The Kings of Personal Development that You Need To Follow Now!

Good morning beautiful people!

Yesterday I wrote a post on The Top Ten Personal Development Girl-Bosses That You Should Be Following. If you haven't seen it yet you can find it here. In the interest of gender fairness, today I have decided to honour my our male friends who are absolutely slaying the personal development space. 

All of these are blogs that I have personally read and learned a huge amount from. They are my objective opinions and are not sponsored in any way. 

1. Tony Robbins

While most of you have probably already heard of Tony (if you haven't then you should go to www.tonyrobbins.com immediately!), he still deserves to be included on this list. He has absolutely dominated the Personal Development space in recent years and for good reason. Most of his content is focused on developing business and financial freedom with multiple best-selling books such as "UNSHAKABLE: Your Financial Freedom Playbook" (2017), "MONEY: Master The Game: 7 Steps To Financial Freedom (2014) "Unleash The Power Within: The Complete Guide To Self-Empowerment (1999) and "Awaken The Giant Within: Take Control of Your Mental, Emotional and Financial Destiny (1991). He is also one of the most recognised thought leaders and LinkedIn Influencers and provides amazing free content on LinkedIn and on his site (see above link). If you want practical steps that are simple (but not easy!) to implement. Tony is your guy. 

2. James Altucher

Another man you may have heard of as he too is enjoying a reign as one of the top thought leaders and influencers in his field. James is all about reinventing yourself and is the author of the best-sellers "Choose Yourself: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live The Dream" (2013) and "The Power of NO: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance and Happiness" (2014) and "The Power of Ask: Ask for What You Want, Get What You Want" (2016), which he co-authored with his wife Claudia Azula Altucher. He as also turned a blog with 300,000+ visitors per month into a quirky and successful comic book series: "The Altucher Confidential: Ideas For A World Out of Balance". 

3. Tim Ferris

Tim is all about using self-development, heath and experimentation to achieve your goals and live a life of freedom.

 He is the creator of the best selling productivity book series "The Four Hour Work Week"(2007), "The Four Hour Body" (2010) and "The Four Hour Chef"(2012)as well as "Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines and Habits of Billionaires, Icons and World Class Performers" (2016). 

You will find his blog (https://tim.blog/) to be a fantastic resource on productivity and lifestyle design. 

He has also created his own hugely popular personal development podcast:"The Tim Ferris Show".

4. Leo Babauta

Leo is the creator of http://zenhabits.net. On his blog he shares tactical and strategic advice for living a

 simplified, mindful and productive life. He also shares his own inspiring story of how de-cluttering and changing

 his habits transformed his life and helped him find meaning. This led to him writing several successful books

 including: "The Power Of Less: 6 Essential Productivity Habits That Will Change Your Life" (2008) ,

 "Essential Zen Habits: Mastering The Art of Change" (2015)"The Simple Guide To a Minimalist Life" (2009)

 "The Effortless Life: A Concise Manual for Contentment, Mindfulness and Flow" (2012" and "The Little Guide

 To Unprocrastination" (2012). 

5. Ramit Sehi

Ramit is the creator of www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com and has created an entire movement based on knowing your 

worth and developing your earning potential. His website has several free downloadable guides that I myself have

found incredibly useful. The most staggering thing about Ramit? Despite being a global success, he gives away a 

staggering 90% of his content for free on his website and through his email list.

6. Steven Handel

Steven's blog: www.theemotionmachine.com/ continues to be one of my personal favourites. With much of his content 

based on proven psychology he provides amazing content on self-improvement. With popular articles such as "Do you 

need someone to call out your bullshit?" he has a refreshingly honest and authentic writing style that makes his articles

both incredibly useful and entertaining. You won't regret reading!

7. John Wesley

Co-author of www.pickthebrain.com , this site is all about growing yourself, finding the motivation to invoke positive habits 

and change and ultimately achieve your self-improvement goals. 

8. Joshua Becker

Becker has helped to create an entire movement with his site www.becomingminimalist.com. He provides regular,

high quality content on simplifying your life through minimalist habits and how it can make you happier and more 

productive. 

