Personal Development : Being A Better Person

Author: Stephen Campbell

The benefits of and growing as a person and making constant expansion is an innate part of us as human beings. All of us want to grow more and more and one's definition of personal growth along with a list of personal skills for use in your personal development is of paramount importance. Reaching your potential personal and professional development becomes more and more important as time goes by as everyone wants to get better in his or her life in every way possible.

Now when considering one's personal development, looking at wanting or having more with a list of personal skills does not necessarily make you better. To become a better person you need to get better inside and in reaching your potential personal and professional development quicker that you otherwise would have. You need to improve your inner self. Personal development helps one to become a better person and the our definition of growth is one of the first things to get defined.

Taking on personal development is a serious task. To make the world a better place (reaching your potential personal and professional development) we have to start with ourselves first. When your ideas, habits and attitudes change for the better, you could help others live their lives better. Though it sounds simple, it takes a lot of effort on your part. If it is so easy then why aren't others trying to become better? The theory of Self-actualization states that in order for human beings to grow to a higher level, they have to get their basic needs satisfied. The basic needs of a human being are: physiological, safety, acceptance or belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization. Let us see why these factors are important in helping us to become better persons.

o Man's physiological needs are food and water, i.e. basic survival. If you are starving and not having enough food and water to take care of your hunger and thirst, where would you get the strength from to think about becoming better? Only when you physiologically satisfy these needs can you think about your psychological hunger and thirst for self-knowledge. Your basic survival needs take the first place in your life and then your personal development.

o One has to ensure his personal safety above everyone else's security. If you do not feel safe in your personal life, how can you try to bring safety to others? Your constant fear would not make you think about others.

o With personal development acceptance or a sense of belonging is another essential need for human beings. We need understanding and love from our family and friends and the society we live in. This acceptance will make us think of doing good things for the people who accept us and in that process we become a better person.

o The need for self-esteem along with a list of personal skills - once you are a recognized person among your people, you believe that they respect you. This feeling promotes power and prestige in you. To maintain this self-esteem you would do good deeds to better their lives. This in turn would reflect on your goodness. People would recognize you as a better person among them.

o Finally, we all have a definition of personal growth and when you satisfy most of the above needs, the concept of Self-Actualization will dawn on you. With a satisfied hunger, security, acceptance and power, you want to develop stronger ties with others. You rise above yourself, in the sense you start giving more importance to other peoples' needs and wants. You believe in being committed to a greater cause than yourself.
Once you enter the doorway for self-realization you would eventually learn to put other people ahead of you in life and you become a better person, naturally!

When is comes to personal development and our lives, the reality is that you can be whoever or whatever you choose to be, if only more of us would believe and act upon this then we would not have the level of apathy and the situation we see in our society.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/goal-setting-articles/personal-development-being-a-better-person-208723.html

About the Author

Stephen C Campbell is a Master NLP Practitioner, personal coach who runs Self Development programs and a free membership site. http://www.you-can-be.com/members

The Importance of Personal Growth in MLM Network Marketing

Author: Kozsun Huseyin

Personal development is a crucial part of life for anyone wanting to achieve anything which they have not achieved before. In Network Marketing self improvement becomes even more crucial to achieve massive success. Personal development helps us become the person necessary to achieve the results you desire in your Network Marketing business working from home.

Points I cover in this article:

* What is self improvement?

* The role of self improvement in Network Marketing

* How you can achieve more by utilizing the power of self improvement

::: What is self improvement? :::

Personal development is so often misunderstood these days. Personal development is about becoming a coach and a leader of yourself primarily then others and using your talents, passions, knowledge and skills to make a lasting and positive impression in the world through your contribution and by helping others. Personal development is an investment into improving yourself and can be the best investment you can make. Invest in your mind, and let your mind fill your wallet!

Personal development is an attitude; it means you're always seeking new strategies and ideas for improvement. You must remember self improvement is a never ending process of learning. The more knowledge we gather along the way, the better equipped we are to make wise decisions and choices on our journey through life. Personal development traditionally covers a broad set of areas to improve such as finances, relationships, health, etc Personal development is about improving yourself mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically to be the best you can be.

Personal development is about stepping out of that box, and out of the loop of living life, assessing and enhancing ones own ability and empowering ourselves and then managing life from that new perspective.

The greatest thing about self improvement is there aren't a right way and a wrong way to go about it. The core message of self improvement is to improve ourselves and ultimately grow into a better person with new skills. At the core of self improvement is self-awareness. Like anything worth having in life, self improvement is not always easy. Whether it is through learning or through new skill development, self improvement is a never ending process.

