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Taking action when conditions are not perfect April 23, 2014

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Fear and Anxiety, Overcoming Fear.
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There are a number of factors that can interfere with the successful implementation of our personal development plans.

One of these is, of course, procrastination.

Despite the hard work we do on our personal growth and our desire to do better, we are all guilty of this in varying degrees.

Two of the main causes of “putting things off” stem from fear and the related tendency of waiting for conditions to be perfect before taking the actions we know are needed.

David J. Schwartz (1) offers some concise advice:

“Action feeds and strengthens confidence; inaction in all forms feeds fear. To fight fear, act. To increase fear, wait, put off, postpone”

“Don’t wait until conditions are perfect. They never will be. Expect future obstacles and difficulties and solve them as they arise.”

(1) The quotations are from his book, The Magic of Thinking Big.

Personal development: Trusting our natural abilities April 21, 2014

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Concept of personal development, Concept of personal growth.
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The concept of personal growth does not necessarily mean that we have to improve virtually every area of our lives and personalities.

Each of us unique talents and abilities, and these strengths may be solid enough, without significant improvement, to serve as a strong foundation for our overall program.

A few examples of innate strengths

  • We may have a strong sense of compassion, a quality which can help us in our efforts to build better relationships
  • Our self-knowledge may already be well developed, and we can use this attribute to help us make decisions on which of our personality characteristics may need more work
  • If we have good self-esteem we have an effective tool to help us avoid discouragement with the inevitable slow spots or bumps in our self-improvement efforts
  • If we are analytical and logical in our approach to problems, we can use this characteristic in the difficult challenge of learning to manage our emotions
  • If we have a strong sense of purpose, we can use that skill to better identify goals and be consistent in our pursuit of achieving them

To move forward with energy in our self-actualization efforts, we should trust in these collective capabilities because, combined with a positive mental outlook, they can help us achieve success.

Don Juan Matus, in one of his “conversations” with Carlos Castaneda commented, “Trust your personal power. That’s all one has in this whole mysterious world.”

Then speaking of the warrior class, he added, “A warrior is impeccable when he trusts his personal power regardless of whether it is small or enormous.” (1)

(1) Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda,  Washington Square Press, Pocket Books, New York, 1974, pp. 167-168