AI makes me a personal development course! (1/10)
Hi everyone!
Today I’m starting a new series that has me brimming with excitement! I’ve previously delved into personal development before on my blog, but lately I’ve been wondering what the best way forward is. Then it suddenly clicked, why not ask AI? I tasked ChatGPT with building me a 10 week self-improvement course with reading materials and today we are diving into week 1. Quick disclaimer: I am probably going to need more than 10 weeks to finish all these books, but I am so excited to get through them!
As you can see in the picture above the theme for week 1 is setting goals. A good place to start any personal development journey, so far so good! AI has recommended me “The magic of thinking big” by David J. Schwartz as the reading material. After downloading it on audible I quickly started listening to the book while getting ready in the mornings. Here are my thoughts:
The magic of thinking big
‘You can do anything you set your mind to’ is a phrase often used and really captures the essence of this book in one sentence. The initial chapter starts with describing how the way you think influences your behaviour. For example, if you speak positively about yourself and believe you can handle a difficult project, you go into the situation with confidence and you increase the likelihood that you will succeed. According to David, the first step to reaching success, whatever that means to you, is to truly and thoroughly believe that you will. In this first section of the book he also talks about overcoming ‘excusitis’ and conquering your fears as pivotal steps towards realizing your potential.
In the second part of the book we go into ‘how to think big’. I was happy about this and felt like it was needed at this point in the book. Up until this point all I thought was ‘that all sounds very logical and nice, but how do I actually do it?’. To think big we must use words and phrases that create big, positive mental images. The author gives some great examples of how you can create these mental images in different situations. Something I really enjoyed about this book is how David constantly gives very concise and practical advice and exercises that are easily implemented into your life. In continuation of the story, he speaks about how your environment can influence your ability to think big and stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people.
Further on in the book it is discussed how your attitude towards people and things cannot only influence your own brain, but also how other people perceive you. David guides readers on how to turn all these advices and ideas into an actionable plan and how setting goals can help you achieve your plans. Lastly, David discusses how you can think big even when facing setbacks and in the last chapter he propels readers towards a leadership mindset.
While David's motivational style boosts confidence, it occasionally feels like an oddly masculine insistence on manifesting success through sheer delusion. Some examples appear outdated, reflecting a bygone era despite its 2015 publication. Nevertheless, the core message is effectively conveyed, offering valuable and practical insights. I've assigned it a rating of 3.5 stars!
Overall, this book struck a middle ground for me. On the one hand, David’s motivational writing style boosts confidence. The way this book is written really makes you believe you can do anything and it is a great motivator. However, it occasionally feels like an oddly masculine insistence on manifesting success through sheer delusion. Like the author is saying: ‘be delusional and manifest and everything will be okay’.
Besides that some examples that were given in the book appear outdated, even though the first version was ‘updated for the 21st century’ in 2015. David talks a lot about salesmen who have to provide for their wives at home and at one point gives the advice of sending a hand-written letter, something I think barely anyone does anymore. Nevertheless, the core message is effectively conveyed, offering valuable and practical insights. I've assigned it a rating of 3.5 stars!
The goals
As an activity for this week I am to set short-term and long-term goals. One thing I am taking with me from this book is to not be afraid of having big dreams. A lot of people are scared to dream big as it gives them a bigger chance to ‘fail’. This book taught me that that is the exact way to never get anywhere. Break the boundaries you thought you had and believe that you can do more! If you believe you can succeed, you will!
Short-term goals:
· Secure 3 new copywriting clients
· Start going to the gym 3 times a week
· Achieve a salary that surpasses my previous job
Long-term goals:
· Explore every country in Europe
· Have a passive income of xxxx euros (is it weird that I’m not comfortable sharing those numbers?)
· Have 30.000 readers on my blog
And that concludes week 1! I’m so excited to share this personal development journey with you guys and if you want to tag along let me know how it’s working out for you. Are you going to pick up this book? What are your limitless goals? Let me know in the comments and let’s take this journey together J
Until next time!