The future of the world is left to highly educated people who alone can handle the scientific apparatus necessary for prominence in peace or survival in war.

Most people have the view that education stops when you graduate from High School, College or university. You are now qualified in your profession, you don't need to study anymore, right? Unless you are a doctor or computer expert who needs to keep up with changes in technology and research. That was the case in 20thcentury but the when world in slow motion or at war thee wasn't many options available to the masses just a privileged few. The society has always set its standards by which we all live. Those standards are resulted in luck of self believes and self worth. A person could not stand out of the crows what an earth would mates or family say?

From research papers on Alzheimer's disease we learn that people who continue their education and keep their minds sharp by learning, have less chance of suffering from Alzheimer's and related mental disorders. The illness which creates huge burden in families, community facilities and money it takes to mange the those suffering from not only Alzheimer's disease but many poor health that result or are created by just plain luck of inactivity.

Apart from using your mind to keep it sharp, there is also a second and more important reason to keep studying: Personal development. People, who keep reading books on subjects they are interested in or to learn new things, develop their personalities. The self development of knowledge, skills is an industry as you can put those skills into great use, by promoting learning in way of writing, articles, books, and promoting books, selling books. Which in turn creates spin of effect in manr other areas?

Also, the world keeps changing around us: When the baby boomers were young, we were taught by our parents to work hard at school, get good grades, go to college or university and get a qualification so you can get a good job with a good salary and pension plan so you can be secure.

Those who continue reading and learning know that it is no longer enough to get good grades and qualifications. Entire industries become obsolete overnight, for example the record industry. This industry required specialist training, and was obsolete overnight when CD's became available. An entire industry - all workers were made redundant. This is an important reason why we need to learn other ways of making an income. Ways of becoming self sufficient. Our jobs and income, our retirement, is no longer safe or secure. To this end we need to learn ways to create income so that we don't need to depend on a job.

Some adults go back to college, others learn by reading books or doing home study programs by listening to CD's or watching DVD's. Most adults learn from both books and home study courses. There is a lot of information online, and e-books and online audio and video programs are available too. Today the whole new industry has been created entirely based on personal development. In form of seminars, conferences, work shops, mentoring, coaching, books, CD's DVD's, live calls, on line universities, and list could go on and on. The other part of this new wonderful industry is affiliate marketing to sell those wonderful products.

In advents of modern technology such as internet and information technology, the opportunity to learn and be a champion has never been easier. The internet is such a wonderful toll you can find books information that will take your knowledge and your skills to new heights. Our parents, our grand parents and our great grand parents did not have the same opportunities and access to information as we do today.

Internet has created new industry point being that it created opportunities for people to learn new skills and at the same time promote for example a home study course which they can use to learn and sell or promote for residual income.

How sweet it is to be loved by yourself has to be the axiom of choice by those in constant contact with their true self. Billions of dollars is invested yearly by those who seek to improve on the person inside of the body and visible to the rest of the world by their actions, words and posture.

Since the movie "The Secret" became so popular every speaker, article and inspirational website highlight or emphasize the 'Laws of Attraction' and how we are living the results of our perceptions.

Imaginary perceptions give the feeling that there is someone other than ourselves who is totally responsible for the history of our lives and therefore the future outcomes as well. We want to have a better life with dramatically improved results but we fall short of the actions needed to produce those results, like for example: New Years resolutions, and the many attempts of losing weight without medical assistance. The power of our willpower is amazing as is evidenced on the number of times it is hinted at in the bible, self help books, weight loss, quit smoking adds and other motivational exercises............. But yet failure to produce results is the sad ending of many resolutions. The saddest example of all has to do with marital engagements terminating because it commands effort and commitment that so many refuse to do because life is easier on a reclining chair with a remote in one hand and a beverage or cigarette in the other with perhaps a cake too.

You see having ones cake and eating it too, bread buttered on both sides or some other cliché takes the perceived fun out of effort and replaces it with resignation that maybe things would never work out anyway so why bother?