::: The role of self improvement in Network Marketing :::

Personal development is crucial for you to achieve success in Network Marketing. Like most people who enter Network Marketing they hope that one day the efforts they put into their Network Marketing business working from home will pay off and make them financially free.

If we have not achieved a goal we have set already now or in the past, then it requires us to grow. If you have never made a million dollars in the past with your Network Marketing business working from home, then you must achieve some major growth before you can attain the million dollars. Personal development helps us improve ourselves and at the same time improve our Network Marketing downline. When we do this, we not just help ourselves, but make a major impact on the other people around us.

::: How you can achieve more by utilizing the power of self improvement :::

Personal development is not something that can be rushed. Personal development is not a technique or tool to make a quick fix. Personal development is the attitude you have that you are constantly improving your life. Personal development is driven by your level of improving yourself. Personal development is a lifelong pursuit because life is a work in progress!

For example if you find that you are unorganized, then the power of self improvement and constant learning will enable you to be a totally new person when you start to be organized.

A crucial part of this whole process is to take a long hard look at yourself and see where you could do with improving, and then work on it. Your Network Marketing business working from home will flourish as you help yourself and others.

Breakthrough to success,

Kozan Huseyin ~ Network Marketing Expert, Life Coach, Author

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/the-importance-of-personal-growth-in-mlm-network-marketing-169097.html

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Personal Growth and Development: Personality Development

Author: Tom Miller

An individual’s personality is an aggregate conglomeration of decisions we have made throughout our lives. There are inherent natural, genetic, and environmental factors, which contribute to the development of our personality in the pursuit of a more defined person, many individuals enroll in courses offered in colleges to further or enhance the image they intend to project to others. These classes help in identifying your conscious traits and contrasting them with what you intend to exhibit. Hereditary factors that contribute to personality development do so as a result of interactions with the specific social environment in which people live. In other words, personality is the sum total of what a person is - behaviors, thoughts and feelings- that endure throughout life.Personality Development Concepts

Drives: The two basic drives- sex and aggression- motivate all our thoughts and behaviors. They are referred as eros (love) and Thanatos. Eros represents the life instinct where sex being the major driving force. Thanatos represents the death instinct; this allowed the human race to procreate, whilst at the same time eliminating our enemies.

The structure of personality: It is believed that the mind as only having a fixed amount of psychic energy (libido). The outcome of the dynamic interaction between the id, ego and the superego determines our adult personality.The tripartite personality: Personality has three basic things - the id, ego, and superego- referring to this as the tripartite personality. The id allows us to get our basic wants met. It is believed that the id is based on the pleasure principles ie it wants immediate satisfaction, with no consideration for the reality of the condition. As the child interacts more with the world, the ego begins to develop. The ego's job is to meet the needs of the id, while taking into account the constraints of reality. The ego acknowledges that being impulsive or selfish can sometimes hurt us, so the id must be constrained. The superego develops during the phallic stage consequent to the moral constraints placed on us by our parents.

Defense Mechanisms: The ego has a very difficult time trying to satisfy both the needs of id and the superego and so, it employs defense mechanisms. Repression is the most powerful of these. Repression is the act by which unacceptable id impulses are "pushed" out of awareness and into the unconscious mind.

Psychosexual Stages: It is believed that at particular points in the child’s development, a single part of the body is particularly sensitive to sexual stimulation. These erogenous zones are the mouth, anus and the genital region. At any given time, the child's libido is focused on the primary erogenous zone for that age. As a result the child has certain needs and demands that are related to the erogenous zones for that stage. Frustration occurs if these needs are not met, but, a child may also become overindulged, and so may be unwilling to progress beyond the stage. Both frustration and overindulgence may lead to fixation- some of the child’s libido remains locked into that particular stage. If a child is fixated at a particular stage, the method of obtaining satisfaction that characterized that stage will dominate his adult personality.

For More Free Information visit Personal Growth and Development

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/personal-growth-and-development-personality-development-1373846.html

About the Author

Tom Miller
Lifestyle and Internet Marketing Consultant
Tom Miller

Personal Growth and Development

http://personaldevelopmentplanning.com

Professional Personal Development - What is it?

