Self Improvement Events

Part 2: Self Improvement 101: The 62 Essential Truths about Improving Your Life - by David Riklan

In Part 1 of our E-class, we focused on answering the question, "What exactly is it that you want?"

If you Missed Lesson 1, Go to http://www.SelfGrowth.com/gwlesson1.html

In Part 2 of our E-Class, we will focus on the next question, "Where can we go for help?"

Part 2: The 31 Absolutely Best Resources for Self Improvement - by David Riklan

Today's section is designed to help explore all of the people, places and things available to help us improve our lives. There is some very good news. There are literally dozens of places to go and people to talk to when it comes to helping us improve our lives. Part 2 of this e-course is designed as a brainstorming session to help you think about and understand all of the different resources available.

Here I provide you with a complete list of 31 resources, and for each section, I include the pros and cons of using that particular resource. Basically, I want you to use this for two reasons:

1. To get you thinking about all of the different resources available to you.

2. To get you thinking about the advantages and disadvantages for each of the resources.

After you've had additional time to digest these, we will get back to helping you identify the best resources to improve your life. I have divided the resources into five different areas to get you thinking, and in some cases I have provided very specific examples. How many of these resources have you used to improve your life?

YOUR IMMEDIATE CIRCLE OF CONTACTS

As a general rule, the people in this group are more likely to give you personal attention, and they are more likely to sincerely care about your needs. There are two things to look out for. These people are not necessarily experts in the areas where you need to improve, and they might have their own agenda, but they are generally easily accessible and can be great resources to help you improve your life.

1. Your Friends

2. Your Family

3. Co-workers

4. Your Employer (boss or manager)

INFORMATION RESOURCES (5-12)

There is an unbelievable wealth of information out there to improve your life. On the Internet alone, there are over five million websites with the exact phrases of "Self Help" or "Self Improvement." On Amazon.com, there are over 190,000 books with references to Self Help and Self Improvement. Almost all of the information you are looking for can be found here, but it could take hundreds of lifetimes to find the right information for you. Which of these resources do you currently use to help improve your life?

5. Internet Websites

6. Books ( Library, Bookstore)

7. Seminars, Retreats

8. High School, College or Continuing Education Courses.

9. Audio Programs

10. Television and Video Programs

11. Radio

12. Other Media, Magazines, Movies, Music

TRAINED PROFESSIONALS (13-22)

A trained professional can help you survive and to thrive in many areas of your life. Many have worked with people in your exact circumstances and helped them find the answers they were looking for. As a general rule, professionals can provide you with more objectivity than you would get from a friend or a family member.

One of the challenges of working with trained professionals is finding the right one for you. It is important to find the right type of trained professional (i.e.-therapist or personal coach) and then the best person based on your background, needs and personality. Trained professionals can also be very expensive to work with and in some instances have a stigma attached to them. In many cases, the benefits of working with a trained professional far outweigh the costs and the risk, but this is something that you need to evaluate.

13. Therapists (Professional Counselors, Psychologists)

14. Personal Coaches, Life Coaches

15. Clergy (i.e.-Priest, Minister, Rabbi)

16. Accountant, Attorney, Stockbroker, Financial Planner

17. Self Improvement Experts (Tony Robbins, Dr. Phil)

18. Librarians

19. Personal Trainer

20. Doctors and Other Health Care Professionals

21. Employment Experts (Job Placement Experts)

22. Psychics, Spiritualist, Yogis

ORGANIZATIONS (23-25)

I am using the term "organizations" in a very broad sense. These can include non-profit and for-profit organizations and both professional and social organizations. The biggest benefit that many of these organizations provide is the ability to work with, network with, and share experiences with people in the same boat, on the same mission, or with the same problem. These organizations frequently have "trained professionals," frequently have people who are our friends and family, and use "Known Information Resources" to help each of us grow. These types of organizations are not for everybody, and the benefits that you get back are tied directly into what you are contributing. The wrong group could be a waste of time, but the right group could change your life forever.

23. Non-Profit Support Groups (i.e.-AA, Child Support Groups)

24. Social and Professional Organizations (i.e.-Toastmasters, MENSA)

25. SPAs, Health Clubs

26. Personal Support Network (Master Mind Groups)

OTHERS POTENTIAL AREAS (27-31)

The above areas covered countless resources to improve your life. I have included a few other areas that others have found helpful in the past. As you can see, there is a tremendous amount of overlap between the different resources.

27. Free Government Resources (Hotlines, Brochures, Help Centers)

28. Inner Guidance (Asking and Giving Yourself Help)

29. Pets for other wisdom (Great listeners)

30. Mentors

31. God

Each and every one of us has used at least one of the above resources to improve our lives. In Part 1, we reviewed and defined our main goals, and in this section, we reviewed the complete world of help available to us to achieve these goals.

Your assignment today is to evaluate each of the areas above and try to determine which of these has helped you the most in the past.

In Part 3, we will start evaluating which type of resources will work best for us individually.

For those of you who would like to go back and review part 1, please click here: http://www.selfgrowth.com/gwlesson1.html

FINAL NOTE

For those of you who want to jump right into additional resources, we have written a comprehensive book, entitled: "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life"

This book is revolutionary and brilliant idea delivered in the format of 101 of the greatest success secrets of our time. Some of the featured authors in the book include Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Denis Waitley and Jim Rohn.

To get complete details, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways.html

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If you have any questions on our book, our websites, our newsletters or virtually anything at all, don't hesitate to contact us at either webmaster@selfgrowth.com or at 732-617-1030. We want to help you improve your life!

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Contact Information

David Riklan

15 North Main Street

Marlboro, NJ 07746

Phone: (732)-617-1030

Email: webmaster@selfgrowth.com

Website: http://www.selfgrowth.com