WORK IN PROGRESS
(Life, Me, You, This Newsletter)
Vol. V, Issue16, August 15, 2001 ><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>><<>>
SUCCESS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
How are they connected?
For different people, "success" means different things.
Some wonder why I so consistently partner it with
personal development, for they perceive the two as
being completely separate. Some even see them as
inimical, believing that personal development will render
them soft and fuzzy around the edges, unable to
maintain the crispness, clarity and determination that
they perceive as vital to success. Likewise, they may
consider that success, as they define it, requires such
devotion of time and effort that there can be none left for
activities dedicated to personal development.
As a coach and positive-thinking-oriented person, I
would not, of course, respond "Hooey," or "Phooey," or
even "Nonsense," let alone some other, stronger
negative response. However, I most certainly do not
agree.
There are many strategies that we can choose to lead us
toward whatever we choose to call success, and I will
focus on more of these in the future. However, I firmly
believe that the strategy of personal development is one
of the most powerful--if not THE most powerful--strategy
that there is. Through personal development we learn
what it is that we truly believe, value and want to attain.
We learn to discover which of the paths that we chose
when young were of our own choosing, and which were
thrust upon us by the influential others in our young
lives. We learn what truly constitutes success for US.
Through personal development we learn to value
ourselves as well as others, to set boundaries where
boundaries need to be set, to include others where it is
mutually beneficial, and to know the difference, so that
we can truly savor and enjoy our successes.
Through personal development we learn to take time to
nurture ourselves, to recharge our batteries, so to speak,
and to be silent so as to listen to our inner urgings, to the
soft small inner voice that is so often drowned out by the
constant chatter of what some teachers call our "monkey
mind" which, most of the time, is not ours at all but
carries messages from the trivia that surrounds us and
that is not relevant to our true well-being.
It is true that through the techniques of personal
development we may change our view of success.
Perhaps from an external viewpoint some people may
appear to "throw it all away" when they decide that there
are things more important to them than the corner office,
the status symbols, and the bone-crushing
responsibilities of a job that demands 24/7 availability.
Yet, if such things are "thrown away" - and this does not
always happen - it is usually done as a matter of
conscious choice because the individual becomes aware
of other, more important priorities. Perhaps being
available to loved ones in times of need, perhaps
watching a child's special baseball game, perhaps just
taking the time to walk in the park, to smell the roses.
These things, too, constitute a form of success when
truly chosen.
For others, success may be a job well done, a company
led to success, previously laid-off employees being
re-hired - the joy lies not in the gewgaw symbols but in
the knowledge of having made a real contribution, in
whatever direction. Your personal definition of success
has to be yours - but be sure that it is indeed YOURS
and not one that you have acquired from those around
you.
So... what are the "techniques of personal development"
to which I have been referring?
They are many. Indeed, one of the problems of this field
is that there are so many gurus, so many methods, so
many classes, that people can become self-development
junkies, ever learning and never doing. There is a vast
difference between having attended the intensive
weekends or four-days of learning from this guru or that
and actually applying everything that one learned to
one's life.
However, if one is so inclined, there are four
cornerstones of self-development, simple techniques that
are recommended over and over again, in almost every
regime. Three of them are the things that I most often
hear clients saying that they want to do... but that they
don't have time to do. The fourth is what will enable
them to do them.
Three cornerstones are meditation, journaling, and
sufficient exercise to keep the body toned and healthy.
The fourth is the determination to give those
cornerstones priority, so that time is set aside for them
on a regular basis. Taken together, they will clear and
steady the mind and recharge the batteries of physical
and mental energy. They can also help us to become
more aware of the subtle signals, both internal and
external, that serve as guides to timing, to the direction
that is right for us, and to what our inner guides are
whispering--soft voices that we so often fail to hear until
too late.
Why those three? Largely because they are
experienced as the most powerful paths to focus and
self-knowledge in most personal development regimes.
If you consider, also, they serve our triune nature of mind
(journaling), body (exercise) and spirit (meditation). We
ignore any one of these three aspects of our nature at
our peril, and we nurture them to our benefit. Nurturing
all three, so that we can remain in balance, gives us a
powerful platform on which to base the rest of our lives.
In some future issues we will look at how these
cornerstones do contribute to the quality of our lives,
AND to whatever it is that we may choose to call
success.
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BOOKS ON TOPIC and recommended...
Mind Science : Meditation Training for Practical People
by Charles T. Tart.
"Rich with lucid instructions and practical insights, 'Mind
Science' dispels the metaphysical haze that all too often
surrounds the vital subject of meditation. Based on a
lively workshop with fellow scientists, Charles Tart shows
how the pragmatic and scientifically-inclined among us
can bring mindfulness into everyday life without religious
baggage - and gain from its many health benefits. These
highly interactive and often witty sessions in front of a
skeptical audience anticipate the questions that any
practical person might have about meditative
mindfulness. If you've been looking for a clear teaching
on how and why to meditate that is free of sectarian
involvement, then this is the book for you."
For more information click on
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D1931254001/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-3804809
Living Your Best Life : Work, Home, Balance, Destiny:
Ten Strategies for Getting from Where You Are to Where
You're Meant to Be by Laura Berman Fortgang.
"Fortgang doesn't weave a prose poem for readers to
meander through; instead, she offers practical exercises
and checklists, dos and don'ts, and, despite her
sometimes New-Agey ideals, very concrete methods that
readers can use to change their lives. She points out that
people don't often know what will make them happy (a
fact that a lot of self-help books ignore), and she gives
suggestions on how to identify exactly what that certain
something might be."
For more information click here
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D1585420921/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-3804809
And, much as I dislike the title,
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Journaling by Joan R.
Neubauer, Kathleen Adams
"This book is well-written and thorough, a very good
compendium and probably the first journaling book to
read before considering purchasing others. It details the
many types of journals as well as the many reasons a
person might want to keep one in the first place as well
how as what to journal in and how to keep the writing
private. It goes into specifics for each type of journal ('the
unsent letter', for example, toward healing and
resolution) and generally serves to enlighten one about
journaling."
For more information click here
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0028639804/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-3804809
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Coaching from the ordinary experience to an
extraordinary life!
Work in Progress covers general issues that can be
addressed far more specifically and personally in
personal coaching. If you would like to receive the gift of
a free half-hour of coaching by phone, with no strings
and no pressures, e-mail me or visit my Guestbook at
www.ChoiceCoach.com to request such a call, and I will
respond promptly to schedule one. Just one free call
might help you to get over that annoying little glitch that
has been holding you back!
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Copyright 2001 Diana Robinson, Ph.D. Work in
Progress may be reproduced in its entirety only,
including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents
herein are solely the opinions of Work in Progress
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