3 Potentially Misleading Areas of Personal Development

Self-development seems to be more popular than ever. Obliviously it’s a topic I spend a lot of time studying, working in, and researching myself. But I have also noticed an increase in interest. Which is great.

Working on ourselves and developing as a person is a fun, and interesting process. It’s also a never ending process throughout our lives.

The internet has made this process so much easier. The free sharing of information has been both a blessing and a curse. So it’s easy to think you can hop online, get some advice and become a better person.

This is not always the case however. I’m not going to start preaching that this blog is better than any other. You should always draw your own conclusions.

In this article I’m going to go over some of the more misleading guidance you can find online when searching personal development topics.

3 Potentially Misleading Areas of Personal Development

Reading All Those Articles Promising Quick Results

I never promote or promise quick results. The reality is that if something is going to be done properly, it’s not going to be quick or easy. By nature of anything being quick or easy, we would all be making these quick fixes, right?

Most articles are written with headlines promising results to get the reader into the article. Then they may try and manipulate the reader’s desperation for quick results by telling them what they want to hear.

The most common example is dieting and weight loss. There are thousands of quick diet plans out there, yet you never hear people who follow the plans saying they work.

Personal development, weight loss, it all takes hard work. Especially if you want to the results to last. Foundations are the most important part to solving anything, then you can build the rest of the structure.

Thinking You Can Replicate Case Studies

I love reading case studies as much as anyone. I have read hundreds of inspirational stories. People going from broke to millionaires, overcoming massive odds and surviving rare illnesses, setting world records in athletic competition, the list goes on.

But you need to draw a line between being inspired and motivated by these stories, and thinking you can simply replicate the same success.
I want to point out now, I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade. Neither am I telling you to stop reading or listening to inspiring case studies. But let’s take a realistic stance, so it’s not followed by a massive disappointment.

It’s important for you to work on your own goals. Use the motivation from others to give you a boost, but never try to copy.

Taking in Too Much Information

There is a trap I see a lot of people fall in to. It’s taking in too much information, and not taking enough action. This has become a curse of the free-flowing information era we currently live in.

It’s easy to sign up for various self-development blogs and be sent tips and hacks through your mailbox each day. But how much time do you spend reading about improvement, and how much time is spent working on personal improvement?

At some point the balance needs to tilt and you need to start taking action. The first step is a scary thought for many of us, but I have taken it, and I can promise you – you’ll never look back or regret it.

So whatever it is you like reading about, maybe its career driven, communication skills, relationships, it doesn’t matter. Hopefully this was the wake up call you needed to start taking action.