Personal Development

You need to change in three areas of your life. Those three areas are – Physically, Spiritually and mentally.

First: physically. Start by standing up straight. Don’t slouch. When you slouch you look old, you look like life has beaten you down. You don’t have much attitude when you slouch. I noticed one day while walking past a mirror that I slouched, didn’t even know it. I looked like I had been beaten down. I didn’t look like anyone that people could take seriously. I didn’t look like anyone that people would want to listen to or believe in. I just looked like a poor, unsuccessful man. So I immediately held my shoulders back and stood taller. Suddenly, I was five-foot eight, not five-foot seven. That extra inch did wonders for my attitude. People began to notice a change in me. I was walking taller, I was more confident, I had a better attitude, just from holding my shoulders back instead on down. Try it, it’s amazing. Look like someone who has accomplished something because you have. You have accomplished a lot, look like it, walk like it; speak like it.

Next, turn those corners of your mouth upward – smile. A smile will go a long way, believe me. People like to be around those who smile. Do you want to hang around someone who frowns all the time? Of course you don’t. Smile, and mean it. Don’t smile because you think it’s good, smile because you know it’s good, because you want to, because you want people to like you and approach you. Smile because you’re having a good day, and believe me, any day you wake up above the ground is a good day. We don’t smile enough, have you noticed that? We need to smile more. Turn to the person next to you right now, smile and say, “Hello,” or as I say, “Howdy.”
Get a regular exercise plan, don’t diet. Diets don’t work. If you want to maintain a healthy weight and stay fit, just eat right and walk more. It’s that simple. It’s a life style it’s not a two or three month thing, it’s a life style. I work out at the senior center. It’s free, and they have everything the gym that I was paying $300 a year to be a member of has. I work out every day if I can. And I’m starting to watch what I eat and when I eat. I used to eat right up until bed time. That’s not good. That’s not how you lose weight. Beenie Weenies and a large Pepsi are not a healthy dinner. Watch what you eat. Something else I’ve started doing, when I go to the mall, I park my car at the end of the parking lot just so I can walk farther. I don’t understand these people who will spend $500 on an exercise machine, and then spend $1000 on a riding lawn mower. If you get out and push the mower you will get in shape. If you get hot, take a break, drink some water. Sit in the shade for a while. It won’t kill you. You’re walking, you’re burning calories; you’re losing weight. You will feel so much better about yourself when you lose that spare tire around your waist or those massive thighs that are preventing you from getting into those sexy jeans that you wish you could get into and I would love to see you in. Get a friend to exercise with you. It’s easier to stick to a plan if you have someone else doing it with you. Treat your body like your car. You want the best gas and oil for your car so it will run better. Well, you want to run better too, don’t you? Why would you take better care of your car than yourself? Treat yourself like your car and maybe you’ll outlive your car. In the neighborhood I live in we have our mail boxes at the entrance which is less than a quarter mile away. My neighbor gets in his car and drives to the mail box. If he would just walk that quarter mile every day he’d be in shape. He says he doesn’t have enough time to work out. “There just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.” You have as many hours as everyone else – 24. I have never heard of anyone who has 25-hours in a day. How you manage those 24-hours is important. You need to learn time management. It’s not difficult, just keep a schedule and stick to it. Write down everything you need to do tomorrow today. And then do it. And give each thing a certain amount of time and stick to it. It’s simple. It’s not rocket science. The ones who are most important to the company are the ones who manage their time well. They are the ones who make $500 an hour, not $5.00 an hour. So get in shape. Take care of yourself.

Next, improve yourself spiritually. Now when I say spiritually I don’t mean you need to go to church every Sunday, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m raising my children in church. But what I mean is come to the realization that there is a power that is greater than you or me, and by the way, contrary to popular belief, his name is not OBAMA. But there is a greater force that controls our every move. You can call it what you want, God, Christ, Buddha, Jehovah, you can call it George, but you need to get in touch with it. You need to learn to meditate. It’s gets you closer to that higher power. And meditation is really easy. First, find a place where you can be free from noise of your children, or work or whatever else could prevent you from being peaceful. Sit in a comfortable position either on a cushion on the floor or in a chair. You don’t have to sit with your feet over your head or stand on one foot, that’s yoga. I don’t teach yoga. Sit in a comfortable chair if you like, just remember to sit up straight. You can close your eyes or leave them open, it’s up to you. And you may want to stretch before you meditate. Now, relax all your muscles. Relax your tongue which is usually stuck to the roof of your mouth. Relax every muscle in your body. Now comes the hard part – stop thinking. It’s a lot harder than it sounds. Your mind is constantly running, it’s hard to turn it off. Concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in for a count of seven and breathe out for a count of eleven. You want all the bad air out of your lungs before you let the new air in. So, in seven - out eleven. And if you start having a thought, make yourself aware that you’re having a thought and stop. Start concentrating on all the little aches and pains your body is having, begin listening to all the sounds around you. I live on a lake so I like to sit on the deck at sunset and meditate while the sun sets over the water. I listen to the birds, the crickets, the rippling water, it so peaceful, so relaxing, so good for my mind, my soul, my spirit. If you do this for just 30-minutes a day you will feel so much better. And all the time I hear people say, “But BC, I don’t have enough time to meditate. You don’t know what kind of day I have. There just aren’t enough hours in the day for meditation.” And I have to remind them again, they have just as many hours in a day as everyone else – 24. You really need to manage your time.

So there are the first two places to improve yourself; physically and spiritually. Next is mentally. You need to improve your mind. You don’t stop learning just because you’ve graduated high school or four years of college. That’s only the beginning. You have so much more to learn after that. Read lots of books, they’re free from the library. Listen to tapes and CDs and cassettes of people who can help you. Some people who’ve helped me by way of CDs and tapes: Jim Rohn, Andy Andrews, and Larry Winget. None of these names probably mean anything to you, but they are great speakers. Keep a journal and write down things that you read, hear and see. I keep a journal with me at all times. When I hear something that’s profound, I write it down. Like the other night, my girlfriend and I went with another couple to eat Chinese food. When we read our fortunate cookie, my girlfriend’s read, “You’re due for something great to happen.” My friends read, “When the moon is full you will find success.” I opened my fortune cookie and it read, “Never chase a hungry dog into a dead-end ally.” I don’t know what that means, but I wrote it down. It may come in handy some day.

Here’s something I wrote down that Jim Rohn said. He said, “Don’t worry about making your job better. Worry about making yourself better. If you make your job better you’ll get a paycheck but if you make yourself better you’ll get rich.” That’s profound. You may want to write that one down yourself. If you make your job better you’ll get a paycheck but if you make yourself better you’ll get rich.” That’s good advice. That’s the kind of advice that will change your life. I know it changed mine. Making yourself better instead of your job is how you go from $6.00 an hour to $600 an hour. Powerful words from a powerful man.

Follow these three principles and you will live a healthier, happier and longer life. -BC