I believe that the secret to personal development won't be found by sitting under a tree for 20 years contemplating the universe. The secret to personal development is to pursue a worthwhile goal that takes you outside your comfort zone and forces you to grow in the process.

Personal development is a by-product of a challenging achievement. Here are seven keys to help you to enhance your own personal development.

1: Discover Your Potential

There is no way to know your true potential unless you try new and different things. Be open minded and allow yourself to have new experiences.

You may be surprised to discover just what potentials you have if you throw yourself into new experiences with confidence and enthusiasm.

2: Create An Inspiring Challenge

Set a challenging goal that inspires you. It is not so important what the goal is as long as it is something that you really want and that it is something that is going to be hard for you to get.

The goal must be big enough that achieving it will require you to develop new skills and knowledge and also big enough to challenge your self belief so that you need to develop a greater self worth.

Going to the gym would be useless if you only lifted weights that you could easily handle. You have to push yourself. Your have to put the muscles under enough strain that the body needs to rebuild them in a stronger form.

It is the same with personal development.

Going through life day to day staying in your comfort zone is a wasted life. Start to push yourself. Put yourself under enough pressure that your brain needs to rebuild your character in a stronger form.

3: Develop A Strong Intention

Build a strong intention to achieve your goal. Remove all other possibilities so that your desired outcome becomes your ONLY possible outcome.

4: Align Your Thinking With Your Intention

Listen to your thoughts and one by one align them to your intention. Make sure that your thoughts become a power that supports you each step of the way.

5: Focus Your Time And Activities On Achieving Your Intention

The rays of the sun keep us warm, but focus them through a magnifying glass and they can start a fire. Focus your time and your activities on your desired outcome until they start a fire inside you that spreads out from you and consumes all obstacles in your path.

6: Open Your Mind To Receiving.

Reinforce in your mind that you deserve to receive all that is good and beneficial in the world. Then open your mind to seeing, and capitalizing on, intention aligned opportunities.

Build your self worth to the point where you demand that the universe gives you what you want, and then go out there and find it.

7: Affirm Your Faith By Getting Your Thoughts, Words and Actions Into Harmony.

Affirm your faith by ensuring that your thoughts, words and actions are all in line with achieving your desired goals, and are working in harmony to this end.

If you say one thing but do another you are undermining your chances of success and you are undermining your character.

Personal development comes from following these seven steps over and over for the rest of your life.