Author: Robin Chandler

We think the term 'training' is too restrictive, and we only use it because that is the context within which many organisations can understand what we do. But whether you call it people skills training, interpersonal skills training, soft skills training or professional personal development, what we're talking about is people changing what they do in order to be more effective, more able and quite simply, happier at their job and in their personal lives.

What we do know is that people take on new behaviours best when there is a parallel shift in their personal development. Interpersonal skills aren't just something you use at the workplace and then leave at the office when you go home. The whole person is what's important, and any programme Impact Factory creates has stuff in it that people can use in all aspects of their lives.

Individuals need to be skilled in what they can do to positively affect the outcome of any kind of communication. This is true if the communication is a presentation to 500 people, an annual review with a staff member, the initiation of new work practices - indeed anything that requires one person to be in communication with others.

In the simplest terms, being able to communicate effectively means relating well to other people. It means being able to listen and really hear what others are saying. Part of being a good listener is knowing how to respond without stonewalling or hijacking other people's ideas.

It also means being able to convey information, feedback and requests clearly and directly, give appropriate levels of praise and advice and take responsibility for making sure things are understood. This means that people must be able and willing to deal with conflict and confrontation. Conflict resolution can be effectively achieved by negotiating what is known as 'win/win' solutions.

There is not one 'right' way to communicate, but there are certainly many 'wrong' ones. Impact Factory's development work concentrates on what's already working about an individual's interpersonal skills and developing that. Gaining insight and awareness about the effect they have on others, coupled with developing specific tools and techniques for managing people, puts people more in charge of the communication process.

So why do we need it?

There have been changes in every sector where people are being asked to do more and take on more responsibility, often with less support than ever before. As a direct result of these kinds of pressures, dealing with difficult people or situations can be more problematic. Time constraints, deadline constraints and fewer people to do more work, means that communication may suffer, conflicts stay unresolved, dissatisfaction fester, tempers get frayed and inefficiency become more prevalent.

On top of that, there is an insidious assumption that if you are good at what you do - professionally - then you will be, ipso facto, a good manager, communicator, delegator, etc. That simply isn't true. We see this across all business sectors: people who are highly capable in their jobs but are far less adept at dealing with other people. Conflict arises because not only does the organisation assume that if you're good in one aspect of the job you'll be good in all, but you yourself may feel you already 'ought' - by dint of your position - to be able to handle difficult situations and therefore, won't ask for the support and training you need.

Some organisations have such issues well in hand and have the kind of company culture in place that supports peoples' development. More often than not, however, organisations ignore or sideline these issues with the outcome that communication suffers and morale gets worse.

Yet if employees are motivated, confident, communicating well and resolving differences; if they are being acknowledged and appreciated, then stress is reduced, people are more efficient and effective and work means more than a place to earn a paycheque. In our experience within organisations where these skills are encouraged and developed, there is a profound affect on employees' performance and their overall well-being, and a corresponding increase in the bottom line.

The economic implications of poor people skills in the workplace are far greater than many organisations would like to admit. We are often approached by the Occupational Health Departments of companies who say they are seeing more and more people with stress-related illnesses and absences and are aware that good training could make a significant difference in the health, morale and therefore efficiency of the staff. The cliché 'time is money' exists for a very good reason. If for nothing else, a better functioning workforce will affect the bottom line. Time wasted on poor communication, unresolved difficulties or inefficient work practises means time away from the core business of doing what the company does best.

Many companies know there are issues that need to be addressed; they even know that some kind of people skills training could help.

There doesn't have to be a problem

The need for development work does not presuppose a problem. When Impact Factory provides this kind of training for many companies we aren't there to 'fix' something that's wrong.

Given the added pressures in today's workplace, companies are not necessarily asking us to provide training to alleviate stress or correct a problem. Rather they are looking for excellence not competence. They are interested in gaining a competitive edge, offering their employees additional skills to develop their current capabilities and become both more accomplished and more confident.

So, why don't more people do it?

Here are some refrains we've heard more than once:

"We tried something like this before and it didn't work." - "It's clearly not right for us." - "We don't need it." - "It's a waste of time and money." - "If we're going to invest in training, we'd rather have technical training." "We'll never get buy-in from our senior managers."

If you look at the way some interpersonal skills training is done it's no wonder it's got a bad reputation. A lot of it follows what might be called the sheep-dip approach: large groups; all chalk 'n' talk and little participation; lots of rigid rules and regulations; a damaging emphasis on what's wrong with people; and unreal examples and exercises. That kind of training is de-motivating and often does more harm than good.

