So What is Personal Development?

So what is this thing called “personal development” anyway? Simply “developing yourself”? Sure, you could look at it this way, however there are so many deeper insights and techniques which have been developed throughout centuries. Certainly, at least some of these insights can help us uniquely in “developing ourself”.

First, Personal Development is often considered synonymous with personal growth, self help, or self improvement. A key thing underlying all of these is “personal” or “self”, meaning this is all about taking responsibility for YOU, not others. This is a challenge for some, especially those who tend to think very highly of themselves, and are more focused on giving advice to others, holding an attitude that they are fine the way they are. This is the initial and most important challenge of personal development, namely recognizing that we always have room for improvement and if we do not try to improve, then we stagnate and impede our own success. It is about investing in yourself. Is this selfish? Certainly not, by improving yourself you are helping others, as you will offer more to others around you, e.g. better relationships, higher productivity, improved communication, better health and fitness and maybe even earning more money!

Personal Development is an attitude, it means you are always seeking new ideas and strategies. You know your education did not end when you finished formal schooling, in one sense it just began. Most formal schooling teaches you little on how to really succeed in the important things in life, such as relationships, career development, health, nutrition, being a good parent, happiness, etc.? Do you want to improve, or just coast along in life? This is not a judgement of you, rather a choice you make in your own life that will impact your future.

I believe balance is a key factor in personal development. While you may seek to improve one skill in particular, perhaps public speaking, you do not want to ignore your health, which involves good nutrition and exercise. For me it is mind, body, and soul, the latter being spiritual development, which may not be of interest to everyone. But where should one start? It is a personal thing, you need to assess yourself and determine where you need improvement. If you are unsure, just start reading various self help authors and see what seems to key into your own life and challenges. Travel down whatever learning path strikes your interest, explore and you will find an incredible amount of ideas of which you were not aware.

There are so many techniques and tools out there for personal development. NLP is a more recent popular tool. Or read books, download audio books and listen to CDs from proven personal development trainers are great ways to go. There is free information on the internet but you will want to invest in yourself for more targeted in-depth information.

Visit here for recommendations of Personal Development books, CDs and DVDs

Antonia Stuart-James is an English Hypnotherapist in Belgium helping people to make positive change.

"The Power of Positive Thinking" - Norman Vincent Peale

Translated into fifteen languages with more than 7 million copies sold, "The power of Positive Thinking" is unparalleled in its extraordinary capacity for restoring the faltering faith of millions. In this insightful program, Dr. Peale offers the essence of his profound method for mastering the problems of everyday living. You will learn:

• How to eliminate that most devastating handicap—self doubt
• How to free yourself from worry, stress and resentment
• How to climb above problems to visualize solutions and then attain them
• Simple prayerful exercises that you can do every day, throughout the day, to reinforce your new-found habit of happiness

Eliminating all the negative thoughts that prevent you from achieving happiness and success, "The Power of Positive Thinking" is an inspiring program that will help you create a positive change in your life.

This is available as a download audio book/MP3 from Leisure Audio Books:




or the hard-copy book from amazon.co.uk:


and from amazon.com:


Antonia Stuart-James is an English hypnotherapist in Belgium helping people to make positive change, overcome unwanted habits and relieve stress-related health problems. For more information, visit http://www.livinghealthtoday.com

Leisure Audio Books - download audio books/MP3

An excellent resource was launched this week.

Leisure Audio Books offer more than 6,900 quality audio books for immediate download. You can search by author, title, keyword or category and there are plenty of fiction and non-fiction books to choose from.

No need to pay postage and no wait for the book to arrive. Immediate download and often the download audio book costs less than the physical hard-copy.

Where would you use an audio book?

The car anytime - specially on long journeys or daily commutes.
The plane or the train or the ferry.
The gym, during those boring training sessions.
The office during lunch break.
The office for staff motivation.
On_vacation - just lie back and listen!
The kitchen while you are cooking.
Training seminars.
Airport Lounges.
Doctor's Waiting Rooms.
Hospitals and Hospital patients.
In your hotel room when you are away from home.
Perfect for long distance truck drivers.
In the class room - let your class listen to their set work.
Self Improvement Courses.
Personal Religion.
Group Spiritual or Religious Occasions.
Old Age Homes.
Homes for the Infirm.
Entertain the Kids or the Grandparents.
Detention Facilities.
Listen to your favorite story while Gardening or Mowing the Lawn.
Foreign Language Study.
Need a laugh or something to cheer you up?

And an audio book makes a great gift or present.




Antonia Stuart-James is a member of Leisure Audio Books.

Abundance and "The Secret"

"If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have
more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll
never have enough."
- Oprah Winfrey

So true. "The Secret" tells us to be grateful for what we have, really show gratitude rather than being dissatisfied. What we focus on is our reality. Focus on what we do not have and it will never be ours. Focus on the abundance we already enjoy and that abundance will be magnified.

Go here to download an audio book of "The Secret".



Antonia Stuart-James is an English Hypnotherapist in Belgium.