Your biggest growth experience ever

[Plato]

What is your biggest growth experience ever?

Could be intentional/unintentional, likely/unlikely, an isolated event or something over a long period.

What's really made you grow as a person?

Can't wait to hear your responses!

[marinik]

After reading the book The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler I realized that we are all driven by the same motivation - to be happy and satisfied - but we all "use" different strategies to accomplish it. I stopped judging people in so many ways. I still do for time to time then stop and remind myself of what I have learned.

This what came to mind first.

The second moment... was a moment of total forgiveness. I think I wrote it one of the threads - I forgave everybody, and forgave myself for forgiving everybody since then I have felt huge relief! I am not carrying all that burden of negative emotions around. Those feelings have a tendency to feed themselves!!! And drain so much energy!

[Xanafax]

When I was reading Atlas Shrugged my world came alive.

It was a moment of crystallisation; the random aspects of my beliefs formed into a coherent and relevant belief system.

[CroMagna]

Originally Posted by Xanafax

When I was reading Atlas Shrugged my world came alive.

It was a moment of crystallisation; the random aspects of my beliefs formed into a coherent and relevant belief system.

What do you plan to do with that knowledge?

[Xanafax]

Rule the world...


Nah.

Just succeed in life.

[Deergirl]

Mine was when I lived abroad as an exchange student for one year. I was eighteen and lived in Iceland with a host family. They were very different than my own parents. They gave me room to think, to do what I wanted to do and they supported me in all of this, something that my own parents weren't that great at (but they have other great features of course). Being in a strange country, with a different language, having to make new friends, living with "strangers",... It made me grow as a person in many different aspects and I'm very thankful that my real parents gave me a chance to have this experience, because I'll never forget it. I learned a lot that year.

[nhaasch]

Originally Posted by Plato

What is your biggest growth experience ever?

What's really made you grow as a person?

I'm not sure if it's my biggest, but among them was simply listening to The Power of Now. My world transformed before my eyes as I listened. That is some powerful magic.

[Plato]

Originally Posted by marinik

After reading the book The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler I realized that we are all driven by the same motivation - to be happy and satisfied - but we all "use" different strategies to accomplish it. I stopped judging people in so many ways. I still do for time to time then stop and remind myself of what I have learned.

This what came to mind first.

The second moment... was a moment of total forgiveness. I think I wrote it one of the threads - I forgave everybody, and forgave myself for forgiving everybody since then I have felt huge relief! I am not carrying all that burden of negative emotions around. Those feelings have a tendency to feed themselves!!! And drain so much energy!

That's pretty darned cool. Those spiritual realisations are truly life changing. You can never go back..

Originally Posted by Xanafax

When I was reading Atlas Shrugged my world came alive.

It was a moment of crystallisation; the random aspects of my beliefs formed into a coherent and relevant belief system.

Nice.

Personally when I read it I was perplexed by her world view. I mean, I do see some people contributing massive physical value, and some people mostly mooching... but I don't get what her point is.

Originally Posted by Deergirl

Mine was when I lived abroad as an exchange student for one year. I was eighteen and lived in Iceland with a host family. They were very different than my own parents. They gave me room to think, to do what I wanted to do and they supported me in all of this, something that my own parents weren't that great at (but they have other great features of course). Being in a strange country, with a different language, having to make new friends, living with "strangers",... It made me grow as a person in many different aspects and I'm very thankful that my real parents gave me a chance to have this experience, because I'll never forget it. I learned a lot that year.

That is freaking cool. I've never lived abroad but that sounds like a terrific thing to do.

Originally Posted by nhaasch

I'm not sure if it's my biggest, but among them was simply listening to The Power of Now. My world transformed before my eyes as I listened. That is some powerful magic.

Me too.

I used to be a really bad person. Driven by fear and happy to cut people down willy nilly. After that I was like... whoa, I can be happy right here right now. I'm still coming to terms with it 2 years later.

[Deergirl]

Originally Posted by Plato

That is freaking cool. I've never lived abroad but that sounds like a terrific thing to do.

I can only encourage you to do it. It's amazing when it comes down to growth. You learn a lot about the world, about other cultures (because when you are a foreigner somewhere, you tend to meet other foreigners and share experiences which then turns into a conversation about how things are done in other countries), about yourself and how you stand in the world, what you find important in life, your values, about social skills,... At the beginning of my exchange year I was a rather shy person who'd blend in into the background. Literally. I wore a lot of grey clothes and neutral colors. When I returned I had blossomed into a person I liked much much better. Someone who wasn't shy around other people, who'd stand up for her own opinion, someone who didn't mind wearing a turquoise jacket or yellow pants for that matter, someone who was happy with who she was.

