What I’ve found to be “inescapable” through years of research is the enactment of any step toward self-transformation is always, I repeat, always preceded and therefore dependant upon the how and why of your thinking process. That point alone constitutes the essence of a real challenge. It’s also about the courage of risking everything for a vision that nobody sees but you, a formidable challenge as well.
I’m more than clear that thoughts such as these I’ve just presented have been stated and restated over time in a myriad of formulas and presentations. We are deeply ingrained in the information age, and information on this topic is readily available. According to Kathryn Schulz of New York Magazine, the self-help industry has grown to “an $11Billion industry dedicated to telling us how to improve our lives.” Never in human history have we been more informed on how to take hold of securing a life of design rather than default.
But here’s the rub. The statistics on “successfully” accomplishing this venture of transforming yourself into a better you and living a better life is nothing less than a staggering observation. Between 70 to 80 percent of people interviewed time and time again over the last couple of decades by reputable firms have stated they were unhappy with the direction of their life and the work they were presently involved in.
The Problem
Even with the exorbitant amount of self-help modalities available to us, in unprecedented record numbers I might add, something is being missed as 3 out of 4 people continue to remain stuck in a lifestyle and/or work environment they are unhappy or frustrated with.
The Solution
Taking a more multifaceted approach to the investigation of personal development as opposed to one path, striving to enhance and synthesize the multiple realms of your cognitive nature – your intellectual strength (intrapersonal intelligence), your emotional proclivities (interpersonal intelligence) and your imaginative and creative capabilities.
Some Thoughts
Seth Godin called this type of well-rounded individual a Linchpin. Steve Jobs reminded us that personal innovation is all about synthesis. Emerson stated that our “character” (our collective qualities) is our most valuable asset. Einstein regularly used this type of multifaceted approach to a problem, labeling it “combinatory play.” In Japan, this type of approach is called Jiriki, a non-dependent investigative person who chooses to save himself.
This is about hubris, learning about who you are and then having the guts to stand up for what you believe in and take action. It’s about becoming an impresario, a pathfinder. It’s about discovering the totality of who you are and becoming what is known in Germany as a funktionslust, someone who pursues what they want to do for the love of doing it.
I’m simply trying to help you see that being able to experience a true metamorphose of who you are into who you’re striving to be is a sequential process, a series of diverse steps and permeations. It is a process of investigation, of removal and replacement eliminating ingrained mental patterns you’ve constructed from a very early age and reinforced over time in different areas of your life. And pertaining to that, renowned psychologist Howard Gardner reminds us that mental representations are not immutable.
Put quite simply; strive to become a more divergent thinker in terms of who you are and what you have to offer recognizing both the strengths and weaknesses of your entire persona, and then take action.
