As a marketer, I’m intensely interested in personal development, and as a personal development author, I’m intensely interested in marketing.

And in both of my roles (really in all of my roles in life), I look to the people I admire in that area, the people who are not only succeeding financially but succeeding in life, and I model them.

You’ve probably heard the saying “success leaves clues.” I think Tony Robbins said it first, but I’ve heard it from several people.

Another of my favorite sayings comes from a Twelve Step program—“If you want what they’ve got, you have to do what they did.”

So lately I’ve been thinking about who I want to be, what I want to do, and what I want to have. This has nothing to do with New Year’s resolutions, for me, but it may for you.

I’m thinking about what I want to accomplish in my business, what I want to write over the next few months, and who I really want to be when I turn 45 in 13 months.

I’ve been studying the careers and the habits of other authors and other marketers, and I’ve found something interesting.

The best marketers, and the best authors, spend a lot of time thinking about personal growth and working toward being the person they want to be.

To me, that’s really cool, because I don’t have to become someone I don’t want to be, in order to be successful.

In fact, in order to be as successful as I want to be, I have to work on productivity (time management, prioritizing, organizing), on personal growth (character, credibility, reliability, honesty), on success mindset (belief in myself, an abundant outlook, determination, focus).

In other words, in order to be successful as a marketer of my personal development products, I have to do the work I teach in those products.

That’s what my marketing and writing heroes did, and that’s what I have to do if I want to “get what they got.”

How do you incorporate self growth into your life and your marketing, and how has it helped you move further toward your goals?

Angie Dixon

As a marketer and “the personal development gal,” I believe that marketing success and personal development are inextricably linked.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed in general, check out my free “Overcoming Overwhelm” course at forthecompletelyoverwhelmed.com. Procrastinate much? Try my free procrastination ecourse at helpforprocrastination.net. Got goals? Free course on that, too, at 2012goalsettingcourse.com.