After my year in Iceland I spend another five months in Amsterdam and I'm not planning on staying where I live now much longer either. I want to move to New Zealand before I turn 30, or that's the plan at least.

[Sami]

My biggest growth experience was going through a divorce that I didn't see coming or didn't want. It was hugely painful and sad at the time.

In the middle of it, my Dad said something that had a huge impact on me. He said "the best revenge is to live well." I really took those words to heart. I packed up and moved overseas to live in Canada (I'm an Aussie). Ended up living in Banff in the middle of the Canadian Rockies and had a couple of the best years of my life. It wasn't always smooth sailing but it was an amazing experience I'll never forget.

I learnt SO many lessons from the divorce itself and the move overseas, plus in Banff, I also met my current partner.

I've reached a point where I'm grateful it happened. I'm a better person for it and now have an awesome life.

[Dreamline]

Getting divorced.

Finally deciding what to get a degree in and doing it.

Watching The Secret.

Helping a friend through a terrible false arrest ordeal.

Jennifer

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Plato

What is your biggest growth experience ever?

Could be intentional/unintentional, likely/unlikely, an isolated event or something over a long period.

What's really made you grow as a person?

Can't wait to hear your responses!

Mine was realizing that "I am not my mind." I was thinking, "my mind is driving me nuts" and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Huh? It was the only the beginning of my 'biggest growth experience ever' but it was massive!

[Remiel]

I went to an experiential seminar called Focus.

It gave me freedom from quite a few tapes and chains I had placed on myself due to my aspergers.

[Daffy Duck]

My lovers have helped me grow a lot.

Breaking up with my ex-fiancee was probably the biggest growth experience I've had. I learned so many things. You can love again, you can appreciate the "bad" things that happen to you (even be extremely glad they happened), you do not need anyone else to be happy, and so on. I always knew these things intellectually but I had the experience thrown in my face!

An ex-girlfriend encouraged me to pursue higher education. I was always reluctant to this idea, because I've been unschooled since a young age, and I didn't think I would be able to understand traditional schooling and test well on college-level courses. She encouraged me to try out anyway, and to my surprise, I do better than most students. I've had a lot of fun and interesting experiences thanks to college. Being unschooled may have been an advantage for traditional schooling now because I'm not experiencing the "burnout" that normal students who went through K-12 might have. For me, traditional school is new and exciting.

[Patricia]

I've had lots of huge growth experiences, but I'll have to agree that living abroad has to be one of the greatest potential growth experiences anyone can have or pursue.

I've been abroad as an exchange student 3 times (in the US, England and Germany) for short periods of time. They were 3 very different experiences - sometimes exciting, sometimes confusing, always rewarding!!

I'm having yet another living abroad experience right now, except this time I'm not an exchange student and, therefore, I'm not planning on going back home anytime soon, except to visit friends and family. So this is a completely different scenario compared to the previous 3.

Whatever the case, what my experiences have shown me is that living abroad helps you grow in very unexpected ways. When you're in a different country, EVERYTHING is different. You're surrounded by lots of unfamiliar circumstances, people, cultural habits and values, food, language, lifestyle, beliefs, sometimes religion, etc. And it's there all the time, in the small and big things, even when you go to bed at night, so there's no "escape". (I don't mean this in a bad way, I just mean it's a 24/7 deal, whether it's good or bad).

Between what's exciting and what might be strange to you or even scary - and everything in between - you end up learning a lot about yourself by being exposed to so many unfamiliar circumstances all the time. You also learn about different perspectives you'd never otherwise be able to grasp if you never leave your own country.

Being exposed to that much contrast also helps you find new preferences and desires. It opens doors to many things you weren't even aware of, especially if you live abroad when you're younger.

These experiences have changed me dramatically. The more time I spent abroad, the more time I wanted to spend abroad. Before each one of these experiences I would catch myself feeling extremely excited about the possibilities and wondering what new wonderful things I'd be exposed to and what I would learn about myself next. How many different people and perspectives I'd find, what the challenges would be and so on and so forth.

I won't say it's always easy or exciting. Sometimes it's very, very challenging and all you want to do is go back to your comfort zone, close to your loved ones and the familiarity of home. But that's part of the beauty of it too, it forces you to exercise courage, confidence, good judgment, it makes you face your fears and explore your limits. On the flip side, all the good aspects of this type of experience can be so incredibly intense and rewarding that chances are they will be part of the best memories of your life.

It is definitely an intense growth experience.

[Patricia]

Oh, and as a side note to the experience of living abroad, apparently it also helps to boost creativity, which is always a nice bonus.

