Personal development systems

[tlxreed]

Howdy all,

First post and all that. I've been interested in personal development systems as a way to leverage change for some time. To me, a PDS (acronym alert!) varies from most development regimes in that proposes a series of routines, tasks and behaviors that when followed will add up to to personal development. In other words, it makes personal development a technical task with predictable results if you follow the steps. A system or science.

I contrast that to most development books where the reader is filled up with heady sounding ideas with no well-designed framework for that reality to manifest.

For example, a company named Sybersion puts out a series of self-development systems around various topics like high achievement, discipline, creativity, marriage, and various sports. The system is based on research on the neurology of the brain and nervous system.

I've used it and I can say it does affect behavior and you can create new positive habits by following the course.

Another course I discovered following a link on this site was thinktq.com. Their bent is that they've condensed the wisdom of the ages around personal development into one course. Just follow the actions they suggest and your quotient of time to results rises in leaps and bounds. Meaning you get your goals accomplished in less time with more success.

Since I have yet to purchase the ThinkTQ course, I'm wondering if anyone here has checked it out? I'm having mixed feeling so far.

They purport to give you a highly defined blueprint for success, which if followed inevitably leads one to find your mission, values, and roles and bind them together in a powerful set of behaviors that propels one forward into success.

Sounds great, less filling. Anyone actually worked this course for any length of time?

[dadeon]

I am in favour of good 'systems' as it gives you a structured way of devolping something and if it was put toghether by someone who

a) is knowlegable and
b) who knows how to teach/come across

...then go for it. The problem is that there are a lot of people out there that make big promises and the programs never deliver the goods. This is why we tend to be skeptical. I find that the programs at Nightingale Conant are by far the best and they stand by them 100% - all their programs carry a one year gaurantee.

[da1prophet]

Honestly, the articles and podcasts on this website are among the best personal development stuff I've ever read and they don't cost you a dime. Its easy to get so fixated on finding a personal development system that works that you spend more time on that quest than you do on dealing with the areas of your life you want to improve in the first place. Like my man Mr. Pavlina says--what's often most effective is a ready, fire, aim approach. There's a danger with giving any sort of system to much responsibility for making the changes in your life that you desire when the ultimate responsibility lies with you...

[AndyMartin]

I think a system is a good thing in terms of providing a framework for everything you're working on, though I look it more as a life practice consisting of spiritual, physical as well as traditional "PD" sorts of things. I don't know the system you're referring to, but the problem I have with a lot of systems is they they are too low-level. That is, they don't give you a framework to discover and implement a practice tailored to yourself, instead they give your a practice that is representative of the values of the author and based on the particular inclinations and predispositions of the author. I actually just posted to my blog this weekend about some formalization I've done in the past as a precursor to talking about what I've been developing for the past several months. It won't give you any direct advice, but it might be useful food for thought on the topic: The Birth and Death of a Personal Growth Practice | Manifest Revolution