Lists of how tos, dos and don'ts and sets of rigid rules treat everyone the same. The individual becomes less important than the 'right' way to do something. Of course, there needs to be structure and guidelines in any kind of training, but if the training does not allow for individual needs and priorities then, ultimately, it will fail to develop the individual.

If people have had inadequate training, they will in turn feel inadequate when confronted with additional stress. The training will not have given them the real tools and techniques that could help them manage this pressure more effectively. Some assertiveness training is a good case in point, where people are told specific things to do in certain difficult situations. Which is all very well if you are capable of doing them. However, we know that for many people assertiveness training doesn't work. The solutions they are given are not things they feel able to do.

Not only that, there are training companies now offering interpersonal skills training over the Internet! Wow! We've said it before, but it bears repeating, this way the sheep don't even have to leave the meadow, they can be dipped right at their desks. We're truly fascinated with interpersonal skills training that doesn't have other people to be interpersonal with.

If people are treated and respected as the professional adults they are. The results can be startling, exciting and effective.

Professional Personal Development: why it's a good investment

· Gives people more confidence in dealing with challenging or new situations.
· Offers people a range of behaviour choices to try.
· Creates a solid basis for all other kinds of training.
· Gives people the tools to manage pressure more effectively.
· Is motivating.

What you'll get working with Impact Factory

· Programme content that fits your requirements as opposed to off-the-peg workshops.
· Flexible formats that take both the organisation's and the individual's needs into account.
· Emphasis on what what's already working rather than pointing out what's wrong and needs fixing.
· Small groups to maximise individual participation and attention.
· Programmes that develop the whole person.
· No pressure to do things the 'right' way.
· Enjoyable, easy, doable exercises that give people practise and experience in trying out new ways of doing things.
· Accessible to all levels in an organisation.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/professional-personal-development-what-is-it-12005.html

About the Author
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory who specialise in Professional Personal Development, Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.

Sharing Your Personal Mission Statement and Vision Statement

Author: Don Midgett

Statements do not make vision a reality. People do. It is through the sharing of one's mission statement and vision statement that empowers and builds a common bond or caring. It is true for an individual, family, workplace or business.

There are those we revere for their willingness to share and empower their vision. John F. Kennedy envisioned "By the end of the decade, America will have a man on the moon". It was not long before that thought was actualized. Martin Luther King's famous vision "I have a dream" is alive and well long after his passing.

And Steve Jobs, of Apple Computer still believes and shares his greatest business vision in his statement to "Start a revolution in the way the average person processes information." The common, unifying action taken by each of these leaders was to share and build a common caring through their vision.

When a member of a family run business viewed the challenges of creating a mission statement and then a vision statement, Rod Houck cited "There was a lot of internal dissension and disagreement about how to structure things."

Writing the statements took sharing, commitment and the need to develop from those statements strategic goals and objectives required to carry out the vision. Houck said the process "gave us a sense of accomplishment. We concentrated our effort to reach the goals. If we wanted to do new things, we would check - does it match our vision?" The benefit from sharing and working towards their mission and vision statements became obvious. "By focusing, sharing and getting buy-in from all the owners, we could move forward and make more money."

Why does sharing or seeking input from others within the business, workplace or family have value? When others are involved with you, differences in experience, judgment, values and similar such areas create conflicting ideas about the future and interpretations of what it should be. This is a key reason to establish a shared vision whenever there are multiple owners or leaders.

All co-workers need to realize the benefits of working in a business that integrates daily activities with the long-term success sought by your vision. And most importantly, everyone who is going to have to live with the statement will be more invested if given a chance to provide input and be a part of the sharing.

To see case studies and learn more on the importance of mission statements and vision statements and how to best use them, go to http://www.missionvisionstatement.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/sharing-your-personal-mission-statement-and-vision-statement-421855.html

About the Author

Since 1986 Don has dedicated his expertise to helping business owners understand how to use clear, effective mission and vision statements, success goals and strategic planning to grow their businesses. %d%a%d%aWith additional skills in leadership development, organizational dynamics and teambuilding, Don has extensive experience ranging from government agencies, (including a White House Commission for Small and Minority Businesses), new business owners, and to privately and publicly held companies. %d%a%d­on personally helped a prominent government organization turn around a multi-million dollar loss in less than 12 months by implementing a vision-driven strategic planning and leadership process.%d%a

Example of a Personal Development Plan - 5 Step Guide

Author: Annette H. Hill

A personal development plan serves as a guide for you to achieve more and great things in life. It basically reflects where you are at the moment and where you want to go tomorrow.

