Is it because people are different? Does self development only work for a special kind of people? I don’t think so. But there’s one essential part that is rarely mentioned:

Successful self development needs a solid basis. It has to come from within.

Sadly, a lot of people seem to ignore that fact completely. They try to rush into self development, using any promising sounding scheme that they found anywhere on the internet. But do they ever ask themselves whether they are ready to use the scheme? Probably not. Unfortunately, even the most sophisticated scheme only works if you comply with its requirements.

An Example of a Failed Attempt

Take the following common approach for example: Mr. X is completely dissatisfied with his own life. He’s one step away from depression and thinks of himself as crap. Not worthy to lead a happy life.

Now X decides to finally do something to improve these conditions, so he informs himself about self improvement. What he finds on one of the websites he browsed is the following method:

“Say out loud that you love yourself and your life. Do this every morning just after getting out of bed. This will result in higher self-esteem and a more positive attitude.”

Alright, X applies the method. He does exactly what was said on the website. But he gets strange results, because this is what happens: He slips right into depression. His self-esteem is as low as it can be. How could something like this happen to him?

It happened because he lied to himself. He might said that he loves his life but in reality he hated it. And that’s what he thought while he recited the words that should improve his life. So basically, he just increased the frequency of negative thoughts instead of creating a positive attitude.

The simple truth is: You can’t lie to yourself. That’s what X didn’t know. You can surely do better than him!

How I Created My Basis

Well, at first I should tell you that my starting point didn’t look all too bad. It all started about one year ago. I liked my life but I just wasn’t completely satisfied with all aspects.

That’s why I began to read a lot about self development and psychology. (Some of the books I found to be especially useful are listed on the page Resources.)

Some months ago I began to think a lot about my own life. About the goals I want to reach and about who I am. I’m not talking about this kind of daydreaming here. I sat down in front of my computer and concentrated on some basic questions while I wrote down every thought I considered to be important. This thinking process lead to some nice insights.

Now I’m still developing. Still thinking and gathering new information. The next step I need to take is going from theory to practice.

I can’t tell you how my life goes on but the quality of my life already improved and I feel that it’s still improving. So my approach worked for me. Still, I don’t want you to just copy what I did. Because my approach will not work for anyone.

Maybe you got a slight idea on how a successful self development attempt can look like. An attempt that came from within. Now it’s up to you whether you make use of this information or not. Just remember to go your own way.

Of course, it doesn’t need to be like this. There are other people who think about the things they perceive and don’t forget all of it after a couple of seconds. People who are able to increase knowledge and understanding by thinking. People who use the right technique, be it consciously or unconsciously.

So how can you too become a productive thinker?

First you need to know that forgetting is the major problem. Forgetting is easier than learning. Forgetting just happens. If you let it happen all the time, learning is as efficient as trying to fill a bottomless pit. A total waste of time. But why not just add a bottom to the pit? Suddendly your effort would pay off. In other words, remember your thoughts and thinking will lead to great knowledge and understanding.

Sounds easy, right? Just remember your thoughts… But how to do it? How do you think the right way? There’s one easy technique I highly recommend:

Write down your thoughts! Yeah, good solutions don’t always have to be complicated. I will make some additional explanations though.

You need three things to write down your thoughts in an efficient way:

1. Something that allows you to make quick notes wherever you are. A small notebook and a pen would do fine for example.
2. Something to file your thoughts. Such as a computer.
3. Something that creates thoughts. I strongly recommend a brain but you can use a computer as well.

What you do with these three things (or two if you’ve chosen the computer twice) is… No wait, forget about the third item, I’m tired of this stupid joke, this is a serious topic. So what you have to do is:

• Always carry the notebook and pen (or the like) with you. Write down anything that you consider to be important. Any idea, insight, piece of knowledge or theory. Instantly jot it down on your notebook. At any time. Wherever you are. Make notes while reading, learning or travelling. Even if you wake up in the middle of the night.
• Having written down some interesting thoughts, it’s time to file them. Put them into categories and update them regularly. You don’t need to create many categories in the beginning, you could start with only one file and create directories later.

Making quick notes allows you to remember almost every important thought. Filing and updating is important because it forces you to think about the stuff you’ve jotted down. This leads to new insights and new ideas, ready to be written down as well. You acquire more knowledge and a deeper understanding in addition. So finally thinking pays off. Thinking has become productive.

Of course, there are other ways to make thinking more productive. Some people found ways to think productively without the need of an external help, but even they could probably profit from the technique I just presented. I use it myself and it yields great results.

Now you can either give it a try or decide to forget about this article. It’s up to you.