Thinking about Personal Development
Learning December 4th, 2009
I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking about the kind of content and the value of the content I provide here on LearnThis.ca and actually, the rest of my life as well. I strive to provide a wide range of topics with a personal touch based on my own learning and experiences so that I can accelerate the personal growth of others in a similar way to how I’ve had that opportunity because of others’ work. This has always motivated me in my own efforts and I must say it continues to do so. At the same time, I’m finding times of reflection where I look to explore the best value I can provide and its a great challenge to realize what is most worthwhile both to me and to others in my quest for life improvement.
There are three main areas that feed our patterns and behaviors and I’m taking a look at how these areas fit into thinking about personal development. Obviously, I’ve experienced many of these stages and hope to share some perspective on what this journey of personal development can become!
Expansion Versus Focus
I have found there to be a cycle of growth where personal development can expand into so many topics and inspire someone to learn an immense amount of topics and devour huge masses of material. This does exceptional things to a person by expanding their knowledge and building a confidence in learning that enables them to tackle new subject matter and absorb more and more into practice in their lives. The power of this is hard to describe if you haven’t experienced it yourself because it seems like it creates an exponential period of growth.
While that period of growth can feel great it is actually enabled by a period of addiction, not in a negative sense but one that keeps driving you further and further. It provides an opportunity to meet several basic needs; significance, variety and certainty in ourselves and our abilities. Addictions are reinforced by meeting these needs (in this case positive) and for some people, this period of addiction may even last years. Eventually though, this period of expansion typically brings one to a period of assessment as the personal development stops driving those needs at the same level. Perhaps the significance of it fades or the variety is gone from the content or even that the certainty turns into some feelings of doubt or wonderment. This breaks that additive cycle and leaves room for change typically leading to new focus which brings back some significance and certainly in what is learned and experienced, not to mention variety by doing things differently. This time of focus drives us deeper into a subject and we look to specialize in it even more. This cycle of course is useful since we can learn from it and apply it in a way that is lasting and fulfilling to us and others.
Dialog and Language
This is one of the my most impactful areas I’m learned and changed during my journey of personal development and provides a huge opportunity for all who explore it. The way that I think, my beliefs, my knowledge and everything I’ve learned has shaped the way I interact with people and the language I use in conversation and with myself and my thoughts. I’ve learned to make the most of things, be open and even welcoming of change, positive and encouraging with my dialog and hopeful wherever possible. The impact this has is immense and its life changing, to be honest. These is also another side of that coin however, in that this vibrant positive core is easily disconnected in our society that advertises pain and problems. While such dialog of encouraging words and stories can be inspiring to many, it also separates us from being connected to those dwelling on problems and presents a bigger challenge when it comes to relating to others and finding first impression commonalities. This puts strain on relationships and unknowingly steers people away.
I truly belief the risk of disconnection is worth it however, as the opportunity is always there to inspire people and hopefully make some lasting change in others’ lives. Dialog and language fortunately are one of the best ways to convey ourselves and our beliefs and so our influence with others come largely from this area. If we are honest and authentic when connecting with others, our dialog and language should not damage our relationships, but uplift them and strengthen them.
Emotions and Physiology
The third area I know is impacted by studying personal development is our emotions and physiology. Emotions are a result of our choices and are easily the single biggest factor in the quality of our life that is under our direct control. Unfortunately, emotions are more often than not, uncontrolled and we let them take the better of us by responding in a negative manner to events in our lives. Studying personal development brings emotional control to the forefront and one can learn through practice and decision to change what emotions control them and what emotions they control as individuals.
Our physiology is a broad area of course but ultimately its about understanding how our body’s and lives actually work. The mind, our health and the way our body adapts to its environment and inputs is not only an astonishing thing to study, but also an important one to understand if we want to make ourselves the best we can be. Our physiology is deeply connected with our emotions as our chemical processes in our minds are triggered by all areas of the body and so these areas must be looked at together in order to make sense of them and to steer them positively in our lives.
So while I continue to grow in my own personal development, I challenge you to stop and think about the long term effects of what studying personal development can or has already done for you? What impact has it had on you directly? What about on the people around you in your life?
