career in the field of personal development

[ericwordelman]

I'm pursuing a career in the field of personal development and am just seeking some suggestions on the career opportunities. Are the only options making a little website and professional speaking? I'd like to do meaningful work, fulfilling, aligned with my purpose, fun, plenty of money, and contributes to the best of my ability. What are the options for this?

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by ericwordelman

I'm pursuing a career in the field of personal development and am just seeking some suggestions on the career opportunities.

Just one question Eric... "What have you done that is outstanding...???" Have you earned in excess of $10,000 a week...??? Have you done anything that most people aspire of doing and simply cannot...???

If not, forget the career in the personal development field...

In that field... the very first thing that you absolute must do is to present your own credentials... or, in other words, show proof-positive that you already have walked-the-walk and are personally proof positive that what you profess does works...

I have attended talks given by most renown motivators... (The Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Tremendous Jone, Joseph Murphy, Mark Victor Hansen, Dr. Robert Schuller, Dr James Parker, Dr. Richard Yennie, Dr. David Singer et all) and I have yet to find one that had not followed the route that I have described here...

I do wish you the very best... but I also think that you should take the above into consideration...
.

[realignedliving]

"If not, forget the career in the personal development field..."

I disagree 100%, as I don't see what credentials has to do with your overall knowledge level. There might be a correlation, but it's not everything. I've talked to brilliant people with few accomplishments, and stupid people with many accomplishments. Credentials might give you an edge to show that "Hey, I really do practice what I preach!", but it's not everything.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by realignedliving

"If not, forget the career in the personal development field..."

I disagree 100%, as I don't see what credentials has to do with your overall knowledge level. There might be a correlation, but it's not everything. I've talked to brilliant people with few accomplishments, and stupid people with many accomplishments. Credentials might give you an edge to show that "Hey, I really do practice what I preach!", but it's not everything.

Could you give me the name of one person who has succeeded with a career in the PD field who was not already a huge success before he/she got started in that field...???
.

[realignedliving]

Since when does other people's success in a field relate to how you would personally do in the same field?

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by realignedliving

Since when does other people's success in a field relate to how you would personally do in the same field?

Well, if one professes to know how to achieve success... it would stand to reason that he/she has already used it for themselves...
.

[realignedliving]

And if they become successful in the field of PD with no prior successes, I guess their secrets and knowledge worked after all.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by realignedliving

And if they become successful in the field of PD with no prior successes, I guess their secrets and knowledge worked after all.

You just might be the first one... so, the very best of luck to you...
.

[ericwordelman]

Well I thought Tony Robbins had no formal education and I didn't know he was any sort of "success" I thought he was a janitor? Jack Canfield was a school teacher in Chicago. What boosted Jack was he did 38 seminars one year and that made him take off I believe. If I read voraciously and attend enough seminars I'm sure I can absorb enough knowledge to boost me to a level high enough to make an income from it. But if I'm wrong about Robbins I'd love to know what he did prior to being a hit in the field of PD. Because I really don't want to work a meaningless job make little cash be unfulfilled have no fun turn my back on my purpose...That doesn't sound fun to me. But again I thought Robbins was a janitor before he was a speaker?

[ericwordelman]

My accomplishments: I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do before the 5th grade, I've learned how to play piano, violin, and guitar, I'm an early riser (4:15 a.m daily), I'm on a strictly all raw vegan diet, lightworker, my passion is personal development, meditator, optimist, lucid dreamer, had out of body experiences, intuitive, logical, extroverted introvert, highly motivated, energetic, purpose driven. I know this just sort of looks similar to Steve's bio but many of the things are the same to me that's why I see that I can accomplish this.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by ericwordelman

But if I'm wrong about Robbins I'd love to know what he did prior to being a hit in the field of PD.

From here... Post #21...

"At 13 years old he decided he wanted to be a baseball reporter and within in a few months (and still aged 13) he had an interview with one of the best baseball reporter in the US at the time, Howard Cosell. His interview made it to the Los Angeles Times and by 14 or 15 years old he was offered a contract to be a sports reporter for for a paper and as well as a job with a television station.

Then at 16 he delivered a speech that lead him to upset his more popular competitors and become the student body president.

In his late teens he elevated himself to one of Jim Rohn's top sales people, eventually being a director of sales and earning $10,000 a month."
.

[Baltar]

Originally Posted by Shamou

From here... Post #21...

