The essentials for a personal development growth and defining a personal development plan
Defining a personal development plan would mean altering the career path life cycle. Further, the main ingredient for a personal development growth schedule is to handle every assignment with the same vigor and enthusiasm like it was the very first one.
The success route is taking the high road and aspiring for a better life and being aware of the difference between right and wrong. Living life in quiet desperation and pursuing a dream only leads to a self-proclaimed revenue stream and a distinct lifestyle, which paves way to enter a comfort zone in life.
Part of the personal development plan is to have resolute determination. This is vividly exhibited in the movies "Search For The North Pole", "The Alamo", and "Saving Private Ryan". These are cinematic expressions of resolute determination portrayed through conquering the frigid peaks of the North Pole, a bloody civil war to win back a state and a mother’s personal mission to find her lost son fighting in the army after losing three of her sons in WWWII.
Essentially for personal development growth, a few secrets from a super high performer helps. It isn’t just brains or education, though they certainly make success achievable. The act of doing it and constant perseverance that it should be done are clear winners.
History has stalwarts who have achieved unflinching success in this area. But along with their honor and consternation, is the fear of losing lives, suffering from poverty, humiliation and imprisonment. Ultimately, the choice is personal and without guts there is no glory.
For a proper personal development plan there are no short cuts. The truth is plain and simple and the benefit perceived is clear. A resolute decision will be easier and help in personal development growth if there is a dream and passion and also the ability to stretch beyond the comfort zone. Not going beyond can lead to stagnation even years of resolute determination. Remember, fear is False Expectation Appearing Real!
From Dan Peña – "The Money Messiah" and Mentor/Coach for The New Millennium
Dear Friend and Subscriber:
RESOLUTE DETERMINATION AND RESOLVE
As I approach my 55th birthday, having finished my 7th year in coaching/mentoring, I reflect on the life I’ve chosen for myself and family, which is now winding down.
When I started my fourth career as mentor/coach in 1993, I clearly said I would embark on this endeavour with the same robust nature I’ve attacked virtually everything since my first career as a U.S. Army Officer; followed by the training ground at Bear Stearns (a prominent Wall Street firm); followed by an entrepreneurial stage laced with many mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
The above life cycle has spanned five decades, two centuries and two millenniums. My conclusions are: I have found most people are good; most people would rather take the high road; most people want a better life; most understand the difference between right and wrong; and most people (but not as many as you think), when faced with greed and avarice, will do the right thing. Ergo, there should be no reason why most people aren’t successful at whatever they choose – WRONG!
Most people lead lives of quiet desperation. Most people aren’t engaged in the perseverance of a dream. They are engaged in something which produces a revenue stream, creating a lifestyle which they get used to by default. They get comfortable and more or less stay in that comfort zone their entire life.
Over this past weekend, while at my home at Guthrie Castle, in between playing golf on my own private golf course, I worked [as usual] and watched CNN. In between I watched three different films on the satellite TV in my office: "Search For The North Pole", "The Alamo", and "Saving Private Ryan". To relax at night, I smoke a Monte Christo ‘A’ Cigar and have a few drinks whilst doing my light work and watching a film.
I felt I should write a newsletter, so I’ve been thinking about a subject matter. I was looking out my office window onto the golf course, wondering why I’m here and others, not as fortunate, are other places. It’s light past 11:00 p.m. now. You can actually play golf for about 20 hours a day.
People often ask me, "what was the turning point in your life ?" I often say I never really looked at it this way but usually say, my volunteering for military service at the height of the Vietnam War as a private and ending my military career as an officer (without a college degree) was the turning point. Of course, I went on to graduate from college, which is a story by itself.
More than getting battered as a private and learning to be neat and clean, I learned what was emphasized as "resolute determination" – no matter what. The military is different now. There is no battering, etc. to speak of. I believe we, in the free world, are fortunate communism failed.
In the three movies I watched this weekend, this resolute determination was exhibited over and over again. If you will indulge me, briefly, [it’s my letter and it’s free !] I will illustrate what I mean.
Search For The North Pole: Admiral Perry, after a number of attempts, finds the North Pole. He had dreamed of this since he was six years old. He had planned his US Naval career around this end. He learned how to raise money for the trips and promote others into joining him for no money or pay for the privilege of freezing to death for 2 – 3 years at a time – Sound familiar ?
Whilst his co-discoverer, Mr Henderson, (his black valet by title but much, much more in reality) was breaking eight of his toes off due to frost bite, Perry said, "It’s a small price to find the top of the world !" He was 52 when he made his final, successful trip to the top of the world. He was a hero! Of course, now his conquests are being questioned.
