The Good, the Bad, and the Lovely
Personal Development, or PD, is getting a bad rap these days as a selfish, me-me-me practice.
Yes, that can happen! A PD practice can begin with an effort to get rid of some negative thinking, or to get more physically fit; then we get caught up in the process and never move beyond ourselves.
Personal Development is not a new idea. Remember people saying, “I need to find myself” and then backpacking through Europe or joining a commune or otherwise leaving the familiar and searching for answers to internal questions?
So why is modern “Personal Development” being criticized now?
Because too many people are using it as an excuse to stay stuck! Of course there is always more to learn, but at some point we need to step out of school and into real life. Which to me means that we need to turn our beautiful, personally developing selves toward service. Start radiating those hard-earned good vibes outwardly and not keeping them all to yourself. Get out there and help others!
The Good
Learning what makes you tick is useful. Turning inward is a necessary part of being human. These practices teach us not only about ourselves, but about humanity at large.
And it’s often not a one-and-done proposition.
To stay physically fit, you can’t take a six week fitness class then get back on the couch. You may not need a personal trainer for the rest of your life, but creating a habit of regular movement will serve you well and keep you on track.
Seeing a therapist or a counselor who helps you move through life with more clarity and ease is usually time and money well spent.
Reading books that inspire you and show you that you are not alone in your struggles can help shift your perspective and see things from a better place.
So what’s the problem?
The Bad
The reason for any sort of development is to actually develop something! And hopefully to develop something useful.
A housing development is planned to create shelter for families. There is the planning stage, getting permits, then the actual building. Voila, a new neighborhood filled with kids riding bikes in the street.
Do the work, then share the creation.
Here, my friends, is where today’s PD movement can let us down.
We do the work, then look around for more work in the same place. We embellish our creation by adding more and more details. And we never let anyone actually move in - we never share our creation.
The Lovely
Learning new things, taking great and meticulous care of our physical bodies, and working to uplift ourselves is fabulous - as long as we come back home and share our shiny new knowledge with others. As long as we take the time to inspire, support and uplift our community.
I don’t expect everyone to start serving in lunch lines or help hand out coats to people in need. Although you might! Perhaps you’ll think outside the box and use your creative mind, utilizing all that learning you’ve been doing, and come up with a new idea to uplift others.
You may have a personal life experience that would inspire others toward healing. Write a book.
You may be a natural teacher. Create a program that helps others find themselves (LOL) and also teaches them to pay it forward.
If you are an out-of-the-box sort of person, dream up useful and creative services and put them out into the world - or into your neighborhood, or even just into your own household.
These things don’t need to be huge, they just need to be shared.
These things don’t need to be done for free, either. You can (and most of the time, you should) charge a fair rate for your work. Then add some volunteer work.
Take a deep breath and put your personal development to work for you. It may take a leap of faith or some false courage to begin, but believe me, the rewards you reap from helping others are exponentially greater than what you get from just helping yourself.
Try it; you’ll like it.
Let me know your ideas so I can support you - I’m ready to cheer you on!