So how do you really create a plan? You can actually create your own and be creative about it as long as the three important elements are there: skills to achieve your goals; the available resources; and the outcome.

Below is a great example of personal development plan. This plan is composed mainly of questions that you need to answer. Take time answering each question. Sharing and visualizing them with other people is not enough. Write the answers down and read them every single day. You should also review and update them as necessary.

1. Think of where you are now.
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What kind of criticisms do you usually get from other people?
• What are the factors that affect your performance? An example of performance indicator is time wherein you tend to get stressed and pressured when you are tasked to finish a workload within a short amount of time so you sacrifice the quality of your output.

2. Think of what you want to become in the future.
• What are the things that you want to achieve in life?
• What are the reasons for you wanting these achievements?
• List down your short-term goals.
• List down your long-term goals.

3. Ponder on things that you need to do and accomplish for you to reach your dreams.
• What are the things, skills, talents, and behaviors that you need to improve on to reach your dreams?
• What are the resources easily available for you to do the things that you need to do?

4. Create a timeline for your dreams, with the start and end date for both short-term and long-term goals.
• When do you want to achieve your dreams?

5. List other things that are important and needed for you to reach your dreams.

If you were able to answer all of these questions, then you just have created your own personal development plan. Creating a personal development plan really requires a lot of thinking and pondering on the part of the planner. It serves as a guide to your future so you might as well be detailed and cautious about it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/goal-setting-articles/example-of-a-personal-development-plan-5-step-guide-1443834.html

About the Author

Want to discover more about Personal Development Plan and SMART Goal Setting and success secrets to discover how to create a roadmap to achieve your goals for your personal development and self improvement? To learn insider secrets and powerful goal setting strategies, visit http://www.smart-goal-setting-tips.com.

How Law of Attraction Helps in Personal Development

Author: Khoon Eng

Law of attraction has been proven as the key to personal development. It helps in developing personal well being and self-motivation. As we all know that anything that happens to us has a reason behind it. Therefore, we should always forget the past failures and embarrassments, if anything wrong has happened to us. The past incidents should only be considered as the lessoning experience. By having this type of attitude towards life, we will really come up with the great outcomes in future, as it plays a significant role in promoting self-improvement and moving towards the path of success. But if the bygone happenings are not locked away on time, then they act as baggages and drag down our present life as well as in the future. This will adversely affect our overall personality.

Tips On Personal Development
As we all know, "Thoughts Become Things" is one of the basic concepts of Law of Attraction. Therefore, we should always have an optimistic attitude towards life because being pessimistic may lead to various failures and abashments in our life. The overall impact of being cropped up with the negative thoughts will definitely hamper our personal development. Hence, the following few tips should always be kept in mind while concentrating on personality development in order to take us to the path of success and creating better life for us and our family.

1)We should have a feeling of accepting ourself. If we will not accept ourself then how can we expect others to accept us? Hence, by taking our failures and embarrassments as the lessons, keep on accepting and tackling the new challenges coming our way.

2)We should always concentrate on self-improvement instead of self-pitying, as this practice will enhance our inner beauty.

3)We should always have a capability to make others happy. We should not be dragged down to their level because of their negativity.

4)We should always have an attitude of learning from our mistakes, as there is always the next time.

5)We should always be self-confident, self-appreciated, and self-esteemed, as they are the building blocks of self-improvement and result in the overall personality development of the person.

6)We should always set achievable and meaningful goals for ourself, as they play a vital role in motivating us to take action.

Hence, by learning from our past experiences, we should move forward on the path of self-improvement and success.

Outcomes Of Personal Development
Personal development has been defined in many ways, and one of its most acceptable definition is to strengthen ourself in the areas of our weaknesses, so as to take our present and future to a better place. It works out in many ways, as it deepens our relationships, makes our health better, brings up optimism in us, etc. It is important that we have to take specific steps and to be determined in order to take us to the desired place either in our relationships, education, or in any field.

We develop new feelings for our betterment. Our point of view of observing things gets completely changed, and we start seeing things from a new perspective. We develop a power of concentration which helps us to concentrate on our future prospects and ultimately take us to the path of success. We can experience the change in our character, morals, and beliefs.

