I have no idea who first said: “Setting up a business is the biggest personal development journey you’ll ever go on”, but he/she was right! I hear this phrase all the time and I also use it myself a lot.
Talking about anything and everything
It was only recently that I realised how important self-development actually is for me and how much I enjoy learning more about myself and finding new areas for improvement. It’s difficult at times and some self-discovery journeys aren’t pleasant, but I am really grateful for being on this exciting journey!
Last week, I was talking with a couple of my friends about the different journeys we’re on, from both career and personal perspectives. We talked about different opportunities for improvements and ended discussing self-worth in relationships (not only romantic ones).
I think that it’s really important to have philosophical evenings like this with your friends or colleagues where you can talk about anything and everything.
What does personal development mean to you? Are there any profound lessons that you wish everyone experienced on their journeys? Let me know!
Never stop learning
Last week, I ran an all-day event with a few ‘business friends’ and I learnt (or at least reminded myself of) 4 really important lessons:
- Forget competition, focus on collaboration! To be able to pull off this event, I needed a group of social media experts to help me, which meant working together with my competitors. Instead of thinking that they might ‘steal’ my leads, I saw it as a great opportunity to learn more about them and focus on my own strength – connecting people.
- Never stop learning and learn from everyone! This event was the perfect opportunity to learn from my colleagues. Even though we all do pretty much the same, it’s always interesting to hear someone else explain the same thing differently, using new examples and pointing out slightly different features.
- Perfection doesn’t exist! Especially when you’re running an event for someone and with someone else, and you’re not 100% in control (which is really stressful for a control freak like me). Focusing on being ‘good enough’ should be the goal.
Patience is a virtue
Continuing the theme of personal development, I was again reminded how important it is to be patient in both life and business. Patience is something I’m struggling with a lot. I want everything to be done my way and to my timescales, but that doesn’t always work.
One of the things I’m getting impatient about right now is the speed of my business. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about it, part of me is still surprised how quickly everything is happening. But I’m also getting a bit impatient to step up to the next phase – no matter if it’s setting up an agency or going travelling the world as a digital nomad, or both.
A dear colleague of mine reminded me the other day that there’s still plenty of time to do everything that’s on my mind and in my vision, but that I need to take it step-by-step and be patient. So, in the meantime, let’s hustle a bit harder and get a bit closer to being ready!
Book Corner
This week’s book recommendation is probably the most inspirational book I’ve ever read! It’s written by YouTube superstar Lilly Singh aka Superwoman and it’s the book I reach out to whenever I need a pick me up. Or alternatively, I watch some of her videos or vlogs, as there’s a lot of inspiration and energy in everything she does.
It took me a while to find my way into her world. At first, I saw her only as another loud, colourful and fast-paced YouTuber for teenage girls, but since I discovered her daily vlogs, I’m hooked. Since then I’ve read her book (several times), I’ve seen her live on her book tour and I’m following her journey religiously on all platforms.
What’s so special about her? Here are a few of my favourite quotes from the book How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Sing (about personal development and learning):
‘Being the dumbest person on your team doesn’t make you a stupid person; it means you’re smart enough to select people to work with that you can learn from.’
‘You have to seek out situations that make you uncomfortable and then throw yourself into them.’
And probably the best one of them all:
‘Words lie; actions can lie too. Consistency speaks the truth.’
What’s your favourite quote about personal development and learning? Let me know in comments or tweet me at @lenkakopp.
