How To Save Thousands on Personal Development

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Crossing the Line

In life, there often seems to exist a line where many things move from being a positive to a negative. From a healthy part of our existence to an unhealthy 1. From a functional and normal process to a dysfunctional and abnormal one. From something that should be life-enhancing, to something that becomes potentially life-destroying.

Nutrient

Take nutrient, for example. Over the years, I've worked with many people who have turned their healthy eating habits into completely unhealthy eating disorders. Somewhere along the way, they went from being focused on eating well, to being totally obsessed with, and preoccupied by, food. Something which is fundamental to man existence and survival (eating) somehow becomes their biggest claiming in life. The very thing that volition sustain nearly of us, might well destroy them.

Practice

The same thing happens with exercise. The unfit person becomes fit. Before long, they experience meliorate, await better, office better and get lots of approval and recognition – all highly desirable (and potentially addictive) outcomes. And so, they decide to get a little fitter and bacteria and train a little more than. And more again. They reason: "Well, if one hour of practise is good, then two hours will be twice equally expert and three must be amazing!" Before long, they train whenever and wherever possible. They begin to lie virtually their exercise habits. They experience anxiety and fifty-fifty anger when they can't do their workout. They commencement planning their life effectually their exercise government. It affects them mentally, emotionally and socially. They lose perspective and the good for you pursuit of practise has at present get an unhealthy obsession.

Money

We see this blazon of unhealthy behaviour in a range of settings and wrapped around a plethora of everyday problems and responsibilities. For some people, making coin will transition from being a normal, everyday responsibility and necessity to a complete obsession. They will eat, sleep and exhale it. Money will get their identity. Their self esteem. Their sole focus. Or should I say, soul focus? And, in the middle of their fanatical pursuit of the almighty dollar, they will become physically, emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. They will lose themselves. Their success will not be success at all. Their practical and sensible goal (to earn and salvage coin) will have become an unhealthy and destructive obsession.

Religion

And speaking of destructive and dysfunctional habits, behaviours and behavior, I guess I could play the religion bill of fare… but practice I really need to? Thought not.

Personal Development

So, let'south talk almost the potential dangers of personal evolution instead; the reason I started this long-winded monologue. "But Craig, surely immersing myself in personal evolution can't pb to any kind of undesirable or negative outcomes, can it?"

Er, only about a thousand.

Like annihilation else that we might focus on, the pursuit of personal growth can produce a myriad of negative outcomes when we get near it the incorrect way. Some people will go quite fanatical and emotional about their new-found insight and reality. Which might compel them to evangelise their united nations-impressed family, friends and colleagues with an ever-expanding range of theories, ideas, stories and shonky research. And, naturally, that'due south always well received.

For the near part, being excited, educated and passionate about something is good, peculiarly when it leads to some kind of positive behavioural change and desirable consequence. When the data (like the mountains of stuff on this site) is the genesis for practical application and lasting transformation, then personal evolution is serving its intended purpose. It's positive. It'south practical. It's transformational. It's a valuable resource.

The Reality

Only when nosotros pace back from all the motivational language, the theories, the mantras, the affirmations and the emotion, can nosotros honestly say that personal evolution products, programs, services and resources typically (that is, most times) outcome in significant and lasting transformation for the individuals who partake? Of class, there is no independent data or research to answer that question accurately or quantitatively (to my cognition) but if I had to take an educated stab my answer would be… no, nigh people don't create meaning or lasting change. That'southward non to say that they tin can't but, rather, that they won't.

Life Ain't No Theory

For some people, the reply will exist yes but it'due south my experience, observation and stance that far likewise many people delude, filibuster and deny themselves in the theory of transformation (yes, fifty-fifty people who frequent this cyber-classroom) when they should really exist rolling up their sleeves and immersing themselves in the practical, messy, uncomfortable reality of the alter process. The doing function.

End listening, watching, reading, researching and studying, and start applying what you've learned.

After decades of didactics, coaching, learning, studying and watching this stuff in action, I'm of the opinion that, for personal development to be a genuinely effective transformational tool – in a applied, measurable and experiential manner – the alter process should be somewhere in the vicinity of ninety percent doing stuff (the practical) and ten percent learning stuff (listening, watching, reading, researching, studying). Of course, the percentages might need to vary a petty depending on the individual goal and what stage of the journey nosotros're at with that goal but, for the most part, I think 90/x works.

Sadly, for many people, the percentages are more like 1/99. That is, i percent doing and ninety-nine per centum… non doing.

What are your percentages?

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Source: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/how-to-save-thousands-on-personal-development.html