9. Mark Manson

Manson describes himself as an " Author, Thinker and Life Enthusiast". He has turned his blog

 https://markmanson.net/into a successful business and recently made waves all over the world with his most recent book: "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**ck!" which has been endorsed by hugely successful thought leaders and influencers such as Mel Robbins who gave an entire Ted X talk on what she learned from the powerful book.

10. Eric Barker

Finally Eric Barker, the creator of "Bakadesuyo" is a recently discovered favourite of mine. Ironically the name of his blog translates to "I am an idiot" in Japanese, but don't let that fool you. Eric is the author of the recently mega-successful personal development book "Barking Up The Wrong Tree: The Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success is (Mostly) Wrong" (2017). His blog provides science based articles on how to improve your life in every area from personal relationships to career advice. 

When some of the most influential people in the world were asked by Forbes what the most important habit to achieve success was, almost every single one of them said that it was to read a book (or a blog) everyday and never stop learning. Hopefully this list has given you some places to start. 

Let me know in the comments if you found this list helpful, or share your own favourite sites if they weren't listed.

I hope you all have a happy, healthy and productive day and I will see you soon!

The Top Ten Personal Development Girl-Boss's That You Should Be Following

There are so many personal development websites and blogs out there on the internet. So how do you know which ones are genuinely useful and worth your time?

Here my picks of the Top Ten Personal Development Queens that you should be following right now.

Disclaimer: None of these inclusions are sponsored in any way by the listed individuals. These are my own choices of people that I have found to provide excellent content and value.

1. Niyc Pidgeon

If you haven't heard of this absolute queen then you are in for a treat. With a Bachelors in Psychology,  a Learning and Teaching Certificate and MSc in Positive Psychology under her belt, there are few people more qualified  and inspiring than Niyc. 

Oh and Did I mention that she is a Global Success Coach and Hay House Author running and international seven-figure business coaching female entrepreneurs? And she achieved all of this before turning 30! She has an impressive following on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and provides some amazing free content on her site. You can find information on this as well as the launch of her upcoming book "Now Is Your Chance" on her website at www.niycpidgeon.com

2. Natalie Diver

Often described as "The Queen of Instagram" Natalie Diver has achieved an exceptional amount and is still only in her mid-twenties! She created the Health Business "Oh My Glow" straight out of University and has since built "BossBabe.Inc" and "The Boss Babe Academy" touted as the number one personal development resource for millennial women. While certain features such as the Facebook Support Group and some content are exclusive to paid subscribers, Natalie gives away a large amount of valuable free content through her email list, freebie offers and live streams. 

3. Arianna Huffington

Hopefully you have all heard of this amazing woman. She is somewhat of a force of nature in the business and personal development circles. She created the hugely successful Huffington Post and has recently devoted herself to  her incredible personal development mission: Thrive Global. The site has amazing free content to help you grow, check it out at https://www.thriveglobal.com/, also follow her on Twitter, LinkedIn, everything you can!

4. Mel Robbins

If Mel Robbins is not on your list then you are missing out. The American TV Presenter has appeared at Multiple TED X conventions and is a hugely successful life coach, motivational speaker and best-selling author in the Personal Development space. Follow her on Twitter and Linked in and read her incredibly original and insightful books: "The 5 Second Rule and "Stop Saying You're Fine"for some truly transforming lessons. 

5.  Lori Deschene

Lori is the creator of the hugely successful personal development site www.tinybuddah.com. While much of her content is based on the teachings of Buddhism she has managed to stay relevant to people from all walks of life and has an impressive and loyal following. Among the things she discusses on her site are Inspiration, Relationships, Life Lessons and Mindfulness. She is also the creator of the "Recreate Your Life" e-course. 

6. Penelope Trunk

Penelope Trunks is hugely popular author and blogger who is known for her brutally honest articles and unique writing style and voice. With articles such as "What could you learn from time-management by hating someone" she focuses mainly on the intersection of work and home life and provides some truly unique and entertaining insights. 

