Personal Development: Like Picking Through Discount Auto Parts
// November 25th, 2008 // Personal Development
Sometimes we think about personal development and building your brand in terms of the tools we use. We talk about Twitter, FriendFeed, Blogging, Digg, StumbleUpon, and RSS Feeds. The issue with this is that tools are not useful in the wrong hands. Even in the right hands, your tools are useless unless you have raw materials to create something.
If you want to sell hammers, write about how to make holes
The above quote has been done to death, but it seems nobody really reads it. Did you ever buy a hammer just because it looked nice and shiny in the hardware store? (if you answered yes to that, it’s ok. I won’t tell anyone)
On the same note, personal development is not about arming yourself with a bunch of tools. It’s about developing yourself. Pimping your ride, if you will. You are a basic frame, a chassis with a double-wishbone suspension. You’ve got massive amounts of discount auto parts to pick and choose from to make yourself just a little better. Think of these parts like pieces of knowledge or nuggets of wisdom. The ones that fit you best, you stick them under your hood or snap them onto your interior. They become part of you.
Now, this process is obviously not about looks. You may grab parts from different niches that have nothing to do with each other. Honda auto parts with different colored doors, rims that don’t match, and a leopard-skin interior. Maybe some BMW auto parts, a little network marketing, some door-to-door sales, some software development, a dash of humor, and a sprinkling of geekery.
It doesn’t matter what parts you pick. What matters is that those parts are the best fit for your vehicle. Pick the best parts to develop your brand, broaden your mind, and increase your value. Don’t just pick stuff because it’s shiny and new.
No matter how shiny your tools, how many books you have on your shelf, how many conferences you attend, your value depends on how well you are able to incorporate and use those parts.
You should also read:
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Matt
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Rahsheen
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Rahsheen
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Da Vinci
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Discount auto parts

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