I just finished reviewing all the answers that my loyal email list subscribers gave me right after subscribing to my free personal development newsletter for the 5 Day Intro Course. This was some real insight for me and I will work hard to deliver solutions for these wishes, hopes and problems you want to solve in your life. Thank you for this truly great feedback!
The question I asked was:
„If I could help you with one single thing in your life, what would that be?“
I think this is a pretty clever question since it narrows down the focus to one single, the most important single problem you see in your life right now. Also it’s an open question, there where no options to select, which gave me some real intimate and elaborate answers. And since I ask it right after the email signup I got over 50% response-rate on the question.
So what are the most commonly seen answers to that question? Maybe you want to take a guess!?
I tried to categorize the 1,287 answers and here is the Top 10 of the most pressing topics of you, my readers:
10. Find Inner Peace
Many of you are looking to develop a deeper peace of mind and live in harmony peacefully everyday. This can be achieved especially by doing inner work. You can especially find inner peace by doing the right things, building up inner space and living in the present.
If this is you, read: How to Find Inner Peace by Building Inner Space
and read: What is the Present Moment
9. Improve Your Career and Job-Situation
Finding a good job, or finding a new job and improving your career is a pressing life’s problem for many. Especially the decision to find a new orientation for your career is a difficult one. Sometimes you also have to think about quitting your job and if you want to start your own business.
If this is you, read: How to Find the Right Career Part 1 and Part 2
Interesting external read: 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job (Steve Pavlina)
Interesting external read: How to Quit Your Day Job (Paid To Exist)
8. Eliminate Negativity and Be Positive
Getting aware of your negative thought patterns and then actually changing them is the key to get negativity out of your head. Awareness is always the first step. The second step is change.
If this is you, read: What to Do When Life Sucks?
and read: The Small Guide to Overcome Negativity
7. Find and Live Your Passion
For fulfillment in your professional life there is nothing much more important than finding and following your passion. But be warned, it is important to not do this blindly. If you plan to make a living from your passion, you have to make sure that you have the potential to be the best in your field and that you are providing value for the needs of people.
If this is you, read: How to Follow Your Passion and Do What You Love without Going Broke
and read: Success: The Only Guide You Need on How to Be Successful in Life
Interesting external read: How Do I Find My Passion? The Missing „Recovery“ Method (Paid To Exist)
6. Being Happy
The Dalai Lama said everyone on earth is seeking happiness. It is in your code and it is the right thing to do. But happiness can’t be chased directly, it always comes as a by-product of something else in life.
If this is you, read: What is Happiness to You?
and read: The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness
5. Find and Improve a Relationship
Love is always a hot topic and having found and created a great relationship is one of life’s continuous joys. I just noticed that I haven’t posted a lot on relationships myself here, so that will be a topic I will cover more now.
Interesting external read: Soulful Relationships (Steve Pavlina)
Interesting external read: 10 Ways to Create a Strong, Intimate Relationship (Tiny Buddha)
Interesting external read: How to Build Intimacy in Any Relationship (Think Simple Now)
4. Improve Ability to Focus Clearly
Your mental focus is the director of your mind. Where you focus your attention to, your energy and time goes. Being able to concentrate and to effectively use your mental focus, for a longer period of time, is a key skill that can really improve your overall life. This is a topic that I already covered in detail.
If this is you, read: How to Focus Your Mind: Develop a Laser-Sharp Mental Focus
and read: Why Single-Minded Focus is the Only Real Way
and also read: The 5 Steps to Focus Your Mind and Flow Into The Zone
3. Develop the Mindset of Personal Growth
The third most pressing life problem from the case study was the general wish to develop a mindset for personal development. Continuously improve yourself and therefore improve your life, one step after another. This also includes to eliminate your limitations and to clear your mind of anything that could hold you back. Then you develop a no-limit mindset and life starts to just flow for you.
If this is you, read: The Right Mindset: Change Your Mindset in 6 Steps
and read: Take Responsibility in Your Life
and also read: How to Change Limiting Beliefs
2. Increase Self Esteem / Self-Confidence
Everybody wants you to be self-confident: your wife, your boss, your followers, your parents and your kids. Self-Confidence is an evergreen in the personal development field. Nothing can make or break your own ability to create the life your want as your self-confidence. It is also closely linked to your self-image: how you see yourself in the world.
If you want to improve self-confidence, read: How to Build Self-Confidence
Interesting external read: How to increase your self-esteem (Mind.org.uk)
1. Improve Your Money Situation
The answers in this category ranged from „Getting out of debt“ over „Help me to eliminate my limiting beliefs towards financial abundance“ to „Achieving financial freedom“.
I was a bit surprised to find it the number one topic on a community that is geared towards personal development. And it may have something to do with the fact that I chunked everything related to money and finances into this category, but it was a huge gap between money on position 1 and self-esteem on 2. And if you think about it, money is just a huge topic for everyone.
I also haven’t written too much specifically about money and developing the right mindset for financial abundance. Although I know that doing personal development is a great investment in yourself and to do better with your finances. That will be something I want to focus on more as well in the coming posts.