All I can say is thank God for all of us who have believed and continue to believe that the benefits from effort are totally worth it and when we reach our goals no matter how modest they are, we can smile and clap ourselves on the back because we took the first step in believing in ourselves. Money, time and convenience are never roadblocks for determined worthwhile objectives for those of us who want to exit the insane circle of repetitiveness. There will always be pitfalls and the more one does with ones life the more pitfalls one encounters, but so too will the increases in benefits be remarkable. Your positive results will be reflected by the commitment level of your desire to live outside the insane circle of going nowhere. Insanity is not just measured by hospital beds and locked doors with on-duty nurses around the clock, but also by expecting changes when you do not make any changes.

The Barriers to Personal Growth and Development are caused by six reasons that people do not take action on the things they want to experience in life. The six reasons are lack of personal growth, uneducated about personal development, do not set goals, they feel the fear and do not do it anyway, negative feedback from people, and many growth barriers that was acquired while growing up as an adult in life.

So, why is it that many people around the world have a lot of barriers to personal growth and development in their lives today? I often asked myself the same questions about me, and many other people that I have learned from over the years in life. Through the many people I have interviewed over the past year personal growth and development have been a big part of their life.

The first reason that people do not take action in their lives is due to a lack of personal growth. Most people simply will not take any action to improve on their personal growth to improve their lives greatly by experiencing something new in their life.

Second, they are uneducated about personal development being apart of their life. Most people do not understand what personal development is all about, so they are uneducated about how to improve their own life as well as other people in their environment.

The third reason is because people do not set goals to achieve the things they want in life. How many times have you heard a person say I just set a new goal today that’s going to be completed by the end of the week? Not many I bet unless they hung around many like minded individuals that set goals on regular bases in their lives.

Fourth, they feel the fear and do not do it anyway. Most people feel the fear when they are doing things that make them uncomfortable and yet do not go through with it anyway to see results in their experiences.

The fifth reason is negative feedback from people that even do not understand their own life to the degree of giving someone else advise about certain issues in life. I use to hear many times how people are influenced form negative feedback that they got from other people in their life that hinders them from improving their own.

The six reasons are many growth barriers that were acquired while growing up as an adult in life. Most people walk around their entire time on this planet holding on to a lot of garbage that happen in the past to them while growing up as an adult. They keep those same ideas, thinking and feelings so long in their lives to that in itself becomes a habitual way of being in this world today. The best advice that I could give to another human being is this in two words personal development. Apply personal development in your life and you will be amazed at the many new things you will begin to experience in your life today.

We're almost at the age of retirement now and thinking what do I want to do when I grow up? Most of us have worked our whole lives for someone else. What do we have to look forward to after working 20 or 30 years with a company - a gold watch?? Is that all there is?

Are our 401K plans what we expected them to be? Did we put enough away on our own to cover our retirement expenses? Do we have to continue to work past the 65 retirement age? Or are we finding ourselves wanting?

Wanting - desiring - needing?? Wanting more time to enjoy the things we never had time for when we were busy working and raising our families. Desiring to travel and experience different cultures in the world or give our full attention to the hobbies that make us feel fulfilled. Needing to feel free and relaxed without going to the "job". How can I achieve this?

I'm a baby boomer myself. I was tired of working for someone else. Life and setbacks along the way did not afford me the opportunity to put enough away to retire early while I am still healthy and want to play for the next 20 years instead of work. We are living longer and are healthier than the last generation was at 65.

At this age, it is also a time of reflection. Where have I been and where am I going? Have you found yourself asking those same questions? If so, what did you discover about yourself? I discovered that I was looking for something more meaningful in my life. I wanted to give back to the world. I earned a good living at my "job" but really couldn't afford to quit because I still had bills to pay. So I asked myself "how I could earn a living, put money aside for retirement, have free time to enjoy all those things that I always wanted to, and help others along the way?"

I came to the conclusion that I could start my own in-home business. But what kind? There are zillions of home businesses out there. One of my priorities was being able to help others achieve their own goals in life. Another priority was to become financially independent myself.

Since I am a student of personal growth already, I looked at this concept as a business. I went on the net and again found numerous options. So research here I come. I did my due diligence. I was looking for something that would resonate for me. A business that would give me all the attributes that was on my "want" list.

