by Phil Latz
Welcome to the first of my Personal Growth blog series that I hope will help you to become more successful in your business.
As a business owner myself for many years, I understand the challenges that you face.
In total, I’ve already planned the titles and topics for about 100 blogs divided into 14 series – with each series containing from six to 12 blogs.
Of course, there’s no rule forcing you to read the blogs in order, which leads me to my first point.
You might be tempted to jump straight into Series Two: Maximising Your Profit.
‘Why do I have to waste my time with all that fluffy Personal Growth stuff first?’ you might think.
But if you read my series and get to know me more, you’ll realise that I’m quite a systematic and thoughtful person, so it’s no accident that I’ve put personal growth first.
I’m going to explain why with a story followed by examples of three world-leading business and leadership authors.
You’ve probably heard yourself that lottery winners often go broke.
One study done in the USA found that lottery winners are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three-to-five years than the average American who’s never won any significant prize.
Nearly one-third of lottery winners eventually declare bankruptcy.
Why?
The answers relate to the lottery winner’s self-worth and self-perception. If their reality does not align with this they will often squander their winnings, whether deliberately or not fully understanding what they’re doing, until the money is gone and they’re back to a life that fits their self-image.
These people are either not listening to wise advice or don’t have many people in their circle of influence who are capable of giving wise advice.
Now to the three authors.
I come from a very bookish family and was encouraged to read and learn from a young age.
The three biggest categories of books on my shelves are business books, biographies of leaders and cycling books including a shelf full that we published through our own cycling media business.
I’m going to conclude this video by highlighting three business books, all of which are long time best sellers that I’d highly recommend.
Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kyosaki
Key message: It all starts with mindset.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey
Key message: Personal victory comes before the public victory.
The Winning Attitude, John Maxwell.
Key message: Your attitude determines your altitude.
Hopefully, now you can understand why I was compelled to start with the personal growth series first, before moving on to what most people would consider the ‘real content’.
In the next blog, I’m going to discuss goal setting – why it’s important and how to set goals most effectively.
I believe that with passion, consistent effort and wise advice you can succeed in your business.
I wish you all the best and I’ll see you next time.
