Steve Pavlina. Personal development for intelligent people. Personal Development Everything from a recognized personal development expert

I never think about beauty when I work on a problem. I only think about how to solve it. But, finishing the work, I know that if the decision is ugly, then it is wrong.

R. Buckminster Fupper

Do you remember the moment when you first became interested in personal development? I remember exactly. This happened in January 1991 - I was then in a prison cell. I was arrested for major theft. It wasn't my first encounter with the law, and I knew I was in serious trouble. I was only nineteen.

I started stealing shortly after I arrived in Berkeley, California, during my first semester at the University of California. I didn’t steal for my money or my reputation, but for the thrill. I was an adrenaline junkie. The compulsion to steal was so strong that shoplifting became as much a part of my daily life as my morning cup of coffee. Usually I didn't care what to steal. I was attracted by the very act of theft. On a typical outing, I would take a dozen candies and then leave them somewhere in a public place, hoping that someone would eat them. I myself did not eat candy - I thought it was harmful.

Three days in prison, when I could only wallow in the quagmire of my own stupidity, became hell. All the horror of the real state of affairs fell upon me. At school, I was a full-time student, president of the math club and captain of the academic decathlon team. My student future - I was preparing to become a specialist in computer technology - seemed surprisingly bright, and I smashed it to smithereens with my own hands. I was to spend the next couple of years behind bars!

Returning to my apartment, I received a letter from the University of Berkeley, in which I was informed in no uncertain terms about the expulsion. This is usually done when a student does not appear in class, and his average grades fall below the plinth. At that moment, I realized that I had two options: either to grow up, or give up and go with the flow.

During the following months, while awaiting trial, I was in utter despondency. I slept until noon. He plunged into video games, sometimes sitting at the computer for eighteen hours a day (this is not about online games with a large number of participants, but about playing Nintendo). It's hard to live with the expectation that you are about to be sent to jail.

Finally, I hired a lawyer and met with him to discuss the situation. Before I could open my mouth, he blurted out, “Steve, I looked into your case. Since this is your first offense, I am confident that I will be able to qualify it as petty theft. If we don’t dispute the charge, you will get off with the minimum community service penalty. I'm on good terms with the district attorney and I think he'll do it. I do not recommend contradicting the accusation, he has enough evidence - you were caught red-handed. "

My head started spinning: “The first offense? Was he misled? Why does he think that I was detained for the first time? Or does he know nothing about previous drives? If he thinks that this is my first offense, do not they think the same in court? Should I report the bug to him? "

While I was trying to figure out what to do, an inner voice said: "Fool, shut your mouth and shut up!" I realized that by honestly telling everything, I would get myself in trouble in the future, although there was a chance that recognition would benefit me. I realized that in the worst case, I would someday have to face an angry lawyer, and it was a sin to refuse the best scenario. Major theft is a serious crime, petty is just a minor offense. I decided to take a chance and keep silent. Risk was generally my hobby.

A few weeks later there was a trial. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. My plan was as follows: keep my mouth shut as much as possible and speak only when someone asks me about something. Before entering the courtroom, I looked through the documents on my case. None of my previous detentions were mentioned there. Was there a human error or a computer error? In any case, it played into my hands.

Of course, when my lawyer and I entered the courtroom, the court was confident that this was my first offense, and considered it in this capacity. I didn’t dispute the petty theft charge and received sixty hours of community service. When I jumped out of the court, my head was spinning with happiness. The next two years of my life were mine again!

I spent those sixty hours as if it were my dream job, because I knew too well what threatened me: I could lose seventeen thousand five hundred and twenty hours of my life. It is hard to imagine a more joyful time than what I spent collecting trash in Emeryville. You have no idea how wonderful freedom is until you realize that you can lose it. I was immensely grateful to fate for the chance that fell to me, which I did not deserve at all.

I would like to say that my recovery from these events was quick and easy, but it was not. Despite the amazing gift of fate, it turned out to be incredibly difficult to get your life back on track. Saying goodbye to friends in Berkeley, I returned to my native Los Angeles and got a job in a store. Even with a criminal record, I could have found a better job, but I didn't want anything. I just wanted security. I wanted to live without attracting attention to myself, without any stress and excitement. Courage has become my enemy.

The whole year of a calm, quiet life, I worked on myself. And gradually he developed a code of ethics for himself, including such values ​​as honor, honesty, decency, modesty and conscientiousness. This deliberate process of personality restructuring continued for several years. After a while, I felt that it was time to return to the university. It seemed to me that if I could get a degree in programming, it would somehow atone for my past mistakes.

