Living a fulfilling life is the source of many new year’s resolutions. About half of Americans make them every year and about half that number succeeds at creating meaningful life-changes. The truth is, change isn’t easy. Its a montage of daily work, self-reflection and consistently clarifying your goals.
This article discusses ways to make lasting changes and includes ten personal growth YouTube channels to watch on your personal development journey.
How to Change Your Life For Good
Working persistently toward a goal is the key to changing your life in significant ways. When you develop new habits, routines, and mindsets, you begin to see your life naturally change into one that is fulfilling and continues to be fulfilling for years into the future.
Here are some ways to create a life worth dreaming about:
Give Yourself More Chances to Win
Rule number one: You must work every day to achieve any goal.
If you want to get lucky, you’ve got to give yourself more chances to win. While changing your life is more a matter of what you consistently do than luck, this statement still holds true. When you want to improve the quality of your life you must take massive action toward your goals.
If you don’t have a singular driving interest take action by trying everything you are curious about. If you like something, follow it until your interest in it naturally subsides. One method you can use to discover your core interests is to pretend that everything is possible and money is no issue. Ask yourself: If I could do anything in the world without the worry of failure or money, what would that be?
The answer to this question will be something you have an interest in pursuing. Write down a list of 5 to 10 items and choose one at a time to try. Some people even choose to make a bucket list of 50 to 100 items and work their whole lives to complete the list.
Change Your Habits to Make it a Lifestyle
Everything we do is a culmination of the habits we’ve developed. The creation of habits is the brain’s way of making tasks easier to complete. Once neural pathways are established, the brain doesn’t need to use as much energy. This results in doing things ‘second nature’ or on ‘auto-pilot’.
For example, brushing and showering every day are the result of long-established habits. You barely have to think about it. The same is true for how we speak to ourselves, eat, communicate with others, and respond to stressful situations.
The key to improving your life is by improving your habits. Make a list of habits you would like to develop, like thinking more positively or doing push-ups for example, and establish micro-habits to perform every day. Micro-habits are the smallest measure of an activity you can complete without feeling any resistance. For example, performing 1 push up every day after you wake up. This small activity will train your brain to perform without the stress of resistance that causes us to skip the practice altogether. Perform this activity for 30 days or more, gradually increasing the minimum as you go.
Develop a Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is a theory that you can get better at a thing regardless of your natural abilities. This concept was developed and extensively researched by Carol Dweck. She found that students who were praised for being ‘smart’ or ‘naturally gifted’ avoided difficult subjects while students praised for their hard work continued to take on challenges.
This was a result of the belief that improving was possible. Developing a growth mindset is the combination of trying challenging things, creating a habit of positive self-talk and autosuggestion. Believing that you are capable of improving is a form of intelligent optimism where you recognize the challenge before you and approach it systematically.
Create a Morning and Night Check-in Routine
The importance of a daytime and nighttime routine helps you set your intentions for the day ahead and review actions taken. This critical review time gives you an idea of where you are staying on target with your goals and when you need to course correct. Use a notepad or planner to write your goals and objectives for the day. At the end of the day, review the actions you took toward that goal and identify the steps to take for the next day. The time this takes will depend on how large your goals and projects are but it doesn’t need to be any longer than a few minutes.
10 YouTube Channels to Watch for Personal Development
Positive inputs help you to develop an uplifting inner voice and to shift your mindset from static to growth. Some YouTubers have channels dedicated to helping you make this shift (Click here if you are looking for youtube video to text transcription):
- Ted and TEDx
- Marie Forleo
- GaryVee
- Fight Mediocrity
- Basquiat Picasso
- Absolute Motivation
- ET the HipHop Preacher
- Thomas Frank
- Nathaniel Drew
- Evan Carmichael
1. Ted and TEDx
TED Talks distribute free talks under the tagline ‘ideas worth spreading’. TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, Design. The organization hosts conferences where thought leaders in various industries come together to share their philosophies on the human experience, personal development, technology, science and more. Specific topics include the power of vulnerability, dating advice, and how to get out of your own way.
