Why Personal Development?

A philosophy I picked up when I was 25-years-old from a very extraordinary man named Earl Shoaff was, “Success is something you attract by becoming an attractive person.” It’s not something you pursue. What you pursue more often than not eludes you.

In leadership I teach to attract attractive people you must be attractive. He called the act of becoming more attractive “personal development.” And he taught me the great wisdom that you should, “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”

If you work hard on your job, you can make a living, which is fine. If you work hard on yourself, you can make a fortune, which is super fine. So that philosophy became the centerpiece at my lectures all these years: personal development -- work on yourself.

Mr. Shoaff started me on a journey of personal development in terms of
skills and disciplines. There's a simple Bible phrase that says, “If you search you will find.” So I come up with the philosophy, “Finding is reserved for the searchers.” Not for those who hope, not for those who wish, but those who search.

You have to pursue learning in a manner which will help you to grow and help you to change.” Take the classes and develop the skills. Become a real searcher for knowledge and awareness and understanding. That’s why I think today is probably the best opportunity for people to really change their lives because so much is available if you take a look.

Mr. Shoaff really went after me on developing my library and using it as a source of knowledge, awareness and understanding. He said, “What you think about is like the sail on the sailboat. No matter how the storm blows or how the winds blow, if you got a place you want to go, you can’t arrive there by cursing the contrary winds. You arrive there by adjusting the set of sail.” That’s your thinking. That’s ideas.

Of all the things that can have an effect on your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest. We can talk about sales growth, profit growth, asset growth, but all of this probably won’t happen without personal growth.

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