In the fall of 1992, I entered my first year at California State University Northridge (CSUN). There were a lot of free places in the groups wishing to study electronics. I got the opportunity to attend classes, and no one cared that I was once expelled from Berkeley. At twenty-one, I became a different person - not the same as at eighteen. A lot has changed. I developed a passion for personal growth, and I felt a strong desire to do my best for this.

It seemed to me that I had lost three years, and could not come to terms with the idea that I would have to spend four more years studying. I knew that I myself was to blame for everything, but I really wanted to speed up the course of events. So I set myself an ambitious goal: to get a degree in three semesters, taking on a triple study load. People who knew me thought I was crazy, but they could not look into my soul. I completely and completely focused on my goal and knew that nothing could stop me on the way to it. It was the only way to earn that amazing gift that I received: freedom.

In order to work with full dedication, I studied time management techniques and immediately put them into practice. I listened to motivational tapes daily to maintain a positive attitude. I trained to deal with stress and found an exceptionally good way to increase my productivity. I experienced an incredible surge of energy and strength because I knew that I was doing my best. I worked hard, passed exams with excellent marks and even chose a second specialization for myself - mathematics. At the graduation ceremony, I received a special prize as the best student of the year in my main specialty.

Steve Pavlina is one of the most renowned self-development experts in both the United States and Russia. Over the years, he studied the literature on personal growth and came to the conclusion that there is currently no truly effective approach. There are many methods for spiritual development, and they all contradict each other. Trying to put these ideas into practice, Steve received only a rambling jumble of views. Taking this problem seriously, he found a "general scheme" behind all attempts at personal growth, and created his own - universal! - method.

This method consists in using seven universal principles that allow you to reveal the unvarnished truth about your inner qualities. The reader is invited to analyze in detail his ideas and beliefs in each area of ​​life (family, career, health, relationships, spirituality), and then apply simple exercises in order to change them for the better. Stories from the author's life and valuable practical advice will help you understand how these principles work, will help you achieve success in business, family, sports, and become a truly happy person.

Steve Pavlina's book is for those who really want to “live” and not “survive”, who want to know life from different angles and change their habits and beliefs once and for all!

On our site you can download the book "Course on personal development for smart people. Master class from a recognized specialist" Steve Pavlina for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read the book online or buy a book on the Internet store.

There are many books on personal growth. And there is a completely logical explanation for this - the subject of research is very subtle and multifaceted. Each person needs their own approach and their own principles. Steve Pavlina, a renowned personal development expert, is committed to the idea of ​​mindful improvement.

His methodology is based on seven main principles: truth, love, strength, unity, authority, courage and intelligence. By building your life and way of thinking in accordance with these principles, you can achieve a lot in almost all areas of life: find your favorite job, build relationships with loved ones, and just (maybe this will be the most important?) You will achieve harmony with yourself ...

Who is this book for?

For people looking for, for those who want and are ready to consciously change their lives for the better. Or it already does it and wants to learn about new opportunities.

Why we decided to publish this book

Because it is practically universal and really useful in finding your own path and calling. We actually find it very useful.

The "trick" of the book

From the author

Seek the truth with open eyes. Feel free to accept your discoveries and their consequences. Rid your life of lies, denial and fear. Make truth your ally, not your enemy. It’s not easy, but it’s right.

Share your love openly. Connect with yourself and with other people, tune in to the connection that already exists between you. The risk of being rejected is nothing compared to the reward of love. Whenever you feel alienated, go and mingle with a human being. Remember that you are always loved.

Fully develop your abilities and use your own strength to serve the highest good. False power spoils, real power uplifts. The more truth and love you have, the greater your ability to use force wisely. If you give up success, no one will benefit.

Enjoy your incredible life journey. Accept your own strengths and weaknesses as equally valuable. Realize that the greatest sorrows open up the greatest joys for you. Tell others your stories and know that you are not alone. Be grateful for the present moment.

Live mindfully.

The book by an American expert on personal growth and self-development Steve Pavlin's "Personal Development" for those who are looking for their own way, looking for themselves in life. This work is universal and suits absolutely every person who is looking for his vocation.

What will help to develop

• Seek the truth with open eyes.
• Feel free to accept your discoveries and their consequences.
• Rid your life of lies, denial and fear.
• Personal relationships can be the richest source of spiritual growth.
• Spending too much time alone can make you lose touch with reality!
• If you want to make a lot of money, you must create substantial social value. The more you produce them, the more money you can get. It is a mutually beneficial worldview as you put value into the system while benefiting others.

Are you aware of the fact that you, too, have an impact on everyone with whom you deal? By our example, we teach others how to live.

When you are in an intimate relationship, remember that your partner is not your property... Don't cling to people so tightly as to make it impossible for them to contact someone else besides you.