7. Danielle LaPorte

The author of The Fire Starter series and co-creator of "Your Big Beautiful Book Plan" is known for her sight full of inspirational quotes and self-discovery content. However she has a rare relatability in her writing voice despite being hugely successful. Her articles are honest, applicable, relevant and to the point. 

8. Erin Falconer

Erin Falconer runs the very successful personal development site ww.pickthebrain.com in conjunction with BoyBoss John Wesley. The site covers a huge variety of themes across the personal development genre but the most common are productivity, motivation, self-improvement, education and health. 

9. Therese Schwenkler 

By the time you have finished reading Schwenkler's articles you will probably feel like they were written by your best friend. Her site, theunlost.com. She is refreshingly honest and rebellious in her writing, with articles such as "Why is my crush such a douchebag?". She is particularly popular with millennials and focuses her site on dealing with "the suckiness of relationships" and finding a career you love. This is a woman who knows how to provide valuable content to her audience in an entertaining and refreshing way. 

10. Rebecca Fraser-Thrill

Last but not lease the last spot goes to the woman behind workingself.com. Like many of the woman in this list much of her content is focused on finding fulfilling work, however she also bases many of her articles on psychology. The result is an interesting blend of personal development and practical, actionable advice. 


Of course there are many other inspiring women who could have made this list and ten is not an extensive collection. However I have focused my picks on the content that I found to be the most positive, practical and authentically written. 

If you are a personal development blogger and would like to be featured on one of these posts then feel free to submit a sample of your writing or a link to your site to positivesparkles@gmail.com

As always I hope you have a happy, healthy and positive week and I will see you soon!

The Crucial Difference Between Your Extrinsic and Intrinsic Value and Why It's So Important

Hello everyone. 

This post is about a concept that seriously changed not only the way I viewed the world but also myself. 

You may not have heard the words Extrinsic or Intrinsic before and thats fine, I hadn't either until recently. Both are terms often used in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (A form of psychological talking therapy) and Positive Psychology (also sometimes called the psychology of happiness or well-being psychology). 

So what does all this mean?

Well, I talk a lot about the importance of knowing your worth and value so that you can apply your strengths strategically to your goals. But what a lot of people don't realise is that HOW you view your value is of critical importance!

Extrinsic Value is the value you assign to yourself based on external factors or when you believe yourself to be valuable based on something outside of yourself. Some of the common things people with an extrinsic sense of value may be concerned with is needing to be liked by everyone or feeling they need to earn a certain amount of money or look a certain way in order to have value.

Meanwhile, Intrinsic value is the value you apply to yourself internally. 

These concepts have long been around in business and philosophy but have recently been gaining a lot of traction in the fields of Positive Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Personal Development and Well-being in relation to human being's personal values and sense of self-worth. 

Most of the research points to the fact that we develop these senses of value subconsciously in our youth. The Centre of Positive Psychology at Warwick University recently conducted a study on Children's Extrinsic and Intrinsic Value's and the implications on well-being. The full, unpublished manuscript can be read here: http://www.pprc.gg/uploads/intrinsic.pdf

Why is this so important?

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people have been found to allow the way they see their value  to be determined by extrinsic factors such as their financial worth, physical image, relationship status, the way their colleagues, peers or families treat them, what they believe other people think of them and what they see in mainstream media and society. 

Those who judge their self-worth on extrinsic factors are more likely to:

• Try to please and seek validation from others instead of going after their own goals
• Have low self-esteem and compare themselves negatively to others leading to a decrease in their well-being
• Be more vulnerable to conditions such as eating disorders and body dysmorphia
• Tolerate toxic and even abusive relationships
• Internalise negative labels which the brain then reinforces subconsciously
• Have higher levels of chronic anxiety, depression and social anxiety
• Report a lack of satisfaction and fulfilment in their daily lives
• Lack the confidence to take risks and make original contributions in their careers

Those with an Intrinsic sense of self-worth on the other hand have developed a mindset whereby they know the value of their inner self for their own sake and do not require the same level of external validation. People with an intrinsic sense of self-worth have been found to generally:

