Personal Growth and Development: is it crap?
This morning I was listening to a podcast as I did my yoga. What caught my attention is the interviewee made a statement that insinuated that all Personal growth and development techniques and advice on the internet is crap! He was selling a self help product so what he was really saying is that everyone but me is selling crap. Now I admit that there is some real snake oil stuff out there, but most of it is not.
I am not a psychologist. I worked for over ten years in the mental health field, for fifteen years in business management, which is pretty much the same as the first one, and have been a minister for about twelve years, a combination of the first two careers. In that time, I have learned a bit about what makes people tick and how they live their lives.
Now I will be the first to admit that there is little new in the field of personal development and growth. The self help field relies more on ancient principles than it does new ones. The fact that they are ancient however, does not mean they are not useful. The trick in trying to help people change their lives is to say what needs to be done in such a way that the person reading it or hearing it can understand is and use it in their own lives.
Take goals for example. I heard it a million times how I had to have goals, but until someone said it in such a way that it sank into my thick skull, it didn’t mean a thing. Now I understand and goals work well for me. Then it did not.
My suggestion to you is to find someone who you can relate to. Find someone who says what you need to hear in a way that sinks in. I prefer to find someone who has actually used the methods that he or she is promoting. No offense intended to anyone, but why go to a priest for marriage counseling? If you haven’t lived with a member of the opposite sex, how can you know? Sure you read a book about it, but is that the same thing?
Personal development can only happen when you are able to make it personal! It has to mean something to you; be a part of you. then, and only then, can you begin to change and to grow!
Here’s to You!
P.S I just found this post along the same lines I encourage you to read it! Exposed!
2 Responses to “Personal Growth and Development: is it crap?”
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The first thing that I thought right away was that this person on the podcast was attempting to use some sort of scare tactic to get people to buy his item. you often see this sort of approach in politics. second, i agree with your idea of finding someone that you can relate to. so many times in life you just need to find that one person who can express whatever the subject it in terms that make sense to you. i think a good example is learning algebra. sometimes those ideas and theories can be very difficult to grasp but if you can find the right person to explain it to you it can be so clear. keep on blogging.
Pete