Is Personal Development For Poor People?

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by ImOpen

Saying that Zero did develop and that "personal development" therefore is for poor people to is frankly speaking poor reasoning. The term "personal development" is referring to not only the process but also the means - the books and so forth - and obviously these were of no help for Zero.

I think you, Zero, have drawn a correct conclusion. It is not for poor people. Instead it can be harmful because it only delays work on what is _really important - making friends, getting therapy etc.

Hmm that's interesting...and what about the means that didn't include the merchandise?

My brother is someone I'd consider successful, he gets what he wants and he leads a happy life. But he has never been into these PD books and tapes like I am, the only things he reads are car magazines!

But when I talk to him, I can hear the same beliefs and attitudes these PD books talk about that he already holds or has learnt through the school of life. I'd say he's done lots of personal development and growth in his own life without having to buy the merchandise.

And what is PD really? Like sadavis00 said, the core is 'improving your lot'. What is making friends, getting therapy, working out, studying hard, getting a better job, but developing yourself personally, and improving your lot?

I think you can separate PD from the goods, as there are many means besides those you can buy. To his credit, even though the materials he had didn't speak to him, I think from his results he developed himself pretty well

[Nikos Sokin]

Zero,

I need to get back to my work :-) so can't read the rest of these posts, though I'd like to later.

I feel compelled to say: please decide that PD *is* for poor people but that the tools and vehicles that have been developed so far have been geared for the middle class and above (since they have the $ to buy PD books, the examples in the books are ones they can relate to). Then, think of what would have made sense to motivate you when you were down (financially and otherwise) and PLEASE WRITE THAT BOOK!!

[rini17]

I was never really poor, and although having very tough problems with peers during childhood, I had always home to return to. But among all those spiritual/PD books I read, I can most relate to these, where author speaks on how he overcame poverty or otherwise critical condition - to name Friendship with God or Ringing Cedars of Russia for example.

Maybe it's because I usually change something dysfunctional in my life only after it starts to cause severe psychical pain (despite having known long time before what needs to be done). I see poor or chronically ill people go even further than me, moreover they often think nothing can help them, so I see that most PD products aren't going to cut it. Only after such person starts to think "Others can do, maybe I could too?" there is some room to PD. Me too, when I learn myself to steer the life more smooth way, then maybe more PD products will make sense to me.

[Palmari]

Originally Posted by tropicality

also, who needs seminars? There is tonnes of free online articles that can have much the same effect.

Just a quick note about the above quote. The reason for attending seminars is that there is emotional involvement, anyone who has been to a quality seminar knows this. It's one thing to read and understand something intellectually but to become emotionally involved and fully associate to the changes taking place will ensure a lasting impact and AHA moments not just "oh yeah, I get it".

BTW I have no idea how to quote properly on this forum when it's just a part of a post, as you may have noticed, but you get the point of what I was trying to do.

[asrai]

In "Dare to Win" one of the authors (I can't recall which and i do not have the book anymore, but I think it was Jack Canfield) writes about being bankrupt, sleeping all day, driving around and putting $0.25 worth of gas in his car (this was in the 1970's I believe).

There are many more stories: a motivational speaker who was in jail, a successful real estate agent who disfigured when mauled by a bear. In all the stories, the "moral" was: if they can be succesful with all the losing things in their life, you can do it too.

Dr. Phil was raised by an alcoholic father. He talks about his father in glowing terms now, but he writes in one of his books about his childhood and how he threw himself into sports and school.

[John Hill]

Poor is a state of mind, nothing else.

Whether you are financially poor or emotionally poor, personal development can change that state of mind if you are willing to make the effort.

John

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

I agree that poor is a state of mind. There are many states of mind that we inherit as children, because we accept our family's vision of life as the only one. As children we know nothing else. My childhood, while middle class was quite dysfunctional, and I just believed somehow that everyone's was like that. becasue as children we don't know better. It's only when we grow up and experience life outside our family, that we can see what our family was actually like.

Gary Craig (EFT founder) calls it the writing on our walls. Imagine you mind to be like a house you live in. Your birth family writes all over your house walls, things like; brush your teeth before you go to bed, don't get Dad angry, we can't afford the nice apples, etc. You then go through life not even knowing where these things come from, but you find yourself following them anyway. In most people they don't even know they're there. They just think everyone is like this.

It takes a fair bit of self-examination and untangling of the knots to figure this out, and if you're working 2 jobs, I can see how it's just not going to rate against something that offers more immediate gratification. And you just carry around all the stress associated with that writing until you can sort it out.

What I'm trying to say is that coming from a poor environment is going to make it that much harder to even think about PD, unless something breaks to force you to consider it. More power to those who do.

And writing a book about it is a great idea!

Joy and prosperity to all

Hazel