Next Level of Personal Development

[chrisrushton]

I've started to get a bit bored of personal development. I've thought about it a lot over the last couple of years and definitely made some improvements to my life but now I think that my reality, my map of the terrain or whatever metaphor you chose to use is pretty solid and empowering. The question is, where to take this.

Further refinements to my map seem pointless and petty when there is so much wrong with the world that can't be fixed by a simple 30 day trial. Example 30 day trial of Israel and Palestine manning up and just sharing.

Also, until recently I found myself quite judgemental of other, less actualised, people. I don't really think this is a good mental state to be in and kicking myself out of it has been a breath of fresh air.

I think the next level of personal development is to develop the world. By this I don't mean to point everyone to Steve's blog but take steps to affect meaningful, sustainable and positive change in the global community.

There are three levels of development I believe. 1 - No understanding of self, walking around in a reactive daze. 2 - Understanding yourself and your flaws and taking steps to fix them (aka Personal Development). 3 - Becoming developed and seeking a greater purpose or calling.

By this I don't mean going vegan to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide the industry creates but working to find ways to reduce or counteract the carbon produced by the industry. Not driving a hybrid car but seeking to find better ways to fuel cars or make hybrids more desirable. Not by sitting by our computers reading empowering messages and being all up ourselves over it but taking these thoughts and using them as fuel to change the world for the better.

Whether you believe in god or not (and I'm an atheist) we are the stewards of the earth and need to start behaving as such.

Seriously, some of the topics are getting ridiculous. Topic about the optimum temperature for steeping tea, I'm looking right in your direction. I'm sure I could find plenty of other topics too. Does knowing this really make you a better person, contributing more to the world? I made some tea in the same way I always did before reading that post and it was good. As good as it was before in fact.

Like the guy who said in a previous topic in this part of the forum, there's a point where you can get too much information and that information will paralyse you.

I think so much of this is about ego. The more information you have, regardless of what that information is about, the better you are. I believe this now because it is how I used to think at a subconscious level. The biggest leap that I made was that I was good enough without all the nonsense cluttering up my brain. Self esteem or enlightenment wasn't something that I had to find or learn, it was something that was always in me. It had just gotten lost amongst all the other crap floating around in my subconscious.

So this is my challenge. To proactively make the world better on the large scale for the sustainable future. As a group of intelligent and self aware people we should be able to make this happen. The system is broken, let's try and fix it. We need to start by brainstorm ways to do this and ways to put these ideas into action.

Over the next day or two I'm going to re-do a lot of my website and re-focus it in this area. I'm also working on getting into a job where I am researching alternative fuels and low carbon technology.

[James81]

I'm really glad you've found your purpose.

Every person goes their own way. Some of us believe that bettering the world is about taking proactive stances on major issues (such as alternative energy). Some of us believe that you better the world by bettering yourself, and the influence of that spirals out of you like a flame and ignites others. And some of us believe that the concept of "bettering the world" is nonsense. In fact, that could be more of that ego that you talked about. The idea that one person thinking that we, as people, are having an effect on the planet itself could be the epitome of ego because the planet is fine.

Things like alternative energy are not bettering the planet. They are bettering our survival as a species.

What is the next step in personal development to me now that I've moved beyond the general topics of personal finance, social relationships, career, etc. and am staring at the edge of examining personal beliefs?

The next step for me is exploration of things that exist outside myself, touching and connecting with those I come into contact with, and finding work that expresses the nature if my life in such a way as it outlives me and touches others lives. Essentially I view the world as a gigantic playground now. And I recognize that my footprint is miniscule in the grand scheme of things, despite the ideas that the things I choose are somehow harming this great planet.

[Cochonette]

Originally Posted by James81

I'm really glad you've found your purpose.

Every person goes their own way. Some of us believe that bettering the world is about taking proactive stances on major issues (such as alternative energy). Some of us believe that you better the world by bettering yourself, and the influence of that spirals out of you like a flame and ignites others. And some of us believe that the concept of "bettering the world" is nonsense. In fact, that could be more of that ego that you talked about. The idea that one person thinking that we, as people, are having an effect on the planet itself could be the epitome of ego because the planet is fine.

Things like alternative energy are not bettering the planet. They are bettering our survival as a species.

What is the next step in personal development to me now that I've moved beyond the general topics of personal finance, social relationships, career, etc. and am staring at the edge of examining personal beliefs?

The next step for me is exploration of things that exist outside myself, touching and connecting with those I come into contact with, and finding work that expresses the nature if my life in such a way as it outlives me and touches others lives. Essentially I view the world as a gigantic playground now. And I recognize that my footprint is miniscule in the grand scheme of things, despite the ideas that the things I choose are somehow harming this great planet.

Interesting. But actually, when people say "planet," you know they mean humans only. I share your feeling, though, about my own smallness. I like to be able to measure the results of what I am contributing to the world, and I haven't been able to see any great measurable results from my political activities - largely because I am not skilled/knowledgeable or perhaps intelligent enough to contribute as much as I'd like. That's why I've been taking a break from politics, now that I feel confident in my level of political knowledge and understanding, and focusing on myself, my world, my inner planet. Because the changes I can see there are crystal clear, and just as urgent. Indeed, I have in mind that at the next political open mic night I go to, I am going to get up and talk about PD (topic: self-confidence) and just at the end mention its relation to the open mic night. I think it would be so unusual. I hope others will find it refreshing.

[Lifeisamazing]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

Interesting. But actually, when people say "planet," you know they mean humans only. I share your feeling, though, about my own smallness. I like to be able to measure the results of what I am contributing to the world, and I haven't been able to see any great measurable results from my political activities - largely because I am not skilled/knowledgeable or perhaps intelligent enough to contribute as much as I'd like. That's why I've been taking a break from politics, now that I feel confident in my level of political knowledge and understanding, and focusing on myself, my world, my inner planet. Because the changes I can see there are crystal clear, and just as urgent. Indeed, I have in mind that at the next political open mic night I go to, I am going to get up and talk about PD (topic: self-confidence) and just at the end mention its relation to the open mic night. I think it would be so unusual. I hope others will find it refreshing.