According to the Law of Attraction, we know that we get or experience, what we like or feel. Therefore, if we develop a quality of feeling good, then definitely all the good things will automatically get attracted towards us. Hence, the law of attraction plays a significant role in the process of personal development.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/how-law-of-attraction-helps-in-personal-development-190622.html

About the Author

Download a Free Report That Will Change Your Life at www.TheLawOfAttractionMoney.com.
Khoon Eng is a Practitioner of Personal Development. He Has Coached Many People to Breakthrough their Self-Limiting Beliefs with Sustainable and Long Term Results.

Ultimate Abdominal Personal Training Programme

Author: Nick

Why don’t you step into my office for a second and give me the truth. As interested as you are in health and fitness, as enjoyable and satisfying as it may be for you to run quickly or lift an impressively heavy weight, the real reason why most of you read my regular personal training column here at AskMen is because you want to look good naked. Sharp clothes and a good patter may bring confidence, but there is nothing, and I mean nothing, like the security of knowing that you actually look even better out of your clothes rather than in them. If the wares that you can display are tight, taught, and trained then your confidence is sky high.

Because the eyes are drawn instinctively to the centre of the body it comes as no surprise that the key physical component to looking good naked (or at least the key component that it isn’t at God’s mercy in the genetic endowment lottery) is having a well developed set of abdominals. An impressive six pack sets you apart from the beefed up puddings we inevitably find waddling around every gym in the country, and indicate the strength, speed and leanness that is the hallmark of every notable body ranging from the likes of Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig right through to the young Schwarzenegger in his bodybuilding pomp. In fact if you want an interesting lesson in the oft debated "ideal physique", you can do no better than look at the most physically awe inspiring body I myself have ever witnessed – Michelangelo’s sculpture of David:

Although to the modern eye, the David sculpture may not be the most heavily muscled or even "ripped" physique in existence, the proportions are perfect and the midsection musculature notably developed from top to bottom, from the intercostals, right down to the obliques. As a personal trainer I am aware that this is the proportion if physique that most of my personal training clients are aiming for.

An Abdominal Anatomy Lesson

Although we commonly refer to them as "nice abs", any one of you who has strived to develop an outstanding six pack will appreciate that it takes far more than doing a few sets of crunches tagged onto the end of your workout.

First of all the abs aren’t merely the "abs". A great looking (and physically strong) midsection comprises of the rectus abdominis (the six pack muscles) that is responsible for flexing the lumbar spine and depressing the ribcage; the external obliques (the muscles that sit just over the iliac crest) that compress the abdomen and that the contraction of one side only bends the trunk laterally to the contracted side whilst rotating it to the opposite side; and the external intercostals (the muscles that sit over the lower borders of the ribs) that stabilise the ribcage during any trunk movement.

An appreciation of abdominal anatomy should help you to construct the right training programme to achieve maximum development. What makes a well defined and developed midsection look so impressive is that there is a lot of visual stimulus for the eye to be drawn to, so my experience has proven time and again that working abs from a multitude of angles is always the best way to go for maximum results in minimum time.

Quick Fix Six-Packs

Normally I make a point of stressing that success in the gym and with a personal trainer is all about paying your dues, and doing everything right time after time. Well just for once I am going to appeal to the quick fix merchants amongst you and reveal that it takes just 6 weeks of intensive training to develop your abdominal muscles to their full potential. Yes that’s right. Six weeks is all it takes. That isn’t a typo.

Now I should make myself clear, that is six weeks of gut busting (pardon the pun) all out effort where you train your abs 3 times a week for 20 minutes at a time with an intensity that would make Michael Phelps wince. But if you think about it, that is only 6 hours work for a lifetime of rippling abdominal development. After that your basic weight training movements such as squats, dips and chin ups should provide more than enough stimulus to maintain your new found midsection muscles.

And how do you achieve this miraculous feat? Not by doing 1000’s of sit ups that’s for sure! Contrary to popular belief (one still put out there by mnay misguided personal trainers) the abdominals are composed primarily of fast twitch muscle fibres, which means that they have the potential to grow quickly and respond best to rep ranges in the 8-12 bracket with a total time under tension (individual set duration) of 30-40 seconds. What works best then is to pick a series of midsection exercises (7-10 different movements) with resistance that allows for a 30-40 second set duration and then move from exercise to exercise in one giant set, resting for 15-30 seconds between sets, and 2 minutes between each individual giant set for a total of 3 giant sets.