If you want to improve your financial situation,
Interesting external read: Awakening Your Financial Genius
Interesting external read: Learn or Die (both from Robert Kiyosaki [RichDad])
Other Topics
Topics that didn’t quite make it into the Top 10 were Spiritual Enlightenment, Achieving Success, Finding Your Purpose, Eliminating Fear, Self-Discipline and Fighting Procrastination.
What Are Your Most Pressing Life Problems?
Do you identify with this top list of wishes people have? Where do you stand? If I could help YOU with one single thing in your life, what would that be?
Please write your answer into the comments… (I’d really love to hear from you!)
Hello mrkyo, i wanna know how one really identifies what matters most to him in life, is it just what your problem is or what your happiness is?
Thanks so much for this post. The answer I gave to your question is based on numbers 9, 7 and 1. Thanks again for providing the external reading links. I’m hopefully waiting for your new posts.
@Iain Murray: Yes, I’m with you that money as a value is probably too high in our society. We even have people judged and categorized by the amount of money they make/have. I think this is a shame and shows poorness of character, not to look beyond that.
On the other hand, our society works with money as the medium of exchange of value. So it is a necessity. And if you don’t have, a bunch of problems come with this situation. That’s why I think it is very understandable that people try to improve their financial situation. After all you need to create value in order to earn money, so that’s not such a bad thing. It’s more what is connected in our minds with money that is problematic at times.
On reading your top ten answers I was disappointed to have predicted the number one what a shallow society we live in but one can only live in hope that in the future greed might just be over shadowed by spirituality .
It may be that money is equivalent to survival for most of us. Or, on the negative, not having money is equated to not having food, so death. This is our biggest fear which probably makes money our biggest „savior“. Since it’s not easy to feel safe on the money front – just looking at how I spend when I have some extra $$ makes me chuckle; but also we can lose it (accidents, illnesses, etc.).
It was interesting that „improve your career and job situation“ was number 9 on the list – and this is so related to money. Maybe lots of people meant #9 when they mentioned #1 – money…
Very interesting list of topics. I really love your approach of asking what people consider as most important and then helping based on the responses. :-)
Good question Veronica. Well, there is always the need for financial independence, which is the course of going from paycheck-to-paycheck to being financially free. The second and much worse thing is probably being in debt due to consumerism or some kind of loan and fighting to get to zero. Look around you, I can see both struggles everyday.
Thanks for sharing Myrko. I was also surprised with number one. Now I am curious what’s causing the money situation for people. My grandpa always said, “To stay in your financial lane.” The best advice that has helped me stay away from debt.
great.
I don’t know how Sir Myrko Thum does so great job. I appreciate his aproach and experience.
I like the laser focus of human being.
Thanx
I’m sorry to hear that Patricia Burgess. Yes, I didn’t differentiate by age, it was all age groups.
I think there are different stages in life. When we have achieved a goal, a new one comes up. Or if we face new challenges, our whole perspective can shift.
Myrko, I find this list very interesting. May I ask you if the survey was across all age groups? I am a baby boomer who had achieved financial, relationship, educational goals, job satisfaction, and self-confidence for it all to come tumbling down with the death of my son. Now, I am seeking spiritual enlightenment which leads to inner peace. All the other doesn’t matter.
I find your results very interesting. I found similar results talking to many parents at ball fields so I created a book; „Do You Have Money to Burn, Save More of What You Earn, Earn More on What You Save“. this shows people how they can Save over $450 a month in the first chapter alone. Available on my web site.
Financial pressures make life, relationships and many other aspects of your life very hard. However, We can overcome these issues.
Thanks Ianina, just to clarify: not all 1,287 answers said Money, just most of them compared to other answers.
It seems like so many are trying to escape the pressure that their monthly spendings create. I can relate to that, of course, as probably almost everybody can. Still I think doing personal development is proactively increasing your earning capabilities and is raising your awareness to create the right strategy to get control over your money situation.
It’s interesting to see that money always comes on the top of any list! I would have thought that it would be something like „having a good relationship‘, „know myself“, etc. Coming from a country with constant economic problems, I’ve learned that money is important, of course… but I’m surprised that 1200 people answered that is the most important problem a person could have! Anyway, as always, congrats for your blog and I really liked this list!
@Maryam: You always have 3 options to react: accept, change or leave something. Sometimes, and especially if people have really a negative influence on yourself, it may be the wisest decision to end a connection.
Also look at your own part in the whole situation and ask yourself if you can change to change the whole situation.
You have to see if these people have changed or if it was a single incident, or if on the other hand they will always hold you back and cause you trouble. If that’s the case, it is perfectly fine to leave them.
Sometimes you also can see their behavior as what is probably is, a weakness. If you are not negatively affected, if you are strong inside, you can recognize that and live with them. That may especially helpful if we are talking about relatives like parents etc.
Hope that helps.
Hi dear,thank you for your useful articles,in my life a few people betray my trust,i know that in the world i canot avoid this and i know that i must forgive them but do i have right to put them away from my life?is it normal that i cannot give them another chance?i tell myself oky that is the way they are but i donot want them,is it rational or i have problem inside of myself?
well
thanks thats proved good in my daily life
@Janet, indeed recognizing and them transcending your limitations is really helpful in personal development. Therefore it is number 3 for my readers as well.
Thank you for sharing this very interesting top ten list. I agree that recognizing and getting rid of self limiting beliefs and having enough trust to do this and move forward is paramount to self growth.