I landed on the personal development business. I felt that this type of business could "kill two birds with one stone". I could give back by mentoring others achieve their goals and become empowered and could earn a great living doing it. But just as important - I am having a blast doing this. I get to work with my husband and build something together. We talk and share more than we have in years. We have a common goal. We are growing in new ways that I never thought possible. Working a personal development program with your partner is so rewarding. Also the excitement of waking up everyday knowing that I can talk to new people not just about how my life has been changed but about how they want their life to change. What are their dreams about? I see such initial excitement from others about the potential of how a personal development program and business will change their lives. When I first began this business I was so full of hope and excitement that I felt like a little kid going to first grade again. Scared but excited at the same time.

We even get to live our dreams of travel. We are going to Hawaii and Rome for our annual conferences this year. Imagine a large group of people with all the same positive thoughts and energy in one room. It is enlightening to say the least. Wow what a deal!!

So, if any of you other baby boomers like me need more out of life, enjoy helping others achieve their dreams, and tired of your "job", I encourage you to check out a personal development business working your own hours from your own home.

Personal development forums are a great place for you to share information, learn new techniques and to meet new people.

Let's face it, sitting at home reading a book can be very lonely. Some of the concepts in these self help books are not exactly clearly explained or easy to understand. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I've had to re-read a page in order to grasp the concept.

And that is where a community like a forum comes in to its own.

You simply pop along to the forum and ask a question and someone there will answer your question. Best of all, you are likely to find more techniques and perhaps gain a much deeper understand of what you were originally reading. Plus, you will get contrasting viewpoints, which are always good to have.

There are a lot of forums out there these days, and most of them are fairly quite. With the rise of MySpace and FaceBook, a new type of personal development forum is growing in popularity. This is the type of interactive forum based on the aforementioned social networking sites. These new forums makes meeting people and sharing people much easier and more interactive.

No longer are you limited to just text but can share audio, video and photos (within copyright laws of course) with other people. Not only do you get to meet people, but you can get to advertise your business and build your credibility in your chosen field.

If you are someone who is interested in self improvement then you should definitely join some online forums and get to meet some new people!

There are thousands, if not millions, of people who are trying to create a better life for themselves and their families. They put their best foot forward and give it everything they've got yet just seem to fail continually.

Why is this so?

The truth of failure, when you try your hardest and are prepared, is low self esteem. You cannot achieve anything of value for yourself if you do not appreciate, respect and love yourself. If you have a self-image that does not support you then no-one else will support and neither will life!

I'm sure you know of someone who sells themselves short in a relationship. There are many people who put up with unloving relationships and relationships that neither support nor encourage them. Most people keep their dreams hidden from the world and even those closest to them. They will not set goals to achieve them due to fear and apathy. What these people lack is a basic belief in themselves and their abilities.

Is there something you would like to achieve in your life or improve but you lack the belief that it is possible for you? Do you see other people succeed and believe that others can do but you can't?

We all suffer from some form of self-doubt. This is a necessary part of the human condition. Self-doubt can keep us safe. It is designed to keep us safe. You have a great deal of doubt that you could walk on water and therefore do not drown. You doubt that you are capable of walking on fire and therefore do not get burned. However, many of our doubts are unfounded and have their roots in the soil of low self-esteem!

If one human has achieved something great then other human beings can achieve it also. If you have dreams and desires rejoice. Ask yourself if you believe God would have given you such dreams and desires if you were incapable of achieving them? Do you think the Creator would be so cruel? You must realise that you would not have these dreams if you were not capable of achieving them!

However, you must learn the skills you need to learn to achieve your goals and make your action worthwhile. But, before you acquire the necessary knowledge and skill to complete the task of achieving your goals it is of major importance that you first believe that you are capable of achieving them.

To build faith and the belief that your goal will be accomplished you must first build faith and belief in yourself. You must build your confidence in your abilities and strengthen your self esteem. This will radically alter your self-image and you will start to view yourself as a winner and someone who can achieve his goals.

Here are four easy to follow steps to building your self esteem and changing your self-image.

1. The first step to high self esteem is to stop berating yourself. We all criticise ourselves. Some do it constantly. This is one of the most damaging things you can do with your thought processes. Be compassionate with yourself when you make mistakes, we all make them. Congratulate yourself that regardless of how many mistakes you have made in the past or how many hurtful experiences you encountered you were able to deal with them and are still here today and getting on with your life.

When you find yourself berating yourself then stop and reverse it. Look for the things that you did right in the situation. If you hadn't have dealt with the situation in the way you did might it have turned out worse?

