Your Greatest Pieces of Self Development Advice

Self development advice is highly subjective and highly personal. As a Life Coach I know full well that a piece of advice that may well blow one client away, may leave the next one rolling her eyes in cliched disbelief.

Take the Nike slogan ‘Just do it” as an example. I know some people love it for its elegant simplicity. Personally I think it’s s team pile of horse crap that offers little of value and in my experience almost never works.

But the operative word there is ‘almost’. If it has ever worked for somebody than by definition it works and so who am I to dismiss it?

I say all this as a lead into what I think were the top 25 pieces of self development advice left in the comments of my post The Best Piece of Self Development Advice.

The simple fact of the matter is you may well disagree. In fact you may have left a piece of advice that isn’t included and now think I should be loaded into stocks and have rotten fruit hurled at me.  If that is the case feel free to tell me in the comments.

One thing before you do so though. I did get left a few great quotes and by and large I left these alone because I think they fit into a whole different category.

However, it did give me an idea to up my free ebook The 50 Greatest Motivational Quotes Of All Time to 75 or even 100 at a later date so I am grateful for them nevertheless.

Before I get to the advice, I wanted to announce the winner of the competition, which was done in a very random stylee and it is Bryce Chirstiansen. Bryce you can either have an hour of my time or an Amazon $25 Gift Card.

Bryce Christiansen – Balanced Work Life

“Don’t spend a dime on an education institution UNTIL you know what you want to do with your life. Often your perception of what a job is and what it actually is are quite different. Volunteer, intern, or shadow a career. You will know if it really is what you want to do with your life.”

Tony Teegarden – Strategies For Discovering Potential & Purpose

“One of the biggest sources of our suffering is trying to live our life by other peoples value systems. Invest the time to discover your own values, do your best to live by them and align them with a bigger vision to help others.”

Janet Chadwick - The Fertility Coach

“Make as many mistakes as you make, and practice the circus bow* when you fail. (When trapeze artists get dropped, they do somersaults as they fall, jump off the net, and then bow with a flourish, to warm applause). This way, you’re not scared to take risks (it’s all a game), and you don’t punish yourself when you fail.”

Kathryn Hunter – The Social Caterpillar

“When your goal seems overwhelming, break it down into the smallest steps possible and follow them one at a time.”

Chris Elliott – As A Dude Thinketh

“Own up! Everything that you are feeling or doing is because you want to feel or do that. You have to take 100% responsibility for everything that has happened or will happen in your life.”

Ninja Mike – What Would Ninjas Do?

“Success comes down to habits. Achieve greatness by starting small. Make it so you can win. And think ‘victory’ to condition yourself to like new habits. For example, I had to do 1,000 pushups/week. I did 8 sets of 25 (start small) randomly during the day, 5 days/week.”

Iain Gray – Ten More Clients

“Stop worrying about what has or hasn’t happened in the past, or what may or may not happen in the future. You’re here now. That’s where you need to start from.”

Karen Paritee – Effin Diets

“Without exception, everything you do has a positive intention.”

CJ – Figure It Without CJ

“Begin noticing. Notice what rocks you, what you do because you’re “supposed” to, what you do that’s mindless following. Notice what your body says. Scrunched shoulders, indigestion and headaches don’t lie; neither do goosebumps and pitter-pattering heart. Start leaning toward that which you notice you’re craving more of.”

Peter Crowell - Life is Making

“Begin with compassion for yourself and attempt nothing further until you have that in hand.”

Mark – Online Business Consultant

“Nothing changes until you take action. You can read what to do and know what to do, but eventually you have to just do it.”

Norcross – Web Developer

“Simply put: own it. Whatever “it” may be. Don’t focus on what others are doing around you, they have no real input in the outcome.”

Shanna Mann – Feed The Spark

“Never hide your light. Aiming for average is what keeps the average so low. Never apologize for being who you are, and that’s easiest if you never give less than your best. Maintain a code of honor. Model vulnerability, confidence, and integrity; it’s easier if you’re serving others”

Alison Golden – The Secret Life of a Warrior Woman

“The only people who will laugh at your failures are those who would never try themselves.”

Shann Vander Leek – Life On Your Terms

“It’s never too soon, nor too late to follow your passion!”

Matt Fox - Persuasion Theory

“I used to work at a cemetery. I’d help people at the time of death with their choices burying their friend & family member. Go walk in a cemetery & notice how many are younger than you. They don’t have the opportunity you have now, anymore. We’re all just one wrong step from another forgotten name on a headstone. It’s hard to think about. That’s reality. Maybe it’s time to stop trying to find blame and excuses. Go make a difference.”

Bonnie – My Rivendell

“Give yourself permission to fail and learn to love it. Fear of failing prevents us from doing so much. It’s the first step to honest living and real growth.”

Steven – The Emotion Machine

“Change is inevitable, but rarely do people use the resources and tools available to facilitate that change in their own image. My greatest advice is that you have some control over your destiny, and your goal should be to never stop exploring those boundaries. Personal development doesn’t end until the day you die.”

David Stevens – Personal Power For Me

“Don’t just accept ‘what is’…consider ‘what if’, open up the possibilities”

Catherine

“We each control the two most powerful – yet intangible – entities in our lives: language and perception. How we talk to ourselves (thought) and to others is crucial, and hugely affects our perception. Our perception is our reality, and we choose the tone ourselves.”

Nicole Bandes - Golden Eagles Coaching

“Ask for help”

Helen – Turn That Leaf

“Treat yourself like a friend. Next time you tell yourself you’ll never achieve something, you look too fat or you’re too old or stupid, imagine saying the same words to a friend and imagine their reaction! You’d never be that mean to a friend, so why do it to yourself?”

Thekla Richter

“When you say yes and agree to do something, be conscious of the things you are therefore choosing NOT to do with your finite time and energy. Truly following your values requires you not only to honor those values but make space in which to live them.”

Niki – Ink Journey

“One is that no matter how much you try to control the future, now matter how much you think you know where you will be in the future, things change extremely fast and your path can alter in a matter of seconds (Earthquakes, Floods, Losing a job, Car accident). So adaptability and acceptance of change is the best thing you can do for yourself.”

Maggie

“Each moment comes by only once. Keep asking yourself: ‘Is this the best use of my time right now?’”