Let's not generalize. There are plenty of people in the world who care about animals more than they care about their own species, so I wouldn't say that saving the planet is only about saving the human species.

I love where this topic goes to and in fact I wanted to make a thread about something similar, only the title would have been What Kind of World Do You Want to Build?

My perfect world is a world without cars, without money. The main areas where people try to become more knowledgeable and better are health, nature, relationships (also traveling), art, music, cosmology. The world would be much smaller in terms of people. Computers and such would exist but their impact would be much lower. All in all, I truly feel that a lot of the evolution we as human beings have gone through is only for the worse. It seems that people appreciate things (such as iPad etc.) much more than immaterial.

[WarrenG]

Chris,

Best post I've read on these forums. I couldn't agree more.

I've often wondered why, when people learn about the law of attraction, and come to believe that they can influence all of reality with their minds, they use this power to get money and sex for themselves. Why not use it to reduce carbon emissions, slow/reverse population growth (in a peaceful way!), make society more other-focused and connected to each other, etc etc.

Good luck on the job hunt too, glad you're looking into getting a job that fits in with your values. I'm doing the same (job hunting) at the moment, and I've been applying exclusively to charities so far!

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by Lifeisamazing

My perfect world is a world without cars, without money. The main areas where people try to become more knowledgeable and better are health, nature, relationships (also traveling), art, music, cosmology. The world would be much smaller in terms of people. Computers and such would exist but their impact would be much lower. All in all, I truly feel that a lot of the evolution we as human beings have gone through is only for the worse. It seems that people appreciate things (such as iPad etc.) much more than immaterial.

In the world I see - you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway.
-Tyler Durden

[James81]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

Interesting. But actually, when people say "planet," you know they mean humans only.

I know that's what they mean, but I don't believe that THEY know that's what they mean.

[goldberg]

Well PD is an ongoing process which needs to be constantly worked on, but I agree, things only change with action. Your strategy sounds like a fantastic one, if you discover a way to produce energy with less C02 then you have really made a step towards alleviating the problem.

[chrisrushton]

My challenge was an open one by the way. To everyone who reads this message. It's not just my own personal challenge.

I agree that personal development is an ongoing process but I think I have gotten to a point where it is an unconscious competence thing. I no longer see things as opportunities to grow but just naturally do the things that best promote growth.

@lifeisamazing, you want better travel but a world without cars? I'm confused. I certainly can't see myself walking to America anytime soon (I live in the UK) and I can't even see myself walking to London anytime soon either.

@James81, from my own personal experience (and frustration) letting your own fire ignite others just doesn't work. I wish it were that simple. Cochonette alluded to this too. I'm so happy most of the time. I look around and I see good friends who are very unhappy but do they ask me for help or even quietly take notice? Hell no. Most of the time I get abuse (in a friendly way) for it.

Also, humanity and the planet are one element. It's unlikely that the planet will implode anytime soon, but irreparable damage can be done to the ecosystem quite easily. We continue to demonstrate this as a species. Without the planet and global ecosystem, humanity could not survive. Simple understanding of physics will show that if you dump enough greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, your planet will end up like Venus. Even if humans were to disappear, the damage would have been done. That's not something I want for future generations of my species. It may seem that I'm going on about climate change a lot in this thread but I consider it the number one threat to humanity's existence and the sustainability of the planet.

I think it's worrying that a lot of people have an attitude that they are too small and insignificant to do anything. It is possible for one person to make a difference. That person just has to understand how the system they are working in operates and use their intelligence to leverage it in the most efficient way to get to their goals.

[Mounds]

Hi Chris,

This is on my mind a fair amount as well.
What were currently doing is growing trees which I sell to people who use them for reforestation. Last year, we sold close to a million.
Were also looking into bioenergy. The idea is growing the trees for wood pellets that can be used in stoves. It's still not a long term solution because when you burn the trees, you release the carbon once again. It is a start though.
It would not be a bad idea to work on eliminating fossil fuels from your life. It's far easier said than done but eventually, maybe in our lifetimes, were going to have to make do without it.
Other than that, I like to show the younger generation a better way. I plan on doing that through financial speeches at some point. Imagine if 18 year old people were conscious of their money.
I also like to raise awareness of insects any chance I get. Gotta know about them in order to save them.
Anyhow, those are my current goals.

-Tim

[chrisrushton]

I found this article on the raptitude blog. think it has some bearing on this topic too.

If the election really mattered to you, you’d do more than just vote | Raptitude.com

-edit

Tim, it sounds like you are doing excellent work. All the best.

[faithsdaddy]

Originally Posted by chrisrushton

I found this article on the raptitude blog. think it has some bearing on this topic too.

If the election really mattered to you, you’d do more than just vote | Raptitude.com

I've read a few articles like this over the years. Logically, the points are sound. Voting isn't a good way of deciding things. If 10 million people decide 'A', but are wrong to think this, but 1 person correctly thinks 'B', then the masses win. I would prefer B to win, because he's 'right'. Therefore, the only sane thing to do is to put me in charge

Ref the OP; Wilson Knight said 'One man can make a difference', so keep strong and make your contribution to changing the world Knight Rider jokes aside, I admire anyone who makes a real effort towards making the world a better place.

[chrisrushton]

I'd argue that you need to take a test to be able to vote.

Most people just vote the way their parents vote or friends vote anyway.

But I think the whole political system is retarded anyway. Maybe I can fix that after I've saved the world