Best Personal Development Tool Is Gratitude

If you are serious about improving yourself, what you need to know is that there are few different ways you can accomplish that. Of course, what you need to know is that it is imperative that you start somewhere. A lot of the time, people get overwhelmed by all the personal development tools that are out there. That leads to no improvement whatsoever.

A great tool for you, if you are serious about improving your personal development, is to think of the Concept of Gratitude. Gratitude is something that can be exceedingly helpful to you in your quest to better yourself, and here are four (4) ways you can put gratitude to work for you.

Step 1: Be Grateful Every Morning 

Think about what you are grateful for every morning. For most people, waking up is a chore. They wish they could sleep more often, and they do not cherish the idea of waking up and going to work. That is why you should make a real effort to get up in the morning giving thanks instead of complaining. Then, you start your day on a high note and you start helping good things to happen.

Now, it does not matter who you give thanks to. If you are religious, you may wish to thank God, but if you are not, it is as acceptable to just feel the gratitude in your heart.

Step 2: Journal Things You are Grateful For

Another way gratitude can help you is if you keep a journal about things you are thankful for. Keep the journal with you at all times so you can jot down notes if you need to. That way, whenever you are feeling down, or as if you do not have anything, you can open your gratitude journal and see all the things you like about your life. It doesn't have to be huge things you are thankful for, either. Even if you are thankful for jellybeans, that counts!

Step 3: Be Grateful for Your Family and Friends

Express your gratitude for those around you who make your life a better place. We all spend a lot of time complaining about the people who make us miserable, why not take that time and talk about people who make us happy!

Step 4: Seek for Ways to Show Gratitude

Look for ways to show your gratitude to people. You may not have much money, but you can write them a kind note. You can do them a favour, or babysit, or cook them a meal. Showing your gratefulness helps other people do the same to you. Everyone has a tough time in life, so it is a good thing when you can alleviate someone else's suffering.

Again, before you go to bed at night, think of times during the day where you were not grateful, but could have been. This teaches you how to act in the future.

Finally, as you can see now, gratitude can be a really important part of your life. Even if you start with just a little gratitude, it can grow into something that is beautiful in your life. If you want to see your life blossom, become someone who is more grateful.

What Exactly is Personal Development?

Striving to make ourselves better, were thought of as "new age phenomenon", but actually it dates back to ancient history. There are multiple societies that spoke of developing oneself as the only true vocation in life and that philosophy (knowing more about oneself and the universe), was the best way to live a more fulfilling life.

As we look into the history of personal development, it may have been called by other names such as, "virtues", or "moral character", or within the Christian era, "ethics."

No matter where we find the roots of personal development, whether it is in ancient Greece, or more recently in the teachings of Benjamin Franklin, where he created possibly the first Self-Improvement Course. The traits that he spoke of are as follows…

1.       To Practice Self-Control and Exercise Discipline, then to use these traits as a means of improving the individual…

2.   Quiet Yourself and Listen: Become a better listener, and exercise silence…

3.       Maintain Order: Arranging our lives in an orderly fashion, and not procrastinate…

4.       Work Ethic: Putting forth your best effort daily…

5.       Money/Time: Understand how we spend our time and money…

6.       Work: Learn to work and play hard, striving to bring a smile to others…

7.   Do unto Others: Always treat others, the way you yourself would like to be treated.

8.   Small Steps: to look at life with moderation, and to avoid extremes…

9.    Cleanliness Both Inside and Outside: To be clean in body, mind and spirit…

10.   Peace: Live life at peace, enjoying the beauty that surrounds us…

11.   Serve Others: no matter your station in life, take the time to help others in need…

12.   Humbleness: realize that we are all equal in the face of the Almighty…

13.   Honesty: Strive always to speak the truth both yourself and those you come in contact with.

While this is simply a brief example, of what one of America's historic figures offered, personal development is not a destination but a path you should walk.

Personal development should become ingrained in every part of our lives, both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Life is a continual movement from birth to death, and along that path we should always strive to move ourselves forward, to become better people, and to never settle, but always strive for excellence.

We live in a fast-paced world, with deadlines to keep and bills to pay, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we are physical as well as spiritual beings, and to truly be fulfilled we should not put one in front of the other, rather seek excellence for them both.

Personal development, which could be measured by setting and reaching goals, can be thought of as a measurement of our success in life. It does not matter whether we seek the summit Mount Everest, or simply to walk to a neighbouring hill, rather it is the setting of our sight upon that goal, then moving steadily forward to reach the infielders.

In conclusion, in personal development we should seek both short-term and long-term goals, with short-term goals being achievable, which offers fuel to our very essence, allowing us the strength and motivation to move forward with long-term goals.