Personal development tips

Personal development: unleash

your full potential and achieve
your goals
Very often, toxic thought patterns take a hold of us and stop us from realizing our

full potential. Don't surrender to these negative psychological processes! You can

change them, but you need to know how. Set yourself a clear goal, be tough,

consistent, and have positive mindset. Here are some tips to help you achieve your

goals.

Imagine that you're a soccer player and you miss an important penalty. That will leave a negative
imprint in your brain. The next time you have to take a penalty, that imprint will trigger fear,
meaning you won't want to take it...
Traumatic experiences and negative comments create toxic mental patterns that condition our
behaviour far more than most people know. Our brains were 'wired' during more dangerous times
and the fight or flight response is no longer adequate for coping with modern day threats.

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However, this response is still triggered when we are victims of circumstances, we miss that all-
important penalty kick or even when we are plucking up the courage to take it.
The good news is that it is possible to break this vicious circle and to see things for what they
really are to bring out all our potential. You only need two things to start out on this path to self-
development:

 A real desire to get rid of the toxic thought patterns.

 A mastery of the right psychological tools.

Tips for personal development to achieve your goals

Henry Ford said that "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off
your goal." To achieve personal growth, you need to look toward the goal, design the best
strategy to reach it and focus on it. This is the first step in any action and you should spend as
long on it as you need.
Once you have set your sights on your goal and worked out how to achieve it, it is time to take
action and to get out of your comfort zone. These are the main psychological tools you must
master to succeed:

Learn visualization techniques

Visualize yourself taking the steps necessary to achieve your goal and achieving that
success will help you to break toxic thought patterns, keep you motivated and to be more natural
along the way.

Avoid negative thoughts

It is essential you keep a positive attitude. Monitor your thoughts and, when you start running
an old, toxic film, cut those negative thoughts at the root.

Meditate
Spending a few minutes, a day controlling your breathing and focusing your mind will be very
helpful when you have to cope with stressful situations outside your comfort zone.

Be resilient
The road to success is paved with errors and unexpected setbacks. There are few things you'll get
right the first time. It doesn't matter if you fall. The only problem is not getting up.

Only compete against yourself

Toxic competition with other people will only wear you out. Focus on your goal and how you are
going to achieve it.

Set small challenges

Just as missing a penalty leaves a negative imprint, overcoming small challenges leaves
positive imprints that will help you to move forward with more determination.

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 Be persistent
Don't give in to laziness or disappointment. Keep moving toward your goal as consistently as
possible. If you set your mind on achieving your objectives every day, this attitude will become
part of your personality.

Celebrate victories
It is good to reward yourself for small triumphs; these treats will motivate you to keep moving
forward.

The keys to success.

SEE INFOGRAFIC: The keys to success [PDF]External link, opens in new window.

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Toxic attitudes to avoid
Just as to achieve self-improvement, you need to know which psychological tools to master, you
must also be aware that your attitudes may perpetuate toxic mental patterns and, therefore,
you must avoid:

 Being negative
If you are still mentally projecting films in which everything goes wrong, of course everything is
going to go wrong.

 Waiting idly by
Success is not going to come looking for you. If you do not move toward the goal, you will always
be the same distance away.

 Not believing in your own success

If you convince yourself that you are never going to succeed, that is exactly what will happen.

 Blaming other people

You must take full responsibility for your actions. Blaming others for your bad situation is not the
best way to overcome it.

 Not asking for help

If someone can help you achieve your goal — friends, co-workers, professionals, etc. — and you
don't ask that person for assistance, you are spoiling your chances of success. Moving towards
personal growth does not mean not asking for help.

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