Six-Pack Programme

The following is an example of a highly effective abdominal training programme that I myself used for a recent photo shoot. The proof of the pudding is always in the eating and this programme that I am about to give you produced the photo below of my own midsection:

Hanging Garhammer Raises – 25 reps / 1010 tempo (1 second down / 0 seconds pause at the bottom of the movement / 1 second up / 0 second pause at the top of the movement)
Hang from a chin-up bar and then raise your legs so that they are parallel to the floor. Then and only then do you start the exercise by curling the trunk up. Yes, this will be a limited range of motion, but that’s why you do high reps in order to keep the time under tension within the appropriate parameters. The better you become at this exercise the straighter you should have your legs. Top athletes of mine perform 50 straight legged hanging Garhammer raises in succession!

Weighted Crunches on a Swiss Ball – 10 reps / 2012 tempo
While lying on a Swiss Ball and holding a dumbbell on your chest, curl yourself up. Ensure that you place the ball under your lumbar region (between the hips and the rib cage basically).

Decline Leg Raises – 10 reps / 4010 tempo
Lie on your back on a decline board and then raise your legs until they are perpendicular to your body then shoot your hips up to form a bow shape from head to toe. Slowly lower your body staying as rigid as possible.

Praying Mantis – 10 reps / 4010 tempo
Kneeling on the floor, place your forearms in front of you and parallel to each other across a Swiss Ball. Draw your tummy button inward and slowly roll forward whilst keeping a neutral spine. Go as deep as you can whilst keeping perfect spinal alignment. The key point with this exercise is to roll forward as far as possible without losing your original back angle. If your lower back starts to sink down at all then you've gone too far.

Medicine Ball Curl Ups – 15 reps / 10X0 tempo ("x" means explosive!)
Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Have a partner throw a medicine ball into your hands as you curl downwards, and as you curl (quickly!) upwards simultaneously throw the ball back to him.

Prone Jack Knife on a Swiss Ball – 10 reps / 2011 tempo
Place your hands on the floor with your feet on a Swiss ball in a regular push up position. Draw your knees into your chest whilst trying to limit spinal movement. Think of drawing your hips up towards your knees.

Incline Russian twist – 15 reps / 2010 tempo
Sit in an incline sit up bench and do a half sit-up so that your lower back is off the board. You must strive to maintain that position during the whole exercise. Then rotate your torso from side to side. The arms are fully stretched out in front of you and they should move — only the trunk is mobile. Really dig deep and try for the longest range of motion possible.

Low Pulley Reverse Crunches – 10 reps / 2012 tempo
Attach a looped rope or weight belt to the low end of a cable pulley. Lie on your back in front of the machine and hook your legs through the loop. Ensure that your knees are bent and that the loop is resting securely on your lower thighs. It also helps if you try to place hands under your glutes.
Exhale, pulling your knees toward your chest as you contract your abs. Keep your spine flat to ensure the lower abs are doing most of the lifting

Eccentric Leg Raises – 15 reps / 10X0 tempo
Perform regular leg raises but at the top of the movement have a partner explosively push your feet downwards and towards the floor. Do I have to tell you that you must resist this manfully? And yes, by this stage you should be feeling weak, in burning pain, and be ready to curse me and my descendants for at least the next three generations. Especially when you realise that you have 2 more of these giant sets to go...

Personal Training Abdominal Cheat Sheet

Here are a few pointers to aid in isolating the upper abs so that the hips and other associated muscles don’t take over, as so often happens with regular sit-up type movements.
1) Adopt a convex posture and place the chin on chest – this preloads the abdominals making them work more effectively and harder.
2) Turn the feet in and push your big toes together – this neutralises the psoas and adductor muscles ensuring that you correctly emphasise the abdominal muscles themselves.
3) Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth as this activates the abdominal muscles.
The same principles hold true for lower abdominal exercises except that a flat spine position should be adopted.

"You can’t flex fat"

Awh, you knew this one was coming. All the stomach muscles in the world are utterly useless at impressing unless they can be seen. Ditch the doughnuts and cheese sandwiches, go to some of our earlier articles on BioSignature Modulation, and be prepared to exert self control. There is no substitute for discipline, especially if you really do want to look good naked.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/ultimate-abdominal-personal-training-programme-799929.html

About the Author

Nick Mitchell is a personal trainer and strength, conditioning, and nutritional coach who specialises in body composition and reprogramming for fat loss and muscle gain. His personal training clients run the gamut from Victoria’s Secret models and professional bodybuilders, to Men’s Health editors and senior diplomats, and he is known for his success in rapidly transforming a body in as little as 4 weeks. For more details please visit http://www.upfitness.co.uk/
He can be contacted via Caroline@UPFitness.co.uk / www.UPFitness.co.uk

Beginning a Personal Development Plan

Author: Alan Thomas

Having a personal development plan is something that most successful people realize they have to set up to maintain their progress. Some do it at an early stage of their careers, and these people are generally the ones who make the most progress, both in their business life, and also their personal life.

