Steve Pavlina reveals the secrets to Personal Development for Smart People

I’ve been reading Steve Pavlina’s blog for a few months now because a number of other business and copywriting bloggers kept referring back to him. I’ll be honest, until Steve’s name kept popping up as an example of a blogger who was not afraid of writing essay length posts and in return was getting something like 2 million visitors per month, I had no idea who he was, but that kind of pedigree was compelling enough for me to want to know more about this trail blazer.

Steve Pavlina has a very colourful and interesting past, but what’s most interesting about him is the fact that he’s put to the test most (if not all) of the personal development tips and techniques he features on his blog. I guess, he’s quite accurate in his statement when he says that:

“Personal development is hard work. If you’re looking for shallow quick fixes, you’ll need to look elsewhere.”

There is nothing shallow about Steve’s blog or about his new book.

Steve’s philosophy is not very far from some of the greatest minds in Personal Development like Napoleon Hill, Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie and Wallace D. Wattles.

What resonates the most to me about Steve’s philosophy is this statement:

“… having the maturity to take 100% responsibility for your health, your career, your finances, your relationships, your emotions, your habits, and your spiritual beliefs.”

As you know, I’ve made a conscious decision to slow down my life and take a look at priorities and remove time-suckers so that I can live a more balanced life.

Reading Steve Pavlina’s book was a logical step in my journey and since I had learnt so much from reading his blog, I saw “Personal Development for Smart People” as a go-to guide I can always keep on hand when I need a quick refresher.

Why is Personal Development for Smart People such an important book to read?

I think it’s safe to say that the month of October 2008 has been one of the most challenging, scary and darn right unsettling for most of us. I’ve said this many times to so many of my friends: “October 2008 will change a lot of people because it will really force so many of us to look at our lives and perhaps rethink a number of things”.

Some will find solace in religion, some will want to donate more of their time to helping those who have less than they do, some will take this opportunity to form a closer relationship with their kids, others will be forced to start from scratch and many of us will need to find more balance to cope with so much uncertainty.

The first part of Steve’s book focuses on 7 principles that are so timely: Truth, Love, Power, Oneness, Authority, Courage, and Intelligence.

The second part of this book feels like it was written on Monday, October 6th, 2008 (aka Black Monday) when the international stock market crashed. In this second part you find the following 7 principles: Habits, Careers, Money, Health, Relationships, and Spirituality.

Since the fundamental core of making any change in your life lies in you taking action, Steve has included a number of questions that will get you thinking about each one of the topics you are reading and how it relates to your own life.

You’ll also find a lot of exercises that will take you from reading to taking action and actually making some changes in your life.

“Personal Development for Smart People” won’t solve any of your problems unless you are ready to make a change. If you’ve gotten to the point where you need to make better decisions in your life and you need some sound advice as to how you go about making those changes, this book will surely be a great eye-opener.

Hiring a Personal Development or Life Coach is not something many of us can do, but books like Steve’s give you basic tools that you can start applying immediately in your life to help you get the type of life that you’ve always dreamed of.

In closing, I find that it’s important that you know that this is not a “get-results-quick” type of book because this deals with personal development. Your life is a journey and it will take you some time, effort and a lot of commitment to get to where you want to be and “Personal Development for Smart People” is just an arsenal in your tool box of sound tips to a richer and more prosperous life!

You can find Steve Pavlina’s book here: Personal Development for Smart People