Every failure taught him something different. His wife, children and others, whether they wanted to or not, became part of the sacrifice – as have mine.
The Alamo: For my American readers this is an old story. The young country was fighting Mexico for Texas. A few hundred "lads" take on about 8,000 well-trained Mexican infantry and artillery. The Americans knew they couldn’t win. Their dream of freeing themselves from Mexico could only be helped by their resolute determination to merely slow the Army down and send a powerful message to the oppressors. Texas would not give up, no matter what the cost. All but women and children perished, gladly, as the story goes.
This particular battle (and each country that has fought for freedom has their own) is special in US history due to some of the men that perished there: Colonel Jim Bowie, Colonel Travis and General Houston, amongst many others – all extremely high-profile heros! In the U.K., it would be analogous to Lord Nelson and Lord Wellington dying in hand-in-hand combat.
Saving Private Ryan: This movie was full of resolute determination to not give up no matter what. From landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day to the actual act of trying to find the only surviving son of Mrs Ryan (like a needle in haystack). She had already lost three sons defending the U.S. in WWII.
In all instances, resolute determination was a given. The other factor, more easily understood with Admiral Perry then the Texans and finally saving a young private, is the great passion for fulfilling a dream. With Private Ryan, as depicted in the movie, it was asked "What if, Captain (Tom Hanks), we find the kid and with all the bad going on, we can say this kid changed the world for the better?"
For more than 30 years I have dealt with life as I do business! All-out or nothing. As the Navy Seals say, "Go hard or go home" and "The only easy day was yesterday". It had been difficult for me to understand, after seven years of trying to coach people what I can do naturally, why people still have great difficulty.
Now I know the single biggest difference between a super high performance person isn’t brains or education – though these certainly can make it easier to succeed. It’s the resolute, undying belief in what you’re doing. The constant perseverance that it will get done – no matter what. The above is virtually impossible unless your endeavour is wrapped around your dream and your passion for it.
I could list countless success stories from the marine sergeant (who attended my Castle Experience who willed his severed spine to heal) to Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Richard Branson, Golda Mayer, Margaret Thatcher, Anwar Sadat, Nelson Mandela, Christ, Gandhi and Mohammed, amongst others.
Now don’t misunderstand me. Resolute commitment, no matter what, has caused me, along with the honor roll above, great consternation, heart-ache and more, i.e., it cost a few their lives, a few suffered poverty, humiliation and imprisonment during their careers. It’s not an easy trip! There is a "pay price to action", as I call it.
It’s your choice! But the old adage, "No Guts – No Glory", is pretty much what my 54 years have taught me. Big Risk, Big Rewards and Big Problems.
Ross Perot put it another way – "Success is always on the razor’s edge of failure". Henry Ford said, "You can’t make a reputation on something you haven’t done". Roy Disney (Walt Disney’s older brother) said, "When values are clear, decisions are easy".
If the benefit perceived by you is clear, your decision to be resolute will be easy(ier). If it’s your dream and passion, you will not question stretching way outside your comfort zone. Without going beyond, you’ll be where you are now – years from now. I guarantee it! Remember, fear is False Expectation Appearing Real!
I’m looking forward to seeing you outside your comfort zone – Soon! Come join me, or as the US Marine Corp motto says, "Come join the few, the proud!"
To Your Quantum Leap,
Dan Peña
PS People have asked what my criteria is for a transaction. Of course, I have tapes etc. I have two separate criteria:
- Individual vis-a-vis a deal (in this order)
a) the energy of the person
b) the deal – legal, ethical, simplicity. Does it work?
c) experience – work. Have they failed?
d) education – information/formal
- Deals
a) first or different
b) large market size
c) large gross margins
d) scalability and employment market
e) barrier to entry
PPS As promised in 1993, my 2000 schedule is limited to a fraction of my previous years. I have no scheduled QLA 1-day seminars for 2000. I have two 4-Day Castle Experiences scheduled for 2000 – one in August and the other in November. I have no "Deal Making / Mergers and Acquisitions" seminars scheduled. I have no "Raising Capital" seminars scheduled, though I’d like to give one because it’s my favorite! Speaking of money, last Friday I met with the reigning king of Europe venture capitalist and one of the top in the world. He wrote, "Please besiege us with deals, Dan."
PPPS I will still use the Castle Experience as a filter for future transactions I might be involved with. At the Castle I can easily determine the above 1 and 2.
PPPPS I will continue using The Guthrie Castle Group (see website) as my conduit for various transactions outside direct QLA involvement.
