I have always believed that one must consciously work on their personal development. Of course, we all develop as we live life simply by learning from our mistakes, but to learn this way is simply too slow. You can be in charge of the direction that your life is going and of how confident you are in your decisions. There are certain things that you do not have to leave up to chance. By controlling these things, you won't always have the feeling that you are missing out or that there are just not enough hours in the day to get things done.

• Time management is one of those things that is hard to believe we don't already do. You probably feel busy all day every day, and at the end of it all, there are still 100 things you wish you had done. But, by making daily and weekly To-do lists, you will not only not forget anything, you will also not have to constantly be thinking of what needs to be done. Plus, every time you cross something off the list, you will feel a lighter burden and be able to assess how much is left without feeling overwhelmed. This also allows you to relax when it is time to relax. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is relax when we feel there is more to do. That is not only irritating, it is unnecessary.

• To-do lists will also help you overcome another great detriment that will hinder your personal development, and that is procrastination. Overcoming procrastination is not easy. Why do now what can be put off until later? Right? Wrong. Get it done now, and you can actually relax later. Master the way you use your time, and you can make every day extremely productive.

• Another key to help you take charge of your personal development is to set realistic goals. Nothing will make your dreams as intangible as having goals that sound too lofty. For example, I have always wanted to write a book. So, for years, I said, "My dream is to write a book." Sure, in theory, that sounds fine and good, but it is a big endeavor, and not breaking it into tangible pieces made it a daunting task. So now, my goal is to write five to 10 pages a week. This way I can see the steps to my goals, thus making achieving it more realistic.

So motivate yourself, create a sense of balance, and have some courage! Summon your inner strength and take action to make yourself the person you know you are, because if you do not take control of the direction that your life is going, I assure you, no one else will.

Maya S.