personal development edmonton

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

``The journey of personal development starts with a single step in the right direction. We can all grow to become better, healthier individuals. It all starts with a decision to change.``

Whether you are satisfied where you are at or are frustrated and looking for something different, personal development is the cornerstone of any progress. If you are fed up with the results that you have been getting, you cannot continue doing what you have been doing and expect that the results will change. People struggle in different areas of their lives and sometimes all you need is a little introspection and to reflect on what is REALLY important and what is just a distraction from the finish line. Not to downplay mental illness or depression, these can be very real and difficult struggles that people will deal with on a day to day basis. I am fortunate enough to live in one of best countries on the planet but have had my share of struggles as well.

I started my personal development journey in 2019. I was running a restaurant in the heart of Edmonton (Tapavino Est. 2015) and although there are many aspects of it that I loved, there was never time for myself; and being in the restaurant industry, there is a fair amount of alcohol and drug abuse. Seeing the people around me depressed, un-motivated, and turning to drugs and alcohol, I knew that this was not the life I wanted, nor the environment I wanted to be in. I would work 12 hour days; cooking, cleaning, serving under the impression that I was creating a business for myself and my family that I could one day pass on to my children. I was always under the impression that if you worked and poured everything you had into something you could get it to work for you. The idea is great in theory, but at the end of the day, you cannot pour from an empty cup. It was then that I realized i needed to spend more time working on myself and creating abundance at home and in my personal life.

I was never one for reading and had previously only read required school reading and random blog posts. This was a huge change I implemented that has changed me and help expand on my vision. Reading a few pages out of a good book every day has opened my eyes to how to live a better life and get what you want out of life. There are a few books that I would recommend everyone take a look at for your personal, spiritual, and business life. I have recommended a few of my favorites below.

This change along with a few others has resulted in a new more confident, well rounded, and altogether happier person. I have taken more time to spend with friends and family, personal reflection and meditation. I have been more goal-oriented and found a great deal of competence, and inner strength that I did not know I possessed. I have embraced the idea of Big dreams and big goals but also understand the importance of stacking small wins daily. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes of reflection every day to see where you are headed, if you don’t like the destination, CHANGE IT!”

Here are a few things i have found helpful in this journey:

“life has 2 rules, Never quit, and always remember rule #1”

“Surround yourself with people you want to become”

“I’m any given moment we have two options. To step forward in growth or step back into safety” – Abraham Maslow

“Work to learn. Don’t work for money… Look for jobs that can help you develop the skills, systems and people rather than just pay you well” – Robert Kiyosaki

“Be thankful for what you have and you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough” – Oprah Winfrey

“A person who has never made a Mistake, has never tried anything new” – Albert Enstien

Anything by John C. Maxwell

Great books on leadership and how to become that “go-to” person in people’s lives. lots of great content from this writer, so definitely look at anything written by him. John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, coach, and author who has sold over 19 million books. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and The John Maxwell Company, organizations that have trained more than 5 million leaders worldwide.

#Maxout Your Life – Ed Mylett

This is a great start on the journey to personal development and how to get the most out of life and your time. A short book, loaded with great bits on how to succeed in whatever areas of life you want to improve.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki

This book follows Robert’s life and his story of growing up with two dads, his real father, and the father of his best friend, his “rich dad” – the ways both men shaped his thoughts about money and investing. This book advocates the importance of financial literacy and financial independence. Robert works through the different areas where you can create wealth and how you can start and own your own business and increase your financial intelligence.

High-Performance Habits – Stephen R. Covey

This Book is a great resource for becoming more introspective and creating habits that serve you. It focuses on the 6 key habits and how to master them to get the most productivity out of your life. The book also deals with the idea of focusing on yourself and improvement of your core beliefs (character ethic) rather than trying to change insignificant details within the personality ethic. There are so many nuggets of gold, i cannot do it justice in a short write-up like this. I highly recommend this book for anyone that is looking to improve their output by creating positive habits and sticking to them. The book shows how extraordinary people become and stay that way.

The 5 Love Languages – Gary Chapman

I highly recommend this book for anyone that is in a relationship, or even wants to be in a relationship. The book focuses on the 5 different ways we communicate love and how you can better love your partner and yourself. Many times we struggle in our relationships, not because we don’t care, but because we lack the tools for proper communication. Many times signals get crossed and it can leave either spouse feeling emotionally drained and depleted. This book will help you realize your partners love language and how you can speak it to create an abundance of happiness in your relationship. These love languages are universal and can affect other areas of your life so be sure to check out Gary Chapman’s other books to learn about the use of love languages in different settings (for children, co-workers, singles, etc.)

High Performance Habits - Brendon Burchard

This book by Brendon Burchard outlines the habits that help people get the most out of their lives. It goes through many great concepts such as identifying and focusing on your PQO – Prolific quality output, how you can maximize your effectiveness, and focus less on distractions. Another great takeaway from this book is the idea of progressive mastery. The concept of getting better every day and focusing on the tangibles that have made great leaders what they are today. There are so many great takeaways from this book that listing them here would be impossible! (maybe not impossible, but would make for a long read) Brendon has done so much research in the field of personal development, and it shows! All of the concepts he talks about in this book are well-founded through years of research, working with the highest performers in their field. The book also contains many “performance prompts” where you analyze parts of your life where you are performing well or may need improvement. This book will help you gain perspective on your life and how you can maximize your potential. I highly recommend adding this book to your library and checking back periodically to see your progress. There is also a questionnaire that can help you see areas where you are thriving or may need improvement.

“if you want to lead, you really need to read. Oh, and if you – like me – have the habit of buying more books than you can ever possibly read, don’t feel guilty – you’re building your library. And that’s a beautiful thing.”

– Robin Sharma