• Have higher level's of self-belief and take control in their lives
• Be confident in themselves without needing external validation from others
• Be more resilient and have better mental and physical health
• Not internalise what other people think of them
• Report higher levels of satisfaction and happiness in their daily lives
• Know their strengths and where to apply them strategically
• Have higher levels of motivation 
• Be more likely to take risks and contribute original ideas in the workplace
• Make more money (dependant on their chosen field)

While analysing ourselves and our values may take some brutal honesty and self-discovery (admitting how much we really care about other people's opinions or our number of followers on social media may make us feel insecure or silly), it has been shown to be an important part of achieving a self-actualised mentality and success mindset. If we are not honest enough with ourselves in accepting how much extrinsic factors mean to us, it is highly unlikely we will be able to break these habits and cultivate the intrinsic values that we seek. 

Simplify Your Life For Success - How to Minimise The Decisions You Make Each Day

Hello Again Beautiful People.

So earlier this year I returned from a two-year trip around Australia and New Zealand. How is this relevant you're probably thinking? Well, during this time I had to do what many people struggle to imagine doing. I packed my entire life into a backpack. This led to my discovery of minimalism and my research into why so many people are adopting this new way of living. 

What is Minimalism?

Minimalism is a new age style of living supported by popular books such as "The Magic of Tidying Up" as well as incredibly successful people such as Arianna Huffington. It is the idea of decluttering your life and keeping only the things you find essential or that bring you joy. 

Here are some of the benefits I have found to living without clutter. 

1. Decluttering my wardrobe meant that I only kept my favourite clothes. I gave myself a hard and fast rule that anything I hadn't worn in the last 90 days had to go (except for formal outfits such as wedding outfits that I don't get the opportunity to wear as often). At first throwing out most of my clothes felt ridiculous, how would I decide what to wear everyday? Well, surprisingly, this is the exact point! Minimalism improves your productivity and mental state by minimising the decisions you have to make every day, such as what to wear to work. I know have 5 outfits in my wardrobe that I absolutely love and make me feel great from Monday to Friday. In case you're wondering, I kept 2 skirt suits and the blouses I wear under hem, 2 dresses with a blazer, one black and one navy pair of work shoes and one pair of smart trousers. The weirdest thing about this? I used to spend ages deciding what to wear only to select a variation of these outfits pretty much every day anyway as they were my favourites. 

2. I decluttered my room including all of my draws and cupboards, the space under my bed and my desk space. Sounds intimidating right? Well among the things I found were 12 unfilled notebooks, 3 bed sets from before my room was decorated years ago that I would never use, 3 unreturned library books from my old university library (I graduated nearly five years ago! OOPS!), An old broken fan, several presents that I had meant to re-gift but had forgotten about, a broken game boy that had to be at least ten years old, about a hundred useless pens, out of date make-up and much much more. Now I'm not the best at tidying so for years I had been shoving all of this stuff away rather than clearing it out. Once I did, there was a dramatic change in how much more grown up, open and tidy my room looked. All of my clothes now hang neatly on one rail, my desk space is tidy, I kept only what actually matches my new decor and It no longer takes me forever to find things because my draws aren't full of junk. 

3. I did the same with my kitchen and was amazed how many duplicate things me and my partner had created since moving in together. We had nearly twenty plates and bowls, for TWO people. Talk about unnecessary washing up! We also had several broken appliances including a defunct heart shaped fried egg maker, a broken blender as well as several tablecloths and old tea towels that had long been replaced. 

4. I blitzed the living room. I got rid of the lamp I had always hated, sorted all of my DVDs, BOOKS and CDs out and kept only the amount that fitted into cabinets or bookshelves as opposed to having stacks of them everywhere.

You know what they say, tidy house, tidy mind! 

5. I decluttered my email computer and email inbox. This might sound like a weird one but how many of you have to scroll through pages of old (or worse, junk!) emails or aged old files that you never use or might not even be yours. I had folders from my previous job, photos of past relationships I had no idea were still there and so many free subscriptions and promotions from when I was a student or became a member of a website newsletter for a 20% discount on something and got spammed in return (I'm talking to you ASOS and New Look!) 