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Mike King
December 4th, 2009 at 10:01 AM
I started the study of personal development almost 16 years ago, and it has been by far the cause of some of the greatest results in my life. I am forever indebted to Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Earl Nightingale, Zig Ziglar, and many others who have helped me uncover and transform unhelpful personal beliefs that had held me back. Without personal growth and development, we stagnate. That’s my journey, and I hope it continues for eternity!
December 4th, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Wow what a powerful article this is. Not only do have tons of imformation, but you really made me stop and think about where I am in and where I need to go personally. I think focus and intense focus can really change someones life.
December 5th, 2009 at 7:31 AM
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December 5th, 2009 at 8:20 AM
@Steve – Its great to hear such a long term period has continued to keep you growing on that journey. Its very cool to see your list of role models in this arena as well, that is my exact starting list from my journey! Thanks for the comment.
@cashbackcard – I definitely think focus is valuable, however, its still something to use with balance of variety in life, there are times for each however.
December 5th, 2009 at 6:06 PM
Hi Mike, I enjoyed this very much. I agree with all of you observations and would like to share one of my own. As you described, our focus is generally on only one of these areas at a time as we move through the growth process. What I have noticed over the decades is that these areas begin to merge together as our experience and knowledge expands each of them individually and collectively. Eventually, it seems like we can remain consciously aware of them all simultaneously.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:44 PM
Oh great point Jonathan. I didn’t think of tying that into my own observations but you’ve triggered me to realize that and yes, its very true. The level of overlap from area to area blends into all areas of personal development. One of the things I like so much about personal development is how the overlap of what is learned in one area feeds new approaches and changes of habits and beliefs in other areas without even studying that specifically. The biggest benefit of this is when the overlap is so wide there is no escaping it, to the point that it drives everything in your life, your passions, your purpose, relationships, love, etc. I think you demonstrated a great example of that in your latest article with questions from Dragos. I see the overlap of your experience and learnings to each and every questions.
December 6th, 2009 at 1:10 AM
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December 6th, 2009 at 8:20 PM
[…] Thinking about Personal Development (LearnThis.ca) […]
December 9th, 2009 at 7:52 AM
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December 13th, 2009 at 8:01 PM
Language and dialogs too important for personal development
December 14th, 2009 at 9:57 AM
Wow what a powerful article this is.
December 17th, 2009 at 6:51 PM
I have looked at many sites but this is one of the most comprehensive that I have found.I have bookmarked the site to keep up with the content. Can anyone suggest other sites that may also offer me useful content?
December 20th, 2009 at 10:33 AM
good text mike I love this blog.
December 20th, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Wow what a powerful article this isx)
November 12th, 2010 at 10:00 AM
[…] Thinking about Personal Development […]
December 13th, 2010 at 5:09 AM
Wow, those are quite some points you make. I couldn’t even begin to answer your three questions at the end of your piece, Mike. I completely get the exponential period of growth, part. In the words of Nelson Mandela: “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
We completely change the wiring of our brain and change every cell of our body with decisions and conscious choices: “These cells are “little lives,” and manifest mental power and faculty. They perform their particular functions, and live, grow, reproduce themselves, and act just as do the tiny forms of animal life at the bottom of sea—the latter being but little more than single cells, or cell-groups. The possession of memory on the part of the cells of organic matter, is an accepted scientific fact.” -William Walker Atkinson [http://williamwalkeratkinsonmindpower.com]
Who knows the extent to which what we learned, what we took on board and what we decided, changed the world and our lives? How could I even begin to measure such a thing, other than in the way suggested by Mandela.
Cheers, Thea
April 20th, 2011 at 9:21 PM
[…] Personal development and realizing how impacting its cycle can be has become a huge proponent in my life to take on whatever challenges I face and apply my knowledge  in order to let it shape me and things in my life.  You can do the same and allow yourself to change through a learning or personal development cycle.  It takes a long time to understand the cycle through trial and error and its much more effective to have models for things that can be utilized to gain the most from it.  The same is true with the personal development cycle if you understand the whole cycle to be able to recognize it, and all then enable it to occur, you can take on new challenges and shifts in your life much more easily.  I have always loved change and learning new things, so this has become much more of a passion for me, but the cycle can build that passion for anyone who recognizes the value in changing themselves for the better.  Without it, you can easily fall to becoming very conditioned by people around you who are afraid of change and don’t think they can learn things well and you can easily become complacent and stuck within a very small comfort zone. […]