“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
Just over a year ago, I heard author Susan Cain speak at the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon.
She had recently published her book,Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
, and was discussing how introverts operate in a world that favors extroversion and why the internally-driven should be more highly-valued in society and the workplace.
Have you ever experienced difficult times in your life — those times when you felt lost and had no idea how to keep moving forward?
Perhaps it was in a relationship or a business or maybe even a life and death situation.
How would you like to develop grit and resilience that could help you in overcoming challenges with anything that comes your way?
Do you ever catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror as you’re coming out of the shower or getting dressed — and your eyes zero in on “that part?” You know the one that’s shape-shifting and so obediently obeying the laws of gravity?
That wasn’t there last week was it? Or last year? You KNOW it wasn’t there five years ago. ARGHHHHH!!! What’s happening here?
Even with the most devoted couples, it seems that once-common conversations in bed have been replaced with endless scrolling through social media apps or funny image-based sites – individually.
Is the internet putting up a barrier between people, even in bed?
We often confuse perception with reality.
That is, we mistake how we understand things for the way that they really are. Our thoughts and feelings seem real to us, so we conclude that they must be true.
But what if they weren’t – including even our most deeply held ideas andbeliefsabout ourselves, about others and the world?
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to doGREAT THINGS.
Because of that, I have had a lifelong passion for the study of personal transformation. For decades now, I have practiced a daily program of personal discipline and loving service.
And yet, when it came to implementing my own Big Dream,I was a complete failure.I would start working toward my dream. Something would happen and I would stop for a while, promising myself to get back to it.
If you are reading this post, you are probably a lot like me — a seeker.
You are deeply committed to personal growth and desire to understand yourself and others better. You want to learn how to live a joyful, fulfilled, and purposeful life.
And maybe, like me, you’ve tried it all over the years.
You’ve read hundreds of self-help books, taken courses, explored metaphysical or alternative options, practiced the “law of attraction,” and followed the guaranteed-for-success formula of the newest self-help guru du jour.
I’m not putting this down at all — we need to explore, experiment, and separate the personal growth wheat from the chaff.
We each must experience our own journey of self-discovery to discern what is truly life-changing and what is merely fluff and magical thinking.
Your true inner growth and development as a person occurs whether or not you actively seek it. Life often forces it upon us.
But by being intentional about growing and life-long learning, you’ll reach your potential much more quickly — and without as much strife.
Personal growth involves a wide array of actions and internal changes, including:
Ever since I received myKindlelast year for Mother’s Day, I’ve doubled the number of books I read.
I never, ever thought I would find reading on a Kindle more enjoyable than holding a real book, but (gasp) I’m finding it to be true. It’s easier to hold, the type is easier to read, and I can access new books so quickly. I have been won over.
I feel a little guilty about it. Like I’m betraying books and the art of bookmaking and my life-long love affair with books. But it is what it is.