The best thing you can do to empower other people is get strong... You will be of much greater benefit to those around you if you follow this principle. Weakening yourself will not help anyone. For the whole body to be strong, individual cells must take good care of themselves.

If you are in need of a new relationship, do not wait for people to come to you. Take the lead. Prolonged waiting is fraught with many missed opportunities and leads to disappointment!

Employment

Probably the most common way to make money is selling your time... You get a job and trade your watch for dollars. The higher your ability to create something socially significant, the more you can earn.

The difference between earning twenty-five and two hundred and fifty dollars is that the second job has much more social value!

1. To make a career satisfying, you cannot just walk like a blind man along the path that others have chosen. Don't compromise. If you realize that you are moving along the path without a heart, leave it as quickly as possible.
2. Try to avoid a common mistake and don't hold on to a career that robs you of your strength. If your contribution is not appreciated or respected, get up and leave. Go where your talents will be recognized. Otherwise, you will simply continue to humiliate yourself.
3. You are solely responsible for the development of your career, so it makes sense to do what you like, and not be content with what you do not like. Your current position is the result of your previous decisions, and if it does not suit you, remember that you are always free to make a new choice... The only one who can prevent you from doing this is yourself.
4. Your career is your business. At a basic level it's just what you spend your time on... Of course, if you are going to live with awareness, this choice becomes very important.

Personal effectiveness

Highlight exact time for work over a separate task or habit. One hour a day can give you a healthier body, a finished book, or a lucrative website in a year.

1. Daily goals. Set goals in advance for each day. Decide what you will do and then do it. Without a clear focus, we are too easily distracted.
2. The most unpleasant thing is first of all. To avoid procrastination, learn to tackle the most frustrating problems first. Deal with them in the morning without delaying until the evening. This small victory will set the tone for the day.
3. Peak productivity. Determine when you peak in productivity, and plan the most important things for this period. Do less important things at other times.
4. Communication-free zones. Set aside untouchable periods of time for specific work.

If you know exactly what you want, don't be content with something else. Take for granted that success takes time perhaps more than you desired. Let go of a mindset of quick and easy, for no reason, and so on. Roll up your sleeves, work hard, and know that your efforts will pay off in the long run as you learn and grow.

Take a look around and see the results you have achieved so far. Life is just doing your commands. If you want different results, you must give other orders. You are the only one who has the power to make decisions. No one but you can become the leader of your life.

Set a daily minimum for yourself in a given activity. This ensures constant progress and is a fantastic way to develop self-discipline.

Use of time

Time is not a resource at our disposal. We cannot waste time. It doesn't matter what you do and what you don’t do, time goes on as usual. You have no choice - to spend time or not. Your only choice is where to focus your attention at the moment.

• Your choice is made only by you, and no one can dictate it to you. Never make excuses for what you want. You want what you want and that's enough.
• If you want results, go and achieve them yourself. Taking responsibility for your life means being willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve your desired goal.
• Nobody will come to save you. No one will build your dream career for you, no one will solve your problems in personal relationships. No one will remove excess fat from your body. If you don't actively solve your problems, they will never be solved.

If you try to refuse or evade the burden of responsibility, then after a while it will still fall on your shoulders. You allowed yourself to weaken your zeal in career matters, began to consume large quantities of fast food and quarrel with loved ones - which means that you create troubles that you in any case you will have to experience... The sooner you realize that total responsibility is inevitable, the better it will be for you.

When your strength is insufficient, you cannot effectively meet your own needs and desires and become a victim of the environment. When your power is great, you arrange life as you choose, and the environment becomes a reflection of it.

Steve Pavlina

Personal development for smart people

Introduction

“When I work on a problem, I never think about beauty. I only think about solving the problem. But after graduation, if the solution is not beautiful, I know that it is not correct. "

Richard Buckminster FULLER

Do you remember the first time you got interested in personal development? I AM definitely remember. It was in January 1991 when I was in a prison cell. I was only arrested for theft on a large scale. This was not my first time with the law, so I knew I was in trouble. I was 19 years old.

I AM started stealing after moving to Berkeley, California, during his first semester at the University of California, Berkeley. I AM I didn't steal for money or reputation, I stole for the thrill. I AM addicted to the adrenaline rush. The urge to steal was so strong that shoplifting became part of the routine, no more than an espresso every day. Usually I didn't care what to steal, I was attracted to the act itself. On a typical walk, I would steal a dozen chocolate bars and then leave them in a public place, believing that someone would eat them. I AM didn’t eat candy because he considered it unhealthy.

While I was in jail for several days in January, doing nothing other than basking in my own stupidity, the reality of the situation I was in came crashing down on me. At school, I was an excellent student, president of the math club, and captain of the Academic Decathlon team. My future in computer science as a whole looked incredibly bright, but somehow I tore it to pieces. Now I was planning to spend the next year or two behind bars.