2. Start to give yourself forgiveness for your previous short-comings. Forgive yourself for any past mistakes you may have made. Write them down if you want and read over them. Take the paper and tear it into tiny pieces, Then throw it away or go outside and let the wind take it for you. This is symbolic of you releasing the past and moving on.

3. Give yourself some approval. Look for the things you have done correctly. Review all the things in life that you have achieved both recently and in the long past. Allow yourself to accept that you have done things right. Give yourself compliments when you achieve even the smallest of objectives. When you complete a goal or obtain an objective reward yourself.

4. Learn to love yourself. Each day for 5 or 10 minutes stand in front of a mirror. Look into your own eyes and say out loud "I love and accept you just as you are." In the beginning this simple exercise can be extremely hard to do. Many people have become so accustomed to beating themselves up that they have forgotten how to nurture themselves. When you do this exercise you will find thoughts and feelings arising that contradict what you are saying. This is the perfect opportunity to release these past negative, false beliefs.

When such thoughts arise do not try to suppress them. Instead allow them to surface and allow yourself to fully feel the emotions that are attached to them. This is vitally important. Suppressing an emotion will keep it active and the thoughts that are linked to it. By allowing the feeling to be fully expressed in your body it will naturally dissipate. If you find some stubborn feelings and thoughts persisting then stop for a moment and give them some real thought. Is that really true about you? Is it possible that the belief you now hold could be incorrect?

When you follow these simple exercises you will build your self esteem to heights unimagined. When you increase your love and approval for yourself your life just starts working. You will find improvements begin almost immediately with little or no effort from you. A by-product of this increased self esteem will be better relationships. Your closest interpersonal relationships will benefit greatly from the work you are doing and it will all happen naturally and effortlessly. It is by loving yourself that you truly learn to love other people. When you have respect for yourself other people are tuned into this and it sends them a clear unconscious message about how you want to be treated. Treat yourself with respect,, love, compassion and kindness and others will treat you that way also.

The role of Personal Development and Self Improvement is to help you achieve your goals in life. Both are designed to give you the skills you need to achieve whatever it is that you want to achieve. But can personal development or self improvement really improve your life situations?

Well, the purpose of both is to do just that. They are both just tools that are used to ensure you will succeed in your chosen life areas. They are designed to help you become happier on the inside and more satisfied with what you have on the outside in any are you chose to apply them!

So how do you start to set goals that truly lead to self improvement, more freedom, happiness and a better lifestyle for you and your family and ultimately more success? This question is not simple to answer because success means different things to different people. Therefore, if you want to become successful you must first have a clear understanding of what success means to you!

A fantastic way to get a clear on what success means for you is to ask yourself the question, "what would I do if I knew I couldn't fail?" Let your mind roam freely and immerse yourself in your inner vision. This vision will give you the clue that you need to unravel the mystery of success.

At an early age every human being knows what they want to do with their lives. We develop dreams and ambitions at a very early age. However as we grow older we are conditioned to believe that these dreams are not possible or are mere fantasies of our imagination. We are told to get an education, a good job, get married, have kids, a mortgage and holiday once a year with our family. By the time most people reach their mid twenties they have all but given up on their dreams or even forgotten what those dreams are. They have become conditioned into believing that they are incapable of achieving what they want in life. This fundamental belief forms the foundation of their self image and the rest of their mental attitudes are build upon it!

It is the role of personal development and self improvement to remove these conditioned mental attitudes from your inner mind and free you to pursue the life course that you chose for yourself. Through the use of personal development and self improvement you can begin today to remove mental conditioning that you received from well-meaning family, peers and teachers. In addition you will also be directed to remove all those negative mental attitudes that have been given to you by not so well-meaning people and those you have developed yourself through negative life experiences. This is not always an easy journey nor is it always enjoyable but the rewards that you receive are a thousand times the effort required.

The freedom that you can experience from removing just one negative mental and negative emotional pattern is akin to the feeling of rest and tranquility you feel after extreme physical exercise. Removing numerous negative mental attitudes and emotional stress from your mind and body is a feeling and experience that is truly hard to describe to someone who has never experienced it themselves.

Jesus Christ said, "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you": Matthew 6:33. By removing the negative mental and emotional attitudes from your mind you free yourself to reach your goals. Let me explain.