6. I de-cluttered my relationships. This was by far the hardest to do! I finally let go of the one way friendships I had been holding onto since school or university where it was always me trying to keep in touch. I deleted the Facebook friends that only ever posted attention seeking or negative status's and I started saying no to the people who expected me to spend all my time doing things to please them but never reciprocated. The hard truth is that many of us are hanging on to toxic relationships or friendships. Ask yourself whether the people in your life are adding to it or taking away, and if you have someone that is family or too close to cut out of your life completely, then at least unfollow them on social media. The chances are they probably won't even notice and your head will be so much clearer without that negativity in your life. 

So how did minimalism improve my life? Well, I save time on daily decisions that are now insignificant, I focus better and am more productive because I have a clean workspace and it is such a relief to walk around my house and not be overwhelmed by piles of things i have been telling myself I would sort out. Most of all I know that the people in my life I spend my time on are the ones that return my love, appreciation and support. 


You may be thinking that I went to the extreme and that's OK but according to the experts even a small amount of decluttering can improve your mindset!

Once again, I hope you all have a happy, healthy and productive week and I will see you soon.

How Gratitude Will Improve Your Mindset For Change + 10 Exercises To Get You Started

Hello beautiful people!

Today I want to talk about a very simple concept but one that the majority of us forget to invoke in our day-to-day lives. If, like me, you are a personal development junkie then you have probably heard about the growing trend in gratitude journaling. 

So What Is Gratitude Journaling?

A gratitude journal is a free and easy way to improve your mindset and give yourself a perspective overhaul. You don't need to go out and buy a fancy journal to do so, you can do this in any notebook, smartphone or even on scrap paper. It is also something I find invaluable to take stock of before I begin any change in my habits.

The concept is simple. Take ten to fifteen minutes a day to think about the things in life you are grateful for. You may choose to note down anything from important relationships to the sun shining that day (or whatever weather makes you happy!). 

Gratitude journalling reminds us that even though we may have sources of stress or struggles going on in our daily lives (If you say you don't you are either a liar or a superhero and I need some of that power!). Furthermore, gratitude is one of the habits practised by some of the most successful people in the world including:

• Oprah Winfrey
• Tim Ferris
• Richard Branson
• and
• Paul DeJoria

It is also proven to:

• Make you physically and mentally healthier by decreasing levels of cortisol (the stress hormone)
• Improve Happiness
• Improve your relationships and social skills by increasing your empathy towards others
• Give you greater sleep quality
• Raise self-esteem
• Increase mental strength and resilience
• Reduce feelings of anger and aggression
• Give you Motivation to change

And the best part is ANYONE can do it,starting right now!

So now that we've established how gratitude can help you live a better life, here are some exercises to get you started from the serious to the downright silly, we have many aspects of life to be grateful for?

1.  What relationships do you have in your life that you are grateful for and how do these people add to your life?

2. What opportunities have you had that other's in the world would not have access to? Why are you grateful for these and how have they improved your life?

3. What parts of your job/work environment are you grateful for? Even if you're not a fan of your daily grind right now, you can still be grateful for good relationships with colleagues, development opportunities or flexibility, it might even be something as simple as having an inside office when it rains!

4. What part of your morning routine are you grateful for? Do you have a significant other to kiss goodbye as you leave for work? Maybe you have time to walk your dog or have a cup of tea in peace and cuddles with your children or pets before your day begins?

5. Think of someone who has done something to make your life easier or improve your day recently? How could you thank them?

6. What hobbies or pleasures do you have in your life? Why are you grateful to have the time to pursue them?

7. What elements of nature are you grateful for? Maybe you're like me and the warm glow of sunshine gets you out of bed in the morning? Or maybe you find the sound of rain or the site of snow relaxing?

8. What materialistic items could you not live with out? Why are you grateful to have them in your life?

9. What songs/ books/ podcasts/ movies or you-tube videos make you feel good? Think about why you are grateful to the people behind them.

10. What daily essentials are you grateful to have in your life? For example in the UK we have ample sources of food and water and free healthcare when we need it, this is not the case in many parts of the world. 

So there you have it, ten exercises to hopefully get you started on exercising those gratitude muscles. I hope you have a happy, healthy and productive week and I'll see you soon!