Just because somebody acts like they know what they are doing, doesn’t mean they actually do.
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A lot of us go searching for a sort of personal development cornucopia, a source of information or ‘trick’ to make us into better people with better lives. We read books, go to lectures, seek out guru’s, and consume endless hours of self help videos.
Many people will continue this pattern for years, going through tons of programs and content and in the end, they have nothing to show for it. They get a high from consuming personal development materials; it’s almost like they think that just by consuming endless amounts of content or ‘motivation’ their lives will magically transform.
I did it too; there were so many programs I found online, and so many books I read, but not a single thing was changing in my physical reality until I decided to do the actual work.
There is a certain amount of disillusionment a personal development junkie can expect when looking at the cold hard numbers; the material wealth which was never achieved, the relationships they never created, the elite fitness levels they fell short on.
It’s not that personal development is bad, quite the contrary, but the way you achieve a new standard of life and become an amazing person is not by guzzling enormous amounts of information or inspiration. The way you become a stronger man is by achieving big goals which were way out of your reach when you set yourself to achieving them.
The goal itself is really a secondary achievement; when you test your steel and go through the pain of a metamorphosis, the growth you create inside your own world is priceless.
The skills and bravery you develop will carry you to new levels of success which you couldn’t even have imagined before embarking on your journey. Just like climbing a mountain, you cannot see the next peak until you have climbed the lower level first. With each new level you conquer, your confidence, skills, and intelligence will increase accordingly.
The reason why personal development junkies never achieve a high level of success is because they’re focused on trying to make themselves feel good, or motivated, rather than actually getting anything done or acquiring applicable skills. It’s far more comfortable to think about change and dream of better days than it is to actually change, and create a better life.
Self help junkies will fool their brains into thinking that they have actually achieved a goal because everytime they get a great idea or motivation, they will baste themselves in that idea. The resulting endorphin rush is basically the same thing they would have gotten if they had actually achieved the goal, without all of the dirty work. The end result is a lack of action to turn their motivation into reality because they already got the reward chemically in the brain.
You’ll become bigger, better, and stronger if you do the dirty work and persevere through the tough times when trying to achieve your goals. If all you ever do is read about success and making yourself into a better person, you will never actually become a better person. It’s time to wipe that stupid smile off of your face that you get every time you read something “life changing” and start actually changing your life.
What this comes down to is monotonous hard work, stress, sleepless nights, and in the end because of the experience you gain, a much better life. It’s the act of doing something significant which makes life worthwhile, and it’s that experience which will make you a better, stronger person.
Keep going through the personal development content but stop imagining and start doing. The high you get from false personal development is killing the life you really want, and the person you could be.
Do you know a personal development junkie? Hit like, and don’t forget to share this article with other people who could use a good wake up call.
By Eddy Baller
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Originally posted on Ultimate Man Builder
Photo: Flickr/Kristian Niemi
Nailed it.
I cringe every time I watch a self-help-fag-life-changing-bs. Real change requires pain and effort on a prolonged period of time.