7 Years Of Self Development ... 7 Life Changing Lessons

Author

Jack Salmon
March 26, 2026

Welcome to this weeks newsletter -7 Years Of Self Development … 7 Life Changing Lessons

Where It All Started

Since I picked up by first personal development book at the age of 26

I have been constantly working on myself for the past 7 years and to be honest.

I still feel like I am just getting started.

It's been an up and down journey to say the least packed with

Failures

Wins

And a lot of lessons

But if I could share any of these lessons with you

These 7 have definitely been life changing for me

Lesson One: Purpose

Purpose is everything.

To me, purpose means having a clear understanding of:

  • Who you want to be

  • What goals you want to achieve

  • What life you want to live

  • And most importantly… why

Why must you show up and become the best version of yourself?

For a long time, I lacked purpose.
And because of that, I had no direction.

I felt lost.
I followed the crowd.
I tried to impress the crowd.

And I ended up becoming someone I wasn’t proud of.

But everything changed when I created purpose in my life.

It gave me clarity on how to show up.
It kept me focused on a vision.
It pushed me to go sober.
It got me through some of the hardest times in my life.
And it holds me accountable to be my best every day.

I have no doubt that if I didn’t create purpose in my life…
I would’ve either wasted it — or worse, lost it.

If you’re unsure about your own purpose, or you want the exact framework I used to create mine:

Lesson Two: You’re Capable Of Anything

If you have a vision in your mind,
you’re courageous,
you take action,
and you don’t quit…

You can achieve whatever you want in life.

Now, if you said that to me at 26, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Not because it wasn’t true but because I didn’t believe in myself.

And what changed that wasn’t confidence…
It was evidence.

I started seeing it in other people.

I read so many stories of successful people who:

  • weren’t the smartest

  • had addiction problems

  • came from bad environments

…yet still went on to achieve incredible things.

That made me question my own beliefs.

And I started asking myself:

“Why not me?”

Since that moment, I’ve carried the belief that I can achieve whatever I set my mind to.

The biggest example of that is my app.

Five years ago, I had the idea to build a personal development app.

Since then:

  • I’ve held the vision

  • I’ve taken action

  • And I’ve never given up on it

And now, five years later, it’s finally come together —
and it’s about to be released.

So if I’ve been able to do that…

Trust me when I say:

Anything is possible for you too.

Get clear on your vision.
Be courageous and go for it.
Take action.
And don’t quit.

Lesson Three: Play The Long Game & Be Patient 

Before I fully committed to my vision
everything I chased was short term

I chased short term pleasures
I looked for easy ways to make money
I took steroids to try get into shape quick
And I invested in things when I wasn’t ready

But nothing sustainable happens when you try to get it quick

Great things take time

The problem was I didn’t have patience
I was seeing other people succeed in life
And I wanted it now

But having this mindset left me constantly
Comparing myself
Rushing things
Making mistakes
And wasting loads of time and money

I was already trying to be further ahead than I was

A massive lesson I learnt is just play the long game and be patient

Commit to your vision
Know it’s going to take years until it comes together

So focus on the journey
Aim at getting better
And just know one day it will all pay off

Otherwise you’ll cause yourself problems
Or even worse quit and chase what you think is the next best thing

Lesson Four: Cut Loose What Doesn't Serve You 

I struggled with this one for a long time

I stayed in relationships
I hung on to friendships
I didn’t remove myself from environments
I kept hold of an old identity
And kept overindulging in bad habits

Because I was too afraid to let go
I was scared to be alone
I didn’t want to feel like the odd one out
And I was too scared to see what my life would look like without these things

But I had to put fear aside and start choosing what was best for me and my life

By letting go, it allowed me to fully accept the new version of me and actually live this way

Before, I would make a bit of progress
But I’d always find myself going back to the things I didn’t want to be doing

And this isn’t me blaming anyone else
But I knew the longer I stayed in those environments and around certain people
I would stay as the person everyone always knew

It can be hard to let go

But it’s harder not reaching your potential
And not being the person you know you want to be

If something doesn’t serve you in your life
Face your fears
And let it go

Lesson Five: Failure Is Feedback 

One thing I’ve never really let stand in my way is failure

Even in my drinking days, I would try and try again to stay in at the weekend
And even if I failed, I would try again

But the reason I didn’t succeed back then…
Was because I wasn’t learning anything — I was just repeating the same environment, same triggers, same decisions”

Failing isn’t the problem
Not learning is

It’s hard to overcome anything if you keep approaching it the same way

As soon as I started learning from my failures, my life improved

And by the way, I’ve failed at everything

I failed at going sober numerous times
I’ve failed in business
I’ve failed with running challenges
Failed at public speaking
Failed in my coaching
Failed with my content

But every time I failed, I used it as feedback to get better and I’ve learned far more from my failures than I ever have from my success thats for sure 

Lesson Six: Educate Yourself

Earlier I mentioned seeing other people succeed in life, and how that gave me belief

That only came from reading and educating myself on those stories

Before I was 26, I didn’t have an education

But after reading my first book, everything changed for me

It was the first time I was able to think differently
Which then allowed me to start acting differently

It’s hard to change your life when you don’t know anything different to what you know now

But education is the missing link

If you’re unsure how to change your life, there will always be a book, a course, or a video that can give you what you need

Since picking up my first book, I’ve gone on to read hundreds
Taken several courses
Attended seminars
Watched thousands of hours of content

And even to this day, I still spend at least 30–60 minutes studying every day

Educating yourself allows you to improve every area of your life

And if I could give one piece of advice

Make educating yourself a non-negotiable part of your daily routine

Lesson Seven: Invest In Yourself

After years of educating myself through books, courses, and videos,
I realised I had reached a point where they could only take me so far

I wanted to grow my business
And if I tried to do it alone, it would’ve taken me years — in time, energy, and money

So I decided to get a coach

Now before this, I had never made that kind of commitment
And I was scared

The coach said it would be 7k for 3 months

At that time, I didn’t have the money

I was on the phone pretending I did
And said I’d send it over once I got off the call

I got off the phone shaking
Nervous, thinking… I don’t have that kind of money

But deep down, I knew it was the right decision

So I applied for a loan
And thankfully, I got accepted

It was one of the scariest decisions I’ve made
But also one of the best

Within 3 months, I understood the foundations of building a coaching business
Which I still use and practice to this day

And after that, it didn’t stop

I’ve now spent tens of thousands on coaches
Business, public speaking, high performance, running, nutrition…

If I knew the impact a coach would have had
I would’ve invested sooner

It would’ve saved me years of mistakes
Feeling like I was doing it alone
And wasting time

I’m not just saying this because I’m a coach

But coaches are cheat codes

If there’s an area of your life you’re struggling in right now

Get yourself a coach

To Finish 

I’m 7 years into my own personal growth journey

It’s come with a lot of ups and downs
But it’s been one hell of a ride

If I could say anything, it would be this:

Understand your purpose
Remember you’re capable of anything you set your mind to
Play the long game and be patient
Get rid of anything that doesn’t serve you
Learn from all your failures
Educate yourself
And invest in yourself

And if you apply these things
You will become the person you know you’re capable of being

Well done

Well done for showing up, reading this, and being ready to take action.

Most people say they want change — few actually do something about it.
You’re one of the few. 👏

I’d love to hear about your progress!
Reach out to me on and follow me on socials

If you need support, just message me.

Thanks,
Jack