Upon returning to my apartment after three days in prison, I received a letter from the university informing in no uncertain terms about the expulsion. Apparently schools are doing this kind of thing if you don't show up in class and your GPA starts with a decimal point. At that moment, I realized that there are two main options for how to act in such a situation: grow up or give up.

For the next several months, while awaiting trial, I was in complete panic. Almost every day I woke up in the afternoon. I AM played video games for days on end, sometimes for 18 hours. These are single player NINTENDO games, not multiplayer online games. It's hard to feel motivated when you expect to go to jail for a while.

In the end, I was provided with a lawyer and I met with him at his office to discuss my situation. Before I could open my mouth, he said, “Steve, I have reviewed the case, and since this is your first crime, I’m sure we can get it classified as petty theft. If you plead guilty, you will receive a reduced conviction and end up with community service. I AM knows the district attorney very well, and I'm sure he'll do it. I AM strongly against the proceedings in court, as the evidence against you is indisputable, you were caught red-handed. "

Immediately my thoughts began to move. First crime? Does he confuse me? Why does he think this is my first crime? Does he know about past crimes? If he thinks this is the first crime, will others in court think the same? Should I clarify his serious error?

While I was deciding how to answer, I heard a voice in my head: Keep your mouth shut! I AM realized that if I said now, it could have negative consequences later, but there was also little hope that the consequences would be positive. I AM realized that in the worst case, the lawyer would be very angry in the end, but at the best it was too good to get through. Major theft is a felony; petty theft is only petty crime. I AM decided that he should take the risk. Taking risks was an all too familiar pastime.

A few weeks later we went to court and I was terribly nervous. My plan was to keep my mouth shut as much as possible and say as little as possible. Outside the courtroom, I went through the documents on my case. None of my past transgressions have been listed. Was it human or computer error? Anyway, this was one big mistake in my favor.

Of course, when my lawyer and I entered the courtroom, the court was sure that this was the first crime and the process proceeded accordingly. I AM pleaded guilty, and did not object to the mitigation of the category for petty theft, having received 60 hours of community service. My head was spinning as I popped out of the courtroom. The next two years of my life were mine again.

I AM worked those 60 hours as if it were my dream job, knowing that my punishment could be 17520 hours. It’s hard to remember a happier time in my life than the days I spent picking up rubbish in EMERYVILLE MARINA. You have no idea how wonderful freedom seems when you know you can lose it. I AM felt immense gratitude for the second chance I received, which I didn’t seem to deserve.

I would like to say that my recovery from these events was quick and easy, but it was not. Despite this amazing gift, it was incredibly difficult to turn your life around. I AM said goodbye to his friends from Berkeley and moved back to his native Los Angeles. I AM got a minimum wage retail job. Even with a criminal record, I could hardly have found a more lucrative position, but I just didn't want to. I AM I just wanted to play without risk, stay below the radar, dragging out a "vanilla" life, devoid of stress and excitement. Courage has now become my enemy.

For a year of quiet and calm life, I worked on myself. Gradually, I developed a new code of ethics that guided me, integrating values ​​such as honor, decency, honesty, humility and fairness. This conscious recovery process was to continue for at least a few more years. As the months passed, I began to feel that I was getting better, and I decided it was time to get back to school. I AM felt that if I got a computer science education, it would somehow erase my past mistakes.

In the fall of 1992, I entered California State University Northridge (CSUN), starting as a freshman. At CSUN, the Computer Science program was not overcrowded, which meant there was plenty of room for new students. I was guaranteed admission even if I just filled out the application form, so they didn't care if I failed at the University of Berkeley. Now at 21, I was not the same as at 18. Something has changed. I AM developed a passion for personal growth, and felt a strong desire this time to do everything he could.

In my opinion, I was already three years behind, and could not accept the fact that it would take me four more years to finish my studies. I AM knew that he himself was responsible for this situation, and really wanted to speed up the process. Therefore, I set an ambitious goal of getting an education in three semesters, taking on a triple load. My friends thought that I was crazy, but they could not look into my heart. I AM was 100% committed to my goal, and knew that nothing could stop me on the way to achieving my goal. It was the only way to honor the immense gift of freedom.

To prepare myself for the bulk of the work, I learned time management techniques and immediately applied the new knowledge. I AM listened to cassette tapes of motivation courses every day to maintain a positive attitude. I AM trained daily to deal with stress, and found creative methods to increase productivity. I AM I felt a huge flow of energy and drive, because I knew that I was doing everything to the limit of my capabilities. I AM worked hard and did a great job. I AM even doubled my math load again. When I graduated, I received a special award as the best computer science student of the year.