Does Personal Development Need to Be So Complicated?
The short answer: no!
In this work of self-empowerment and self-mastery, transforming yourself and your life can feel like a complicated, time-consuming, even overwhelming process sometimes. Truthfully, there are endless lessons to learn, endless skills to become more masterful at, endless tools + journals and morning routines and THINGS to buy and do, there are so many parts of our lives that can be enhanced or improved, no wonder only a tiny percentage of people take their personal development seriously! Let's cut through it all and distill this entire process of growth into just 4 components:
Vision
Action
Results
Infusion of Gratitude
This seems MUCH more straightforward, doesn't it? I'll add just a little bit of detail to each here: 1. Vision Everything begins with Vision. What is Visioning? It's whatever your true, unfiltered answer to the questions: “What would I LOVE instead?” and “What would bring me most ALIVE?” This applies to every aspect of your life that you desire to change, from what you'd love your desk space to look + feel like to what kinds of work and relationships you would love, etc. The important thing to note here is that your Vision is setting the stage for your growth. 2. Action Once you have your Vision, the next step is to take whatever actions possible that directly align with that Vision, right away. The question “What can I do, where I am, with what I have to move me closer to my Vision today?” can be extremely useful here. For example, if your Vision is to have deeper connections with the people in your life, one action you decide to take might be to send a short text message expressing appreciation for the other person, such as “Hey, just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate our friendship.” The Action step is all about multiple, intentional, aligned actions that collectively move you closer to your Vision. 3. Results You're naturally going to see things that happen as a result of the Actions you've taken, directly or indirectly, and sometimes those results will take the form of opportunities or situations that feel like luck or coincidence. Your job here is to notice them all and to receive them gifts. You're not going to like some of those results, but that's not the point, whether or not you like them. All the results are feedback and contexts to grow through. “What are these results telling me that I need to learn, understand more deeply, or do more skillfully?” is your question here. 4. Infusion of Gratitude All 3 steps are to be heavily laced with gratitude. Not “when I see the changes I want, then I'll be thankful for them” kind of gratitude, but the gratitude you generate IN the process. For example:
“I'm so grateful for my ability to imagine a better version of my life.”
“I'm so grateful for examples all around me of what I no longer want in my life.”
“I'm so grateful to be able to take multiple actions around my Vision this week.”
“I'm so grateful to receive opportunities and results that align with my Vision.”
“I'm so grateful for my ability to learn and grow over the course of my ENTIRE life.”
You're right, there's a LOT to tackle in the space of personal evolution and development, especially if this is something you prioritize. But, in the end, it all actually only falls within these 4 components.
If you're ever stuck as to what to do, start with #1: Vision, and move from there. Think this over, let me know what pops up for you!