TEDx Talks are local events that serve the same purpose but is central to a location such as TEDx Texas or TEDx India. With close to a billion views on their YouTube channel, TED and TEDx Talks have something for anyone searching for valuable information for life improvement.
2. Marie Forleo
Marie Forleo is an entrepreneur and author that teaches other entrepreneurs how to build a balanced life and thriving business. On her YouTube, she shares tips on how to set personal goals and pursue them with vigor. She also frequently has guests on her show that share their thoughts on things from productivity to personal development.
Marie’s channel is for anyone looking for actionable steps to change your life by pursuing a goal.
3. GaryVee
Gary Vaynerchuk is a self-made millionaire entrepreneur who bootstrapped his way to a thriving media empire. He frequently shares his humble beginnings starting as a child-entrepreneur, being the son of immigrant parents, and being a dedicated D and F student lead to his building his father’s liquor business into a million-dollar business.
On the GaryVee channel, you’ll find actionable tips on how to grow your own business and relentlessly pursue a goal. You’ll also find that he talks extensively on building a strong mindset for gratitude and optimism.
4. FightMediocrity
FightMediocrity is a YouTube channel dedicated to creating reviews for popular self-improvement and productivity books. They take the main ideas from each of the books and creates a short video animation detailing each point. This is great for someone who is looking to read a good book on personal development but is unsure where to start. It’s also great for those who want to gain more knowledge but in a faster way.
5. Basquiat Picasso/InnerLight Media
Named for two of the most prolific artists in modern times, Basquiat Picasso is a page dedicated to sharing inspiring messages. This Youtube page now goes by the name of Inner Light Media. Their videos are mashups of quotes from industry experts and thought leaders around the world. Mixed with inspirational images and exciting music, this page is great to have on in the background while you work out, drive, clean, etc.
These kinds of positive inputs help you see your life in a new way and makes it easier to generate positive self-talk. Try these videos as a download from YouTube to carry them with you sans wifi.
6. Absolute Motivation
Absolute Motivation is similar to Basquiat Picasso. The videos are mashups of motivational speeches combined with music to help you persist in difficult times and to encourage positive self-talk. The videos are short and great for a quick burst of motivation to listen to anywhere.
7. ET the HipHop Preacher
Eric Thomas is a Ph.D. recipient, educator, motivational speaker, and youth advocate. His esteemed YouTube series ‘Thank God its Monday’ helps all who watch build the mental toughness to change their lives. Eric Thomas shares the story of how he went from being a homeless teenager to a Ph.D. student to inspire others to expect the best from themselves and strive to achieve it.
8. Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is great for those looking for study hacks and improving focus. He talks above how to thrive as a student and in the workplace. Building a fulfilling life is about continual learning and growth. Thomas Frank approaches these essential concepts with short videos that are actionable and to the point.
9. Nathaniel Drew
Nathaniel Drew has a channel dedicated to documenting his personal improvements. Viewers watch as Drew chooses a challenge or habit to change and tracks the effects of them on his mindset and life. This helps many see what change looks like in real-time. Challenges can be very offputting and make someone pursuing a goal want to quit. Watching someone else doing something similar can be inspiring and encourage others to persist past the difficulty.
10. Evan Carmichael
Evan Carmichael uses his platform on YouTube to share ’10 Lessons’ from industry leaders and experts from every field. The format of the videos makes the vast content of each feature more digestible and boils every lesson down to its essential parts. These lessons range from productivity hacks to mindset building, to building a fulfilling life.
Happiness is Not Europe
The singer/songwriter Jewel once noted that people talk about happiness like its a long-awaited European vacation. People say, ‘one day I’ll get there’. But finding true happiness and personal fulfillment is the result of the actions you take in your daily life. Finding YouTube channels to watch is only one action of hundreds that will lead you to build a life you truly love.
For tips on how to stay informed within every level of your organization, read Staying Grounded and Minding the Gap.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