For instance you may have a desire to be wealthy and thus set a personal development goal to become financially free. There are thousands of different ways to achieve this goal. There are thousands of methods you could follow and plans you could set in motion that would bring you closer to this goal. Millions of people have gone from rags to riches. So, why does following a plan work for one person and the same plan will not work for another?

It is due entirely to the difference in attitude and mental conditioning!

There are at your disposal numerous personal development and self improvement methods that are designed to help you achieve this goal. Now these tools and methods are not designed to show you the way to become financially free but instead are designed to free you from your own inner resistance to being financially free. Many people think this is a waste of time and would prefer to be given step by step instructions to build financial wealth and I was once one of them. Yet however hard I tried and no matter how many plans and formulas I followed my financial situation actually grow worse.

Why was this? Were the plans I was following just not good enough to create wealth? Were the people peddling these rags to riches methods merely conning me out of my money? Was gaining wealth just pure luck like winning the lottery?

The answer to all of the above questions is no!

The plans I followed had worked for thousands and made them rich! The people selling me the products and methods had all made their fortunes using the very same techniques they were trying to teach me! I later found out that gaining wealth had nothing to do with luck!

It wasn't that these things were not good enough to produce the wealth I craved it was that I THOUGHT I wasn't good enough. When you hold a negative self image and have a negative view of yourself and your abilities it is very difficulty to achieve success no matter how much effort you put into it! This is why it is of paramount importance to first remove the negative conditioning that is holding you back in life.

Your attitude, which is only composed of thoughts and feelings, is responsible for your actions. Thought is the creator of action! Every action you perform, no matter how small or big, first begins in your mind as a thought. Each thought begins as a feeling. Think of when you met your last partner. You first felt the attraction. Then you had the thought that you would like to meet them. Then you performed some action to make that happen. Think of the last time you went out socializing. You had the feeling that you would like to have some fun, or be with your friends, were feeling lonely etc. Then you had the thought. Then you performed the action.

If your actions are motivated by your thoughts and feelings and your attitude is composed of thoughts and feelings do you think you could succeed at a given task if you hold a negative mental attitude about it or your ability to succeed at it?

Once you embrace personal development and begin to use any of the myriad of self improvement tools to remove your negative mental attitudes you will naturally find yourself becoming more successful in life. You actions will be more positive and you will unconsciously perform the correct actions that will lead you to success. I am sure you can know see how important it is to set some personal development goals. Not only will you see improvement in your self, you will also see many symptoms of success added unto you!

It is possible to release your past regardless of how painful or deprived it was. Through these personal development techniques you let go of all your emotional baggage and start fresh.

Once you release your emotional attachment to your past you are free to enjoy the present. From this powerful place of being happy and content with where you are you can then begin to create the future of your dreams.

Although you cannot change anything that has happened in the past you can change how your past experiences affect your future. The first step to releasing the past is to accept that it happened. No matter how traumatic the experience or how distasteful the memory is you must acknowledge here and now that it occurred. This is what we call entering a state of Acceptance. Many people live their entire lives wanting to change the past. They moan that if only things had been different their life would be so much better. The past is gone. It happened. There is no way to change the past so there is no point wishing that it never happened or that it happened differently. You cannot change it so accept it!

After acceptance you can enter a state of peace when you realise that the past, all of it, good and bad experiences alike have helped to form and mould the person you are today. All the knowledge, desire and love that are in you right now are a direct result of the past experiences that make up your life.

Next realise that the past has some powerful lessons to teach you. Have you learned anything positive from your past experiences? Use your past as a learning tool. See where you went wrong and make the changes you need to make today so that your future becomes a bright and welcoming place. Never use your past as an excuse to stay the way you are or to tolerate circumstances and situations with which you are currently unhappy! Realise that the past has been and gone. All you have is this moment and that is all you need to make changes.

Many millions of people throughout the centuries have overcome their own personal adversity to achieve great things. You can do the same. These people refused to accept what life had handed them. They never moaned about their past nor allowed it to interfere with their present and thus they created their future the way they wanted it to be.

You should never use the past an excuse for staying stuck in your life. Your power is always in the present moment. Use your past negative experiences as a motivational tool to spur you on. It is all about your perception! It is your perception of the things around you that determines your reality. What you focus on expands. This means you get more of what you focus on in life. If you chose to focus on the mistakes and hardships of your past then that is what you will experience more of.