[Orecle]

Originally Posted by Xanafax

When I was reading Atlas Shrugged my world came alive.

It was a moment of crystallisation; the random aspects of my beliefs formed into a coherent and relevant belief system.

This book changed my life as well, as well as Fountainhead. I have both of them on audio. I have regularly listen to John Galts speech, Franciscos speech on sex and money and Hanks telling off of his brother in his house.

Also brian Tracys book something for nothing made me see the world for what it is.

My biggest experience was being introduced to PD via Tony Robbins. I felt like a kid who has been given cheat codes to their favourite computer game

[Plato]

Hey look, I never replied to my own thread.

My greatest growth experience was a week spent in France being a kind of luxury servant for a billionaire and his entourage.

It was the most stressful week of my life. I was literally under pressure CONSTANTLY. It blew me so far out of my comfort zone for such a long time that my brain circuitry literally RE-WIRED and I lost the ability to feel fear.

I also lost all apathy towards hard work. Being on the go becomes a habit.

It only took 2 weeks to return to my usual state of relative sluggishness... but I know what's possible now.

Actually the same thing happened to me during Fresher's week at university. I got blasted so far out of my comfort zone that I became this courage machine. Unstoppable. Unfortunately I also totally over did it that week.

The lesson of it all is that you have to keep the pedal to the metal or you just slip back into bad ways.

Grow or stagnate. There is no middle ground.

[erego]

Being with my girlfriend. With her, I learned how to care again. I learned what empathy is. Being honest and open 100%. What trust is. How to communicate. Everything to do with emotional life.

She opened up my heart I had shut off; consequently, I learned about myself and grew so much.

[Aleksander Krstic]

My growth experiences are getting bigger and bigger so I think I'll just tell the last significant one:

When I was knocked out of my beliefs so hardly that many people in my situation would probably cry. But I didn't. I didn't post this to show off, but because I can't give all the details at this time.

[brendannz]

Good question..

Moving to London to live for a year and a half, approx was the most fun, and biggest growth experience

as well, moving out of my parents house was another big growth experience..

Hopefully I have many more growth experiences ahead of me..

[Peek]

Living abroad is definitely a good chance to grow.

Although unexpected unhappy moments make you stronger.
The biggest steps I had to take when my father passed away. I was numb, overwhelmed with emotions I could not handle, grief, fear (that my mother might not pull though), courage (to continue everything and not letting people down and showing I can handle everything life trows at me), and back to a simple sad girl crying for her daddy.
Al in split seconds every minute.

Later on in the process I learned a deeper meaning of gratitude because purpose and goals shifted to the next level. Actually to the place where gratitude and love meet each other.

If lived well man can learn big time in short periods.

[David Cain]

For me it has been blogging. I made a decision to be honest and candid about my life and my weaknesses, and already I'm far more comfortable with myself and my life in general.

I've discovered that people do really like my writing, and that this is the direction I want to go in terms of a career. I'm forming a wonderful network of people, and I feel like anything is possible.

If I think back to even just three months ago, so much has changed, and I owe so much of it to blogging. It was the best and most effective decision I've made in as long as I can remember.

[Tripacer]

My most enlightening experiences:

The day I saw my fathers heart monitor putter to a straight line.

The day I saw my son as me looking at my dad looking at me. (Not sure how to explain this).

A moment when I saw my parents and their friends like kids competing with one another. I felt above the world looking down on this realization. It was almost like they were blind to reality because they were caught up in their own competition with one another. (once again, don't know how to explain this. "Like the first buddha says, don't try to explain what is imposible to explain. Just teach how to attain it so they can experience it themselves.")

Seeing my daughter #1 come into the world for the first time and looking at me like she has always known who I was.

Last December when I received a phone call that my son was shot by a home intruder. Then, when meeting him at the hospital, him looking at me in great despair - "I can't feel my legs Dad". Wanting me to be in that bed and not him. Wanting all this to go away. Wanting to kill the bastard who did this. Just losing control of myself and emotions and yet, still being able to later gain my composure and drive on. It is still hard, but we're making it. He is paralyzed from the chest down.

[garentee]

Pretty much the most inspiring growth has come from just being able to really look at what I believe,how the beliefs got there and what I have over come....
I would say a very close second would be growing vegetables on two acres by myself (for the most part) on very difficult soil to work with for the past 10 years with out the luxury of having a tractor.. and having to make ends meet ... I have seen the light and know now that the jig is up and I have much greater fish to fry .. I would never trade this experience or alll the amazing lessons and accomplishments that have come from it...

[LifeFirst]

Moving to a different country and living there....not talking about studying abroad for 1 or 2 years. I'm talking just living there, learning the language, becoming fluent, and becoming a citizen.