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Personal growth: Evolving from intention to doing April 24, 2014

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Concept of personal development, Goal Setting and Realization.
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In our pursuit of improving ourselves through the principles of personal growth, we sometimes need to remind ourselves that achieving something we want requires more than good intentions and the study of principles.

It requires changing our mental approach and transmuting aspiration/intention into a concrete goal.

And, as we know, achieving a goal requires action – often a lot of action.

Especially if the goal involves significantly improving our personal status or well-being; or achieving a major lifetime objective.

In many ways, this is what the concept of personal development is all about – realizing our potential by using a programmed and action-oriented approach that converts desire into reality.

The ancient Chinese sage Confucius brings this to our attention with two suggestions:

“Don`t worry if you have no position: worry about making yourself worthy of one.”

And;

“Don’t worry if you aren’t known and admired: devote yourself to a life that deserves admiration.” (1)

In other words, if we want to make a difference in our lives, we have to put in the work.

(1) Confucius, Analects, as translated and interpreted by David Hinton in his book, The Four Chinese Classics

 

The positive bias to action within personal growth April 10, 2014

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Concept of personal development, Goal Setting and Realization.
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One of the criticisms sometimes made against the personal growth and development movement is that its practitioners are idle dreamers who “think” more than they “do.”

From what I have seen, however, believers in the enabling potential of personal development realize this and proactively put this concept into practice on a daily basis in a number of ways:

  • Believers are introspective and actively think about their behaviours and attitudes and look for ways to improve their lives and the lives of those around them
  • Those using disciplines such as The Law of Attraction and the Power of Intentions usually recognize that action steps are also required for success
  • They set goals and keep track of their progress
  • They often make comprehensive plans for their programs and map out plans for achieving success
  • As part of their overall efforts they recognize that “Knowing where to get knowledge and how to make the best use of knowledge is part of the self-help skill.”

In his book Handbook for the Positive Revolution, Edward de Bono makes the following point:

“Instead of just hoping that tomorrow will be better than today, we can do something today that will make us a little better when we wake up tomorrow than we were yesterday.” *

Believers in self help do are “doers”; instead of just “hoping” that tomorrow will be better, believers  take steps to try to make something positive happen.

Further Reading *

Edward de Bono, Handbook for the Positive Revolution, Viking Penguin, New York, 1992, 176 pages