Personal development – also commonly called self-improvement – is a booming industry! And Internet-based personal development – also commonly called e-learning – is now becoming increasingly popular.

According to market research and statistics, it is a 64 billion dollar industry worldwide. In the US alone, an estimated 9.6 billion dollars is invested in personal development in 2005 in the form of:

- books

- motivational speakers

- personal coaching

- weight loss programs

- audio tapes

- stress management programs

It is also projected that this industry will grow at the rate of 11.4 percent yearly and reach 13.9 billion dollars in 2010.

People are now turning to gurus for help in various areas as above. For example, Robert Kiyosaki’s ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ had been on the New York Times bestseller list for several years in a row and sold 20 million copies!

Likewise, Stephen R. Covey’s ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ sold more than 15 million copies in 38 languages around the world!

In a similar manner, many people are spending thousands of dollars attending personal development seminars every year conducted by well-known industry gurus like Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, T. Harv Eker and others.

Along with this mega trend, Internet-based personal development websites, typically membership sites, are becoming more popular as people can learn through audio and visual programs from the comfort of their homes. One well-known example is Success University, which became the No. 1 personal development website on the Internet, within months of launching three years ago.

Essentially, people are beginning to realize that a life time is too short for one to learn from their mistakes and it is actually smarter and faster to learn from successful people who have done what you want to achieve through reading their books, listening to their tapes and watching their DVDs, attending their live seminars or even engaging them as coaches or mentors.

When we use our tools, are we do not appreciate them, what happens? They start falling apart, due to lack of care. We can learn a valuable lesson in this when applying it to our personal growth development endeavors when we start using personal growth tools.

Why should we be in a state of gratitude? State of gratitude. As you start the day in gratitude, you will find that you will get, in your life, more and more to be grateful for. As you appreciate what you have been blessed with and are thankful and grateful for that, you will get more.

Those who used their talents instead of hiding them up, are given more. Be grateful for what you have. Notice abundance in everything around you. There are many biblical examples pertaining to increasing our talents. These hold true and are valuable lessons.

Another lesson is in allowing that which we want to come into our lives. Sounds silly? I want it, but I don’t allow it in my life? What? Sometimes we have either too much in our liver already, so there is not room for any more; or we simply are not used to having it and are not in practice of allowing that in which we want into our lives. Allowing.

Don’t resist and allow the Law of Attraction to work for you. The Law of Attraction is a law and is governed by a set of principles. For example, if you do this then it, in return, does this.

If you fulfill your part then it, in return, fulfills what it has been predicated to do. In this sense, it has no choice. But, when you fulfill your part then it happens, but you must be willing and allowing.

Another example, if it is wealth you desire, you must be willing to accept large sums of money from people over and over again. Allow it. As crazy as it sounds, many believe money is the root of all evil. If this is true for you; would you allow money into your life? Fact: Money can be the root of all evil, but this depends on what it accomplishes. Does it accomplish something good and blessed? Money is simply a tool, and tools can be used for good or evil, or both. We are the masters of the tool. Use it wisely.

Think on this. Do away with the poverty mindset and concentrate on wealth. Money comes to you naturally. You are a money magnet. Allow it and it will come. You will be surprised on how you view the tools in which you use, if you start using them wisely. Build something great with the tools you acquire, and keep acquiring more tools. Learning is always the source to personal growth and development. And, using the tools you acquire is even more important in your personal growth.

The quotes, “If you always do what you’ve always done you will always get what you’ve always gotten;” and Albert Einstein’s statement, “The definition of insanity is doing the something again and again and expecting different results,” clearly and concisely point out that in order to effect change one needs to do something different.

It is obvious to many that change is the solution, but what to change is the question. It is difficult to know what to change. There are a plethora of self-help books from the Road Less Traveled to Conversations with God and Dr. Phil’s books.

While you might know what behavior you want to effect and even what behavior you want to eliminate, but do you know the underlying thought(s) and feeling(s) which drive the unwanted behavior.

Everything we do has a secondary gain. On the surface each person is convinced that his/her behavior, even those that are considered dysfunctional or self-destructive—using so-called recreational drugs, smoking, being over weight—are part and parcel with life—and have little or no interference with leading one toward ones desired goals.

These secondary gains of negative behaviors are seldom obvious, but none-the-less is a misguided attempt at the happiness, health and fulfillment people desire. No one wakes up and says, “I want a miserable, unfulfilled, unhealthy life.” What then prompts people to continue dysfunctional or self-destructive behaviors? More often than not it is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of looking at oneself; fear of learning what one fears the most—something is wrong with me.

