How It All Started
I was never interested in reading non-fiction books as I have always associated them with boring autobiographies, history, or science-y books. One day in 2015, I was mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest looking for life hacks and advice for students when I came across a pin to a blog post which featured a list of bloggers every 20-something-year-old girl should follow. I just subscribed to a few of them, not really expecting much other than more tips to survive school (and life in general). Overtime, I realised I was looking forward to reading emails from a particular blogger called Sam Laura Brown (her blog formerly known as SmartTwenties). As Snapchat was popular then, I also followed her there.
A couple of months later, I stumbled upon one of her Snapchat stories showing her listening to Brooke Castillo’s The Life Coach School (TLCS) Podcast Episode 34: No Hard Days. She said she was re-listening to it because it was her favourite episode. Curious, I looked it up on Youtube and listened to it while I went about my chores that day.
To my surprise, I found it super relatable and my mind was blown after that. I began listening to other episodes from TLCS and learnt about the model and started to think differently. I will never forget that day when I finally understood the power of my thoughts. It felt so empowering, knowing that nothing can mentally harm you except your own thoughts. I am forever grateful to Sam for recommending TLCS to me (I sent her a thank-you note to let her know!).
The Impact It Had On My Life
Throughout my journey, I have read, followed and listened to many others sharing their knowledge, advice and experiences in personal development. Here are a few actions that I have applied. The first is that I have changed the way I have been thinking about myself and others. I realised the importance of self-image and how having limiting beliefs can be so crippling. Secondly, I have developed a morning routine that I can stick to majority of the time. Thirdly, I try to distance myself and look at myself from a third person perspective. This helps in situations where I self-sabotage. Granted, I still struggle to implement and apply the concepts sometimes, but I’ve learnt to be patient, yet firm with myself.
There are so many topics in the world of personal development, and I still do not consider myself as an expert in it. However, after more than 4 years of immersing myself in that world, I can proudly say that it has saved me from a lot of unnecessary drama and self-loathing.
Personal development changed my life and it will continue to evolve me to become the best version of myself.
So that is my story. What’s yours?
