Is your quest for personal development fueled by the desire to attain some specific goal, or are you merely on a quest to "better" yourself?
Most people have something very specific that they are striving for as they walk down the path of personal development, even if an overall betterment of themselves is a welcome side effect to the process. I submit to you that despite the often discussed value of specific goal setting, that it is the general betterment of ourselves that is actually the hidden driving force in our personal development efforts.
Photo Credit: lusiYes, there tends to be a specific end result that we are after, yet by allowing the goal itself to be the motivating factor, we put an implied limit on who we are, and what we can accomplish in life. Are we to allow ourselves to be defined by the accomplishment of a measurable task, even if that task is huge in its scope and its potential influence on ourselves, or even the world at large? Or, would we be better off to dig deeper; to find our own personal buried treasure, with the attainment of our goals being merely one of the results of our efforts?
The Million Dollar Mindset program talks a lot about how our personal growth is the true desire that is being expressed when we chase after things like financial success, career advancement, fulfilling relationships, etc. After all, once we've obtained all of those things, what is next? Would we then just sit back, smug and satisfied in our success, and give up trying to do anything else with our lives?
Hardly. Rather, it is an integral part of the very human spirit to expand beyond our present capabilities, and to constantly be reaching towards the next step in our individual evolution, as well as the growth of our race as a whole.
In order to do that, however, we must dig deep within ourselves, and we must do the very things that are the most difficult for us personally. After all, if Harmonic Wealth® - the successful attainment of wealth in all areas of our lives - was easy to attain, wouldn't everyone already have done that?
Here is a 3-step process for finding your own buried treasure; your own seeds of Greatness!
1) Don't listen to other People
Give up the notion that any other person on the planet knows what is best for you, or what you are capable of. You are the only person who has ever known - or ever WILL know - your life as intimately as you do.
Yes, there are people who can help you, advise you, and mentor you. Yes, there are other people who you can look up to, seek counsel from, and even emulate. Yes, there are other people who will be a part of your success, or perhaps even partner with you.
However, in the end, there is not another soul alive who can predict what you are capable of. By listening to other people's beliefs about what you can do, you will be denying the very truth of your own limitless ability to have, do, or be anything that you desire.
We are unlimited beings!
- Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith
2) Look to the Past
Although I personally hold the Tony Robbins inspired belief that there is no such thing as failure (we always succeed in attaining a RESULT, as Tony says), I also know that all people have points in their lives when the result they obtained wasn't exactly what they had planned for.
Those are simply areas of your life where you have not yet unearthed your treasure!
- If financial independence is one of your goals, but you have not yet attained it, then there is plenty of growth potential left in that area of your life.
- If you have yet to find the fulfilling and joyous relationship that you have dreamed of, then there is plenty of room for growth there as well, and plenty of happiness to be had, too!
- If you have tried many times to find your "place" in the world, or your "calling," yet you are still struggling in a career that doesn't bring you joy, then that is obviously an area where can still allow your true gems to shine their magic.
Find areas of your life where you have sought success in the past, yet not been 100% successful, and you will also have found areas of your life where your hidden treasure is still waiting to be brought to the surface!
3) Ignore your Inner Demons
As you now consider striving for success in any given endeavor, you will probably have some unwanted company along the way in the form of self-limiting beliefs.
Self-limiting beliefs are conscious as well as subconscious feelings that cause us to lose confidence in our ability to attain whatever it is that we desire. These self-limiting beliefs are especially strong if we have tried to accomplish something in the past, yet were unable to attain the level of success that we had hoped for.
The more times that we try to do something, but then don't manage to do it, the stronger our self-limiting beliefs become. In fact, many people have self-limiting beliefs that are so strong that they will eventually give up trying altogether.
However, like all beliefs, our inner demons are completely of our own creation. They have no tangible presence in the world, and they can be permanently vanquished by the simple act of consistently believing the opposite of whatever the self-limiting beliefs are trying to tell us.
Consistency is the key here, however. Making a "stand" against your self-limiting beliefs is almost a complete waste of time. Most self-limiting beliefs have been ingrained in our conscious and subconscious minds for a very long time, so undoing them will take more than just a fleeting effort.
Affirmations and visualization are both extremely powerful allies in your quest to vanquish your inner demons. Use them often, and use them with feeling. Before long, you'll wonder how you ever believed in anything other than success!
Does all of this mean that you shouldn't set timed, and measurable goals for yourself? Of course not.
However, the next time you fantasize about that dream car, that perfect relationship, that big promotion, or that financial success, take the time to ask yourself:
Do I really want all of that stuff, or is it that I want to be the type of person who can have those things?
The answer might surprise you!
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