointed out that writing a negative review about a business can really affect that business, and that I am better than that. I thought about what he said, and I immediately took down any negative review. I made a conscious decision to find the positive in every business experience I wrote a review about. I took my own advice.

If I receive a poor customer service experience, instead of posting a disparaging review I email or call the business and give them my feedback in a constructive way. Companies do not go out of their way to provide a bad customer experience. Sometimes it just happens. The best way to go about this is in a positive, constructive way. The business will thank you for the feedback and use it to improve their processes.

When giving feedback, ensure you are calm, kind, and considerate. Let the manager know of your concern or complaint. You will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Negativity serves no purpose and only encourage more negative behaviour.

Tip #6 – Be Persistent

Do not give in to procrastination, laziness, or disappointment, and most certainly do not let negative thoughts stop you moving forward. Keep working toward your goals as consistently as possible. Set your mind on achieving your objectives every day, and this attitude will become part of your personality. If you have big dreams, work on them even if only a little bit every day. If you fail, get back up and be persistent. If you want anything in life, you need to be persistent.

Tips #7 – Learn to be Resilient

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines resilient as a. capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture and b. tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.

You can do this by pushing past fears and focusing on your personal goals. Suppose you move through what scares you like facing toxic habits, dismissing unhealthy relationships, learning new skills, or jumping out of a plane. In that case, you empower yourself to recognise your value and worth. Build resiliency by facing your fears which will increase your inner strength and helps you grow in self-awareness.
 
Changing your mindset is the fastest way to build resilience. Using words like “don’t,” “can’t,” “no” or “won’t” are negatively associated words and often hold us back from great experiences in life. If you can change your mindset to associated favourable terms such as “can,” “will do” or “yes” you can find the freedom to explore new options. Just watch the movie YES MAN to see what I mean.

If you sometimes face adversity or struggles, you often feel overwhelmed. You may not be able to talk about what is bothering you with anyone. This often leads to a vicious cycle where nothing is ventured, and nothing gained. A terrific way to enhance your resilience and realign your needs and thoughts is through writing them down.

Take control of your life by choosing to look at adversity as empowering and start using positive words like “thriving” and “empowered.” By doing so, you will view your world from a unique perspective. Resiliency is about reframing adverse life events as a way of rising to new challenges and conquering them. When you are resilient, you will view challenges in your life as exciting and motivating, and you will start to set new goals.

Tip #8 – Be a Good Driver

How does being a good driver help with personal development?

If you turn the tables and think about all the things associated with an inconsiderate driver such as speeding, cutting people off, road rage, talking on their phones and texting while driving. You can start to appreciate the benefits that being a good driver can have on your personal development.

Firstly, nothing good comes from being an inconsiderate driver. You are either in a hurry or a stupid, reckless, selfish person. Doing any of these activities while driving can and do lead to accidents. Often causing harm to you, someone you love or someone you do not know. Furthermore, the financial cost could be detrimental to your life if you happened to injury someone or lose your licence, and you need your car for work.

I have a friend who continues to speed, talk on the phone and texts, and yes, they are stupid, reckless, and selfish. The amount of money they have spent on fines and court cases could have bought them a house. Why waste money and risk your life or someone else’s just to get from A to B a little quicker, makes no sense. There is a technology called hands free, and that text message will still be there when you get to your destination. If the text message is that crucial pullover, better still turn your phone to send a text that you are driving and cannot answer the phone.

A good driver learns patience and resilience. Often you are more alert with what is going on around you. I have avoided many near misses by other people because I was driving slowly, being careful and being alert. We cannot always predicate what another driver may do. However, if you drive carefully, within the speed limit and focus on your surroundings, you build confidence, patience, and resilience. Also, I find that I am stress-free, even when some loon gives me the bird or honks their horn.

Oh, by the way, a good driver is one who lets a car in and waves when someone lets them in.

Tip #9 – Groom Yourself

Most women I know do this very well; however, many men I know do not. Grooming yourself is a part of your self-care and is recommended daily. My sister Simone (A expert groomer) once said to me, “You must always look your best because you never know who you might meet”. She never left the house unless she was looking her best, and I challenge you to do the same.

Men often think that grooming is for women. However, many men are engaging in grooming these days, and many businesses now cater to men only grooming. Men have rougher skin than women and sometimes require different products. A product I have recently come across and is impressive. The LUMIN range of skin products for men, check them out here LUMIN Store they offer a ridiculously cheap trial, and I was so impressed I bought more products.

When it comes to grooming, include these into your daily routine.

Good Hair Care- Keep your hair clean and styled. Use good products to wash and stay away from parabens or other chemicals. Find a styling agent that works for your hair, ask a barber or a hairstylist to help you if in doubt. My parents always had great hair. Great hair shows people you take pride in your appearance.

Good Teeth Care- Brush your teeth and floss as often as possible, minimum twice a day. Make sure you see the dentist every 6 months, even for a scale and clean. When you have nice clean teeth, you tend to smile more often, showing you are happy, confident, and friendly.

Good Face Care- Use good products and clean your face daily. If you have facial hair keep it neat and tidy including the nose and ear hair. Using a good moisturiser can help with any dry skin.

Good Nail Care- Ensure you keep your nails clean and neat. Men do not be afraid to have a manicure and pedicure they are amazing, and a well-kept set of nails can say a lot about a person.

Tip #10 – Drink Water

Water has so many benefits to your health and wellbeing and should be a massive part of your nutrition plan. I carry a generous size VOSS water bottle and fill it as I need it. The large bottle is 800ml, and I make sure I drink 2.5 of them per day. However, you may need more or less depending on your body type and activation levels. I like the VOSS bottle because it is made of glass, suitable water bottle made from a substance such as glass, or metals are a better choice than plastic.

Benefits of drinking water include (BBC Good food 2021)

• It may improve memory and mood.
• It can help reduce sugar cravings and aid weight maintenance.
• It may improve exercise performance.
• It may reduce headaches and migraines.
• It may help prevent constipation in children and adults.
• It may help to prevent kidney stones.
• It may help reduce the risk of bladder infections

These are great reasons to drink plenty of water, so do your body a favour and drink up. If you dislike water, try lemon, lime, cucumber, or strawberry-infused water a delicious treat.