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I would say that personal development is the process of getting better every day. I suppose the question is, "do people actually get better every day?" I suppose for the majority some days we do and some days we don’t. Does this mean that if we fail on a particular day, we don’t get any better? We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t fail from time to time.
And whose definition should we use as to what constitutes “getting better?” If you are going to get better everyday, do you need to take some risks and step out of your comfort zones? Or do you get up in the morning and say, “I don't need to get any better. I am as good as I am ever going to be now and I am going to stay the same or get worse in life.” I know it sounds silly, but some of us probably say that, whether consciously or unconsciously.
It is crucial that we continually seek to grow and expand as human beings. Read on.
I had lunch with a friend last week who is Native American and he told me a story about another Native American friend of his. My friend had gotten a letter from this gentleman that he had known for many years. It was a three-page note explaining all of the goals in his life that he had accomplished. At first the note seems very upbeat. My friend’s Native American friend seemed to have accomplished everything that he had set out to accomplish. After all of these accomplishments, my friend was looking to find a happy ending to the letter, but instead he read this:
“I have accomplished all that I have set out to accomplish. I am indeed a lucky man blessed with so much success. Now it is time that I relinquish my soul to someone else, which can come into this world and accomplish much more, now that I am done reaching my goals. I am walking into the forest never to return, to be able to give new life that will set out to accomplish new dreams.”
With that my friend’s friend said good-bye, never to return from the forest.
This had happened many years ago, and I still see the pain on my friend’s face as he shares this story.
Is there ever a time that you have accomplished all that you want, all that you can, or is there always something else to achieve?
When we stop achieving we end our life. Either real or imagined we are a goal-orientated species.
A friend’s father retired after working hard for 45 years. He had saved money and was set for retirement. His goal his whole life had been about retiring. Not more than 60 days after retirement he died. His whole life was consumed with saving money for retirement, and then being able to retire. He had met his goals but now had nothing to get up for in the morning. Another sad story, but true.
The people who live the longest are the ones that have something to live for. They look at personal development as something that is necessary everyday, just like taking a shower or eating. It is important to our life to keeping moving forward, and looking for something that we can accomplish. Whether those accomplishments are small or big makes no difference.
To keep doing, being, understanding, developing, and gaining education in our everyday lives keeps us alive. How much is a little personal development worth to you now?
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