A Little Too Much Personal Development?
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
“Personal Development isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”
That what I said to a teleconference of our downline team members when we were building our first home business. On one of them I talked about the importance of Personal Development.
That’s truth. I stand behind that quote.
Problem is, people take “Personal Development” and go too too too far.
In fact, some of them hide behind it.
Let me explain that. In 2007 I saw a post on a social networking site that was popular then. It said a lady many of us knew well had “quit the Law of Attraction.”
She meant it. She felt betrayed by it…that all the intending and “happy thoughts” she was launching hadn’t gotten her anywhere. That she was spinning her wheels. She was done.
I don’t know what happened after that.
My guess is she moved onto a religion. Or a guru, or some other spiritual movement…
Some other form of “Personal Development.”
You get the idea.
Personal development isn’t about joining a “movement,” even though there are plenty of great programs to start the journey.
I consider the master’s degree I earned in counseling from Central Connecticut State University to be the first real personal development program I started. The advanced professional diploma I received was the second.
Both of those had a purpose. There was a goal, an outcome…something I wanted. I got the degree in counseling with the idea of becoming a high school guidance counselor. It worked.
I got the professional diploma in educational leadership with the idea of becoming a school administrator. It didn’t happen. After figuring out how I wanted my future to look I chose not to pursue it.
That was FOCUSED PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. I knew what I wanted…and I went after it.
I knew that just learning how to do things wasn’t going to be enough.
I knew I had to change the way I thought. And to a certain extent change the way I felt about things.
I definitely knew I was going to have to change the way I responded to other people.
Recently I commented on a Facebook post asking what people thought of “The Secret.”
You know…that book that came out in 2006. The one that took the personal development world by storm. Here’s what I wrote…
“The Secret is the same as any other inspirational work. It’s a starting point. Lots of folks who were looking for something to believe in jumped on board with the teachings of The Secret, not to mention Abraham Hicks, Eckhart Tolle, The Sedona Method and lots of other great programs….including virtually any holy scripture you’d like to look at.
The problem is they became “fans” of the program more than being willing to follow the disciplines that each of them demands. And if you give an honest reading to any of them, you’ll find that’s exactly what they’re talking about. None of them tell you there’s such a thing as a free lunch.
I don’t mind saying…I took the teachings of The Secret and implemented them, and reaped the personal and financial rewards that went along with them. That’s a process that continues to unfold, and is available to anyone who wants to start.”
And here’s where there is such a thing as too much Personal Development…
As long as you just want to be in a good environment and have fun. I’m all for it.
And sometimes, after years of watching, listening, cheering for others as they do the deal, you might decide it’s your turn…then buckle down and take it seriously.
Hey, it’s all good.
It’s when you think joining a movement, plugging in to any program for hours a day, but really doing it is going to get you to that next place…
That’s when it’s too much. When the expectations don’t line up with the commitment.
You can do whatever you like. You can join stuff, then quit. Sometimes it’s not the right thing for you.
But please, as someone who teaches personal development, and loves when his clients succeed…
Do you personal development work.