To begin the process of uncovering the secondary gains of your behavior you need to answers these four questions:

1) How does____ benefit my life? (Although this question seems to blame the victim, that such a painful syndrome could have “benefits,” remember that all behaviors, attitudes and even diseases have underlying secondary benefits or we would not create or maintain them.)


2) How is ____ a detriment to my life?


3) How would not doing _____ be a benefit to my life?


4) How would not doing _____ be a detriment to my life?


Unconscious blocks are nearly impossible for you to identify and resolve on your own. It is often quite difficult to allow oneself to feel and express the various emotions which were originally felt and suppressed because to feel the feelings without adequate process is too painful. Unfortunately, processing events with loaded emotions is seldom done adequately. And yet, even now, unless this is done, healing will only become a partial achievement without a complete resolution of the issues involved—with continued negative impact consciously and unconsciously.

With the benefit of hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) these negative blocks can be eliminated. Once the negative blocks are eliminated at the core, you can keep your ego balanced by keeping your energy and focus on; who you truly are and your abilities.

Hypnosis is a dynamic and vital healing process embracing all aspects health care. Hypnosis is client-centered with its focus on the discovery of the origin of a person’s issues. Through the process of hypnosis/regression the unconscious mind goes to the original cause, which then gives the person and practitioner the opportunity to process the original feelings surrounding the original experience/cause. These surrounding feelings can be healed, thus empowering you to live the life you want to live. This study confirms—Hypnosis is more effective and works more quickly than traditional talk-therapy or psychoanalysis. In a hypnotic state, you are more receptive to new ideas and you can more effectively process the emotions linked to the experiences, which created pain, fear, sadness, anger, guilt, shame, humiliation and low self-esteem.

Through Hypnosis you connect with your subconscious mind, which puts YOU in control of your subconscious mind—the most powerful and empowering aspect of your brain.

American Health Magazine reported these findings from a comparison study.


• Psychoanalysis: Creates a 38% recovery after 600 sessions

• Behavior Therapy: Creates a 72% recovery after 22 sessions

• Hypnosis: Creates a 93% recovery after 6 sessions


NLP uses a set of strategies, axioms and beliefs about human communication, perception and subjective experience. The core principle is that an individual’s thoughts, gestures and words interact to create your perception of the world. By changing your outlook, using a variety of techniques, a person can improve their attitudes and behavior.

Do you find yourself striving to move forward, but getting nowhere? You likely have barriers to personal growth and development that you may not even be aware of. Many people have barriers to personal growth and development that hold them back from achieving their personal or career goals in life. However, regardless of the nature of your barriers to personal growth and development, you can overcome the obstacles and achieve your goals with a few lifestyle and mindset adjustments.

The most common barrier to personal growth and development is your own imagination. How much a person can accomplish is only limited by the vision and determination of the person. If you think that you cannot accomplish something, then you will fail. If you think that you can accomplish something, and you put in the effort, you will succeed. Often, personal growth and development is often that simple.

Another common barrier to personal growth and development is past failures or events. Often our past failures or bad events in our lives get in the way of personal growth and development. It is natural for our minds to dwell on such events, but only by moving past them can we truly grow as people and in our careers. These incidents must be put aside so that we can accomplish our goals.

Another common barrier to personal growth and development is our support systems, or lack of support. Negative messages from family, friends, and co-workers will only serve to bring us down, not lift us up. Surrounding yourself with people who are like minded and striving for success in their careers and their life will help you to do the same. Whether you get support from an organized group, your friends, or your family makes no difference. The support that you get, the motivational pep talks and the shoulder to cry on when things go wrong, will help you to realize all of your goals and overcome your barriers to personal growth and development.

One of the less common barriers to personal growth and development is the basic lack of planning. Many people go through life taking what is handed to them, without ever setting down goals and striving to exceed expectations. Setting goals, figuring out how to reach those goals, and making a timeline for success is a vitally important and often ignored barrier to personal growth and development.

Remember, whatever your personal barriers to personal growth and development, you can overcome your obstacles. Any person who sets goals, creates a timeline for success, has adequate support, and strives for excellence can overcome these barriers to personal growth and development and achieve the success that all people deserve.

If you need further assistance in personal growth and development, you can find a lot of information on the internet or in books through your local library or your favorite online book store. Personal development coaches, career development profiles, and other personal growth and development tools can also help you to overcome obstacles and achieve what seemed like the impossible.