Empowering Links: Week of 5th August
Best personal development resources for the week:
Senia (who has a Masters of Positive Psychology) runs a great blog, packed with witty, fun, warm and power-packed insights into personal development. Even though she’s only been writing 1 month I’ve gained from and enjoyed her writing tremendously. If you’re new, check out her first month’s summary (thanks Dave for the intro!).
Adam Khoo was one of my mentors during my stint at Akltg. He’s not only a nice guy, but a multi-millionaire to boot 
He shares his story and how NLP has made a big difference in his life by asking “If I Had Gone to Raffles Institution, Would I Be a Millionaire Today?”
I love the quote by Steve Jobs that Terry found which I used in Have a Blog That Makes an Insanely Great Dent in the Universe:
We’re here to make a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why even be here? We’re creating a completely new consciousness, like an artist or a poet. That’s how you have to think of this. We’re rewriting the history of human thought with what we’re doing.
Steve Pavlina has a different take on setting SMART goals when he explains how to set goals you will actually achieve:
I recommend you abandon the concept of SMART goals. SMART = specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, time-bound (there are many variations on this too). This model sounds intelligent, but it’s based on an inaccurate understanding of time. Instead of thinking of your goals as time-bound projects, consider each goal in light of its effect on your present reality.
I agree that a key to self management is self esteem. I would offer that true life inspiration happens when you find something you love to do and make it a part of your everyday experience. Here’s an exercise:
1. Write down 10 things you love to do or that bring you the most joy. I call this the “You List”
2. Then record how many times a day you do one of the things on your list
3. Give each day of the week a rating from 1-10
4. Your best day usually comes out to be the day you do the most things on your “You List”
I can easily relate to the first part of the story, in the past I was one of those people pretending you have done something and then be very uncomfortable when someone asks more detailed questions.
It is not a good feeling and being upfront from the beginning really saves you the embarassment later.