"At 13 years old he decided he wanted to be a baseball reporter and within in a few months (and still aged 13) he had an interview with one of the best baseball reporter in the US at the time, Howard Cosell. His interview made it to the Los Angeles Times and by 14 or 15 years old he was offered a contract to be a sports reporter for for a paper and as well as a job with a television station.

Then at 16 he delivered a speech that lead him to upset his more popular competitors and become the student body president.

In his late teens he elevated himself to one of Jim Rohn's top sales people, eventually being a director of sales and earning $10,000 a month."
.

You seem to have omitted this part: "He then slumped (due to discovering having lots of money lost him a lot of friends) to his lowest point at 21 (fat, broke and alone). This allowed him to gain new key distinctions and reinvent himself and become the true success that he is today."

I have the Personal Power II tapes, and he talks about his life there. His initial success was short lived, and as that quote says he lost everything. For at least a couple of years he was totally broke, gained lots of weight, and lived in a studio apartment with no kitchen. His earlier success had nothing to do with his later success in the sense that nobody knew about his earlier success. His previous experience no doubt helped him, but you seem to be implying that he had a springboard from which to launch into PD success. That wasn't the case.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Baltar

His previous experience no doubt helped him, but you seem to be implying that he had a springboard from which to launch into PD success. That wasn't the case.

ericwordelman asked the following question…

"Well I thought Tony Robbins had no formal education and I didn't know he was any sort of "success" I thought he was a janitor?"


And I was simply replying…
.

[1000feet]

There are options besides making a website and professional speaking, but they can be limited unless you really use your imagination.

Both the possibilities you mentioned are based on the same thing - communicating your knowledge to other people and helping them develop. Other ways to do this include writing books, writing ebooks, private speaking for companies, schools, and other groups, and one-on-one advice.

If you want to work in the personal development field full-time you should look at those or similar options. It will contribute to society and can be aligned with your purpose, fulfilling, and meaningful if you're into it. It can also give you a good income if you do it well. If these options sound too limited to you, you can also look at other things that you can do while still making personal development an important part of your life and contributing to others.

[munish]

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...ng-to-failure/


Testing ideas through direct experience is among the best ways to learn and grow.

Succumbing to critics. If the testing stays in your head for too long, the opinions of others will start to co-mingle with your own thoughts, which will only confuse you more.

Fear-based thinking ....

[ninesuns]

How about starting off smaller with coaching. Helping individuals to achieve results could develop your profile.

Also I don't think it is necessarily required to be successful yourself first to be successful in PD. In sports, it is often the case that great coaches were not superstars themselves prior to coaching.

[stephencp]

"Could you give me the name of one person who has succeeded with a career in the PD field who was not already a huge success before he/she got started in that field...???"

I respect Lou Tice (The Pacific Institute- Home Page) exactly because he does not have a rags a riches story or a riches to riches story. He was an ordinary high school football coach who slowly got into the PD field and now coaches professional athletes, kings and crack addicts with what I believe is the best PD material available.
Check out his site.

Stephen

Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[Shamou]

stephencp ! Dale Carnegie said, “When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.”

One, if not, the most important quality for someone who wants to succeed in the PD field… is charisma… followed by personal success…

For over two decades, I was involved with a large group of professionals who would meet for one week every two months in one of the large cities in the US to have motivational seminars… we had tons of speakers from which we could choose… and, inevitably… those who had both personal success and a charismatic personality where favorite at a ratio of fifty to one…
.

[stephencp]

Shamou ! You seem to have changed the question or redefined "success".
Do you have a problem with my example?

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[Savage]

There are lots of ways to get started in this field. Many start as coaches. Some get started helping out their local church groups. Today you can even start out as a blogger, which is a great way to see if your ideas are helping people.

It's a myth that you need massive credentials, since the field is really about helping people grow, not making yourself a superstar. I know many peope who are making a decent living from their work w/o credentials to speak of. In fact, some of the best PD speakers have what might be considered negative credentials. For example, I'm a convicted criminal who was expelled from school. Another very successful person I know in the field was a drug dealer.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by stephencp

Shamou ! You seem to have changed the question or redefined "success".
Do you have a problem with my example?

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

I don't know anything about the guy that you are talking about... so, I cannot have an opinion on that... but, if the guy succeeded without credential... he had to have charisma...
.

