In the past days I have talked to so many people to find out, why they don’t invest in themselves to master their lives in an efficient and effective way.
Here are their answers and my thoughts to it:

I’m finished with my studies and I don’t need to learn anything more.

This one you can find a lot in the younger generation.
Fresh from school or university they have the feeling, that now they are someone and stop learning. Unfortunately, learning is a life-long task. But not only that. Also unlearning and relearning is important, as this world is changing so fast by now, that we need to work harder, to keep up with it.
And to be honest: did school really taught you, who you are or what your strengths and values are and where you would fit perfectly with them and be happier in your life? Probably not.

My employer should do it.

I came across these a lot of times during my earlier seminars as an application trainer. People who would never spend a dime on a seminar or self-help book themselves. But if you think, that this costs too much and you don’t need it anyway, ask yourself why your employer should invest in you, if you don’t do even want to do it… And stop complaining!

I will just learn on the job.

Some skills can definitely be learned on the job, but some others not. Especially soft skills are hard to come by. And even hard skills you might need to learn in your freetime, just to get your job done. Your employer didn’t hire you to just learn things, but to do things so that he/she can earn more money. Don’t forget that.

I don’t have time, to pursue new learning.

A classic one. However, the people who say this are a lot of times spending 1-2 hours at least on TV or online, watching some kind of “crap” (including commercials every couple of seconds 😉 ) or wasting their time in a different way.
If they use only a fraction of that time for personal development, they can get better by 1% every single day – at least! Think about it if 37.78 times better in a year then on day 1 is worth it…

I would never ask feedback from my managers, peers and juniors, as it may not be very comfortable.

A lot of times we think of feedback as something bad. But feedback helps us to improve. It is the only thing, that guides us to know where we are already good at and where we are lacking some skills. Use feedback regularly. And if your company doesn’t have a feedback culture: invent one!
Ask your colleagues, your managers even your friends and family members what they thing you are good at and where your could improve and be surprised about their answers! Often, they see things in us, where we have a blind spot for. Enjoy!

I don’t want to change

Humans seem to like being inside their comfort zone and not leaving it. People are very much averse to change. The irony is everybody wants the change but nobody is willing to make a change. Why? Easy. Bcause no one wants to leave their comfort zone. To make change happen, one has to work, one has to plan and execute and it will require time, will and effort which of course is not everybody’s priority. Often, I hear things like “I don’t have a problem, so, why should I change?”
Well, success and greatness is always found outside your comfort zone. You just need to allow it to happen.

Lack of funds

Yes, sometimes personal development can be quite expensive. But ask yourself this: for what other things are you spending money? Cigarettes? Regular visits to the Coffee shop? A new handbag? The latest phone?
Do you really need these things or could the money be better invested into Personal Development and get a return on invest? Even in the form of more money…

Lack of initiative

I came across many of them in the past weeks. People who try to grab every freebie they can get their hands on. However, most of them will never do anything with them. Or you go to seminars, but don’t implement what you have learned. If you belong to this fraction, ask yourself: why do you accumulate these things and don’t take action? What are you afraid of? What’s holding you back?

Not knowing where to begin

That can be quite an issue and I fell prone to it, too in the past. What I can highly recommend is, get yourself a coach, who can make a detailed assessment with you and sets you on your way. Who also is your accountability parter. It makes things so much easier and you will see that the investment in a coach is the best thing you have ever done! Because it is the fastest way to success!