Success Strategies for Personal Development

When I’m asked about my own personal development journey, I usually start with the story of a book that was recommended to me in college. It was a book that changed my life, and became the catalyst for not only my own journey to success, but a recognition of a broader calling to write, speak and coach others around the areas of success and personal development. The book was Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.

During a recent conversation, however, I realized something I hadn’t thought about in a long time. The person I was speaking with asked when I first became aware of goal setting and the success principles I practice and teach. I don’t know why I hadn’t connected the dots before that conversation, but I realized the origin of my journey started long before the discovery of Hill’s book.

As it turns out, the seed for my intentional pursuit of excellence was first planted when I was 11 years old. My family received a ping pong table for Christmas. What started as a recreational activity in our basement evolved into a competitive, though unfortunately far too short, career as a top ranked junior table tennis player.

At the pinnacle of my career in table tennis, I was ranked #3 in the country in my age group, and was regularly competing against and beating not only top ranked players in my age group, but also top ranked men. I trained with the best men’s players in North America, and played in venues like Cobo Hall in Detroit, the Nassau Coliseum in New York, and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

As I look back on that formidable time in my life, I realize that’s when I discovered the power of goal setting. Although I didn’t attach labels or processes to it at the time, I had actually stumbled into something quite powerful: the idea that I could set goals, design strategies to achieve those goals, and that – if I was intentional about following the plan I created, I could achieve significant results. Results that were far beyond what I ever thought was possible.

That’s exactly what I’ve been doing ever since, and what I’ve helped others to do for the past 30 years. 

The great thing about these success strategies for personal development is they can be applied to every area of life. Whether you are an athlete training for the upcoming season or the Olympics, an entrepreneur who wants to scale your business, or you want to create a standard of “excellence” in every area of your personal life, you can apply the same strategies I used as a young table tennis player, and have continued to use throughout my life to achieve a high level of success.

By focusing on these strategies, and integrating them into your daily living, they will soon become part of who you are, and will help you to achieve tremendous success – however you define it – in every area of life.

Create clear written goals

As a young table tennis player, I was intensely goal oriented. I not only had goals, but had a detailed training plan for the accomplishment of those goals.

What I’ve come to realize over time is that highly successful people know where they want to go in life, and they have a clear plan to get there. They are intensely goal oriented, and their “roadmap to success” is the list of goals they have written down.

I remember being stunned at one point in my life to learn that less than 3% of the population have a written set of goals, and that less than 1% review them on a regular basis.

If you want to achieve excellence – in your health, fitness, relationships, or your professional life – then do what the 1% does: Write down your goals, and review them regularly.

Take massive action

I wish you could achieve all your dreams and aspirations simply by writing them into existence. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. How many great goals and ideas have you had, but not taken action to manifest? 

Successful people don’t sit around waiting for things to happen. They are intensely action-oriented. They determine what is required to create success, and then they go out and do those things. 

If you want to be, do and have more, then action is required. Focus like a laser on your goals, determine the steps it will take to achieve them, and then take the action needed to move you in that direction.

Invest in yourself

One of the most important things I did as a young table tennis player was to invest considerable time, energy, and money to position myself for success. I trained and practiced nearly every day for several years. And I attended training camps hosted by the top players and coaches in North America. I learned at a very early age the importance of “modeling success” – learning the routines of top players in my sport, and then working to emulate their success by doing many of the same things they were doing.

Later in life, I continued to invest in myself. And I’ve never stopped doing so. Even today, I read every day. I listen to audio programs or podcasts almost every day. I attend multiple seminars and events each year. And I continue to invest in coaching that helps me to be my best in specific areas of my life, and in my overall personal and professional development.

Someone once told me that what I spend my money on reveals where my values are. I have always placed a high value on personal and professional development, and I truly believe the best investment you can make is investing in yourself.

Surround yourself with success

One of the best things I did as a young table tennis player, and throughout my life, was to surround myself with positive, successful people. I would go so far as to say if you want a strong leading indicator of how well you’re going to do in a particular area of life, you need only to look at the people around you.

Some people always want to be “the smartest or best person in the room.” I’ve always maintained that, if I’m the smartest or best person in the room, then I’m in the wrong room. Admittedly, this has not always been comfortable. In some settings through the years, because of the caliber of people I was around, I felt like I didn’t even belong or deserve to be in the room. If you ever feel that way, then that’s a good indication you’re right where you need to be!

I’ve always believed success starts with a strong desire to achieve excellence, coming up with a plan for what that looks like specifically, and then becoming very intentional about doing the things required to create that success. It’s a strategy that has worked well for me starting at a very young age, and I believe it can work well for you, too.