jump to navigation

Is our continual study of personal development an addiction? March 2, 2014

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Concept of personal development.
Tags: , , , , , , ,
add a comment

The fact that personal development/growth programs have become so popular as to have evolved into an industry-level production phenomenon has, in part, led some critics to describe the entire personal development or self-help movement as an “addiction.”

Such critics tend to lump all self-improvement and personal development/growth materials into the category of psychological or psyche-self-improvement.   I prefer to think of our dedicated examination of personal development materials, and their inherent ability to change us, and to develop our potential, as more of a serious and productive hobby than as an addiction.

We tend to read, view, and listen to such a large amount of these materials because genuine self-improvement is difficult and it takes repetition and reaching a critical mass of information before we begin to understand some of the basic precepts of what, in many cases with the best of these materials, is wisdom literature.

However, our personal growth/development can become a perpetual cycle of endless reading studying and studying (and therefore a potential addiction to searching for the perfect answer) unless we couple the learning, optimism, and faith in our potential that we are gaining through our study, with action.

To paraphrase the Bible, which, in itself is a vast storehouse of wisdom writing:

Just as the body will die without breath, so too will faith without works be dead also.

 

 

Personal growth: The danger of over-seriousness in our creative projects February 27, 2014

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in The Creative Process.
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
add a comment

We can take it as a “given” that initiating, building, and maintaining a program of personal growth or development requires a disciplined approach if it is to be successful. Such a personal initiative requires genuine commitment if it is to become a part of our daily life.

And yet, overdone, a deadening seriousness can settle over our attitude and subsequent efforts, which eventually can lead to a loss of energy.

A lack of playfulness or fun in our self-improvement program will diminish the likelihood of reaching our full potential in our growth plan.

This is especially true if we have included pursuing a creative interest or project as part of our program.   It’s particularly important to bring some lightness in approach and execution to the creative segment(s) of our self-improvement efforts. Indeed, perhaps to our entire program, which, being self-generated, is a creative effort in itself.

Psychiatrist and philosopher Carl Jung wrote extensively on the need for a degree of playfulness in the creative process and I’ve chosen a couple of quotations that illustrate his point:

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”

“Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of the imagination is incalculable.”