But if you decide to put the past where it belongs, in the past, and fully embrace the present moment and where you are you will find yourself in a powerful creative place. Only revisit the past to learn from it not as an emotional trip. Although much of your current mental conditioning originates from childhood and early life experiences it can be changed. By making the decision now and holding the intention now that the past will no longer affect you, you can free yourself from your own self-imposed bondage.

From this place of freedom you can make decisions based upon current situations and circumstances instead of being the slave to reactive emotional thinking and acting. The evidence is everywhere that people with painful, damaging pasts have overcame them and gone on to achieve high levels of success. Look at the business world, sports, creative arts etc. There are rags to riches stories everywhere you care to look.

You may encounter past experiences that are very difficult for you to realease. At these times you should seek professional help in whatever form you feel appropriate, even if it is just a subliminal or hypnosis recording. Do something now to release your past - make the decision that it will no longer rule over your current life. Intend to be free of the past. In your own mind decide now that no matter what you need to do you will release your emotional issues. Even though you may not know how you are going to do this yet hold the intention that you will do it. When you do this and begin to live in the now you will be more content and at peace while you wait for your marvelous future to unfold.

It is possible to release your past regardless of how painful or deprived it was. Through these personal development techniques you let go of all your emotional baggage and start fresh.

Once you release your emotional attachment to your past you are free to enjoy the present. From this powerful place of being happy and content with where you are you can then begin to create the future of your dreams.

Although you cannot change anything that has happened in the past you can change how your past experiences affect your future. The first step to releasing the past is to accept that it happened. No matter how traumatic the experience or how distasteful the memory is you must acknowledge here and now that it occurred. This is what we call entering a state of Acceptance. Many people live their entire lives wanting to change the past. They moan that if only things had been different their life would be so much better. The past is gone. It happened. There is no way to change the past so there is no point wishing that it never happened or that it happened differently. You cannot change it so accept it!

After acceptance you can enter a state of peace when you realise that the past, all of it, good and bad experiences alike have helped to form and mould the person you are today. All the knowledge, desire and love that are in you right now are a direct result of the past experiences that make up your life.

Next realise that the past has some powerful lessons to teach you. Have you learned anything positive from your past experiences? Use your past as a learning tool. See where you went wrong and make the changes you need to make today so that your future becomes a bright and welcoming place. Never use your past as an excuse to stay the way you are or to tolerate circumstances and situations with which you are currently unhappy! Realise that the past has been and gone. All you have is this moment and that is all you need to make changes.

Many millions of people throughout the centuries have overcome their own personal adversity to achieve great things. You can do the same. These people refused to accept what life had handed them. They never moaned about their past nor allowed it to interfere with their present and thus they created their future the way they wanted it to be.

You should never use the past an excuse for staying stuck in your life. Your power is always in the present moment. Use your past negative experiences as a motivational tool to spur you on. It is all about your perception! It is your perception of the things around you that determines your reality. What you focus on expands. This means you get more of what you focus on in life. If you chose to focus on the mistakes and hardships of your past then that is what you will experience more of.

But if you decide to put the past where it belongs, in the past, and fully embrace the present moment and where you are you will find yourself in a powerful creative place. Only revisit the past to learn from it not as an emotional trip. Although much of your current mental conditioning originates from childhood and early life experiences it can be changed. By making the decision now and holding the intention now that the past will no longer affect you, you can free yourself from your own self-imposed bondage.

From this place of freedom you can make decisions based upon current situations and circumstances instead of being the slave to reactive emotional thinking and acting. The evidence is everywhere that people with painful, damaging pasts have overcame them and gone on to achieve high levels of success. Look at the business world, sports, creative arts etc. There are rags to riches stories everywhere you care to look.

You may encounter past experiences that are very difficult for you to realease. At these times you should seek professional help in whatever form you feel appropriate, even if it is just a subliminal or hypnosis recording. Do something now to release your past - make the decision that it will no longer rule over your current life. Intend to be free of the past. In your own mind decide now that no matter what you need to do you will release your emotional issues. Even though you may not know how you are going to do this yet hold the intention that you will do it. When you do this and begin to live in the now you will be more content and at peace while you wait for your marvelous future to unfold.