In this article we will take a look at how you can go back to the beginning, and set up a plan to develop your personal success.

1. You must set meaningful goals. These goals need to reflect why you want to do something and then how you are going to do it. Reading your goals every day will help motivate you to work towards achieving that.

2. You have to work at hitting the goals that you have set. There is no magic wand that you can wave to achieve success and personal development. It is a process that is developed one step at a time and only happens when you are putting in the effort to achieve them.

3. Constantly work at revising your goals and setting new ones. Give yourself small stepping stones in your personal development plan. This will keep your motivation high as you feel good about hitting each level. If for some reason things are not working you can always change your goals and set new ones as well.

4. Reward yourself when you hit a goal. Very often, other people will have no idea that you have hit your goals, as they are very personal goals that apply only to you. That is ok, but you need to acknowledge your own success and reward your efforts for a job well done.

5. Why not think about setting up a blog, and adding fresh content regularly. Personal development can be very motivating to other people as well. A great way to get started is to use your blog. Take notes of your initial work with your personal development plan, and then add these as posts to your blog.

If this is not something you want to do, then you should start a diary of your own, and chart your success in it. It is very motivating to read your success, and having an a journal can play a big role in future success and personal development.

6. Learn to practice the art of visualization. Actually seeing your goals in front of you will help you achieve them at a faster rate.

7. Never give up, and always believe in yourself. We all develop at different rates, and the only thing that is important is you believe in yourself, and overcome any obstacles.

These are seven steps you can start to practice now to create your own personal development plan.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/beginning-a-personal-development-plan-647422.html

About the Author

Alan Thomas is an experienced business owner who has helped many people develop their own successful home based businesses. You can find more information on Personal Development Plan and Best Home Business Builders

Students' Personal Career Development Counseling - Its Benefits And Importance

Author: Abhishek Agarwal

It has become the practice for high schools in United States to observe Career Days for senior students for many decades now. On this day high school students are introduced to various careers open to them by local business professionals in the school. However, these days are proving insufficient to enable the students of high school to plan their future. That is why most middle-aged adults and youngsters seek the personal guidance of coaches in career development.

Personal coaches in the field of career development offer a very essential service to people who are late planners of their careers. A lot remains to be done to help the youngsters in career development. When the best career options are enumerated for students of high schools, it helps them develop a better understanding of the careers they would prefer, resulting in more efficient planning and more enrollments in colleges leading to a more productive future society.

For many high schools, the practice of a Career Day has taken the form of a whole Career Week to tackle these issues. A couple of days in this week are utilized to introduce the seniors to various career pathways by seasoned community professionals. The assessments resembling those by personal coaches in career development are taken up during the remaining week.

These assessments help the students of high school to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses and also to explore where their values and interests lie. These assessments are then fed to a computer system. The system generates a report outlining the best career options for that particular student. The students then go through further training via Handbook of the Occupational Outlook.

The Handbook of Occupational Outlook is a top rated career development tool for personal career development in the arsenal of high school. The Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States has put this publication in electronic form as well as in the book form. This enables the students to access valuable information about details of career, industry outlooks and job prospects for the future, the education required and average salaries.

When these assessments of career development of high school students are over, they undergo interviews with either the counselor of the high school or the coach of career development. These students are led through the interviews to explore fully the career options, have discussions with the coaches and reach decisions about the field in which they want to make their careers. Then several resources are provided to the student of the high school to give him a start on his career development path.

Another aspect of activities of career development is that the counselors or the coaches of personal career development visit the senior classrooms and take important sessions on goal setting and its importance in career development. These students get resources to set their goals practically and begin to pen down their plan for personal career development.

Although personal career development concept and its importance is not new for students of high schools, plans for personal career development education are being put into place by schools only now. These initiatives will prepare more and more students of high schools to begin careers or education as soon as they finish high school, thereby leading to a more productive future society.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/students-personal-career-development-counseling-its-benefits-and-importance-775089.html

About the Author

Abhishek is a Self-Improvement expert and he has got some great Self-Improvement Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 81 Pages Ebook, "Self Improvement Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Positive-You.com/775/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.