[Uplift]

Originally Posted by ericwordelman

I'm pursuing a career in the field of personal development and am just seeking some suggestions on the career opportunities. Are the only options making a little website and professional speaking? I'd like to do meaningful work, fulfilling, aligned with my purpose, fun, plenty of money, and contributes to the best of my ability. What are the options for this?

I reckon if you really want to do that, you have the perfect opportunity. You've actually got a picture to work with:

'I'd like to do meaningful work, fulfilling, aligned with my purpose, fun, plenty of money, and contributes to the best of my ability.'

Apply any PD knowledge and techniques, visualisation, goal setting, affirming, action, whatever your particular method is, to that picture, and see what pops up. Keep going. Then you'll either know they are working well, or you may have to refine them, or add to, or change your arsenal. Amasing things can happen, throw open the doors of imagination, be open and positive. When something eventuates, you will have the example, experience and surity to promote your career. Good luck, who knows what you may come up with, what might present to you, or pop into your head. Have a shot!

[ericwordelman]

I sort of have a smiliar story steve. Not exactly but You can call me a recovering addict almost died on several occasions and was faced with a situation to either die or grow and that bumped me up to the next level of awareness which started me on this path and I haven't looked back ever since. All I want to do now is help people and am doing whatever I can possible to make my purpose manifest in physical reality. Blogging is one medium to express my message. Having been through what I have been through I see myself able to have extra leverage on people who are suffering from the same since I know many highschool students and even adults suffer from addictions and having recovered from that I am able to help in ways others can't since I have done the same. I've recovered from cocaine addiction, ecstasy, alchol, cigarettes, sex, video games, internet, porn ;p etc. I was on the verge of death like I said and I could have stayed on that path and I probably would be dead right now if I did or I could choose to turn my life around and I chose the latter. Having made that decision I found my purpose, changed my diet, am now 100% raw foodist, meditate for an hour daily, excercise, found my passion in personal development, learned to have OOBE, lucid dreaming, learned intuition, increase running distance, on top of those I have previous accomplishments in my life like I mentioned earlier; before I was 12 years old I actually attained a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I learned to play piano before I was 6 years old, I learned violin before I was 12, then I learned guitar when I was 13. I was in enrichment program in gradeschool and in honors in high school. I've learned to gourmet cook raw food, and photography. I played hockey for 10 years of my life year round and also dabbled in tennis and was on the all star baseball team when I was younger. Well traveled as well, I have been to st. maarten, jamaica, spain, france, italy, england, cayman islands, costa rica. Photoreader, seeker of truth, early riser, etc. I may not have the credentials but I've paid my dues and my choice is either personal development or literally death.

[Savage]

Real credentials come from experience, not titles. And experience is mostly mistakes.

You don't even need much charisma or charm, just a dedicated willingness to contribute. You've already figured out how to do things that people would love to know how to do.

I'm getting hundreds of hits a day from people searching for advice on how to cook brown rice. What are my credentials? I ate a lot of rice. That's it! Millions of other people are probably much better at it than me. But I wrote the article, so Google says I'm the expert on the topic:
how to cook brown rice - Google Search

You don't have to be the best in the world to help people. You just have to be willing to put yourself out there. Simply share what you know.

[Dan.Linehan]

You're not a brown rice expert?

//Gasp

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Real credentials come from experience, not titles.

Not wanting to be argumentative here... but, experience would also mean "having walked the walk... before giving the talk..." which would, in my mind, involve a certain degree of personal success...
.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

In fact, some of the best PD speakers have what might be considered negative credentials. For example, I'm a convicted criminal who was expelled from school.

However you changed from being a criminal to earning $100K/year legally. You also went from being expelled to graduating in 3 semesters. These two things build a lot of credibility in you. The fact you started out as badly as you did builds even more credibility then someone who started out in a much better position then you because you had to grow a much greater distance.

To me credibility is important. I don't want someone fat teaching me how to be thin. I don't want someone poor teaching me how to be rich. And, I don't want someone depressed teaching me how to be happy.

ps: Steve, didn't you also mentioned a while back you don't teach people how to stop smoking, because you've never smoked and thus you could not teach how to stop smoking?

[ericwordelman]

Well once I have my website up I'll be posting back here so I'll see you later.

[Akashic_Librarian]

Eric maybe I am wrong (its a strong possiblity) but why do you have your heart set on the PD career? In my opinion good can be wrought from many different paths, PD is just one.

[ericwordelman]

You can say it's my calling. It's my passion. It's my purpose. Nothing in the entire Universe can sway my decision and choice.

Less competition for me.