ABOUT
Personal development is a collective name for the process where we as individuals strive to improve ourselves in various areas.
A question we need to address right from the get go. Is development necessary? Am I not good enough as we already are? You're fine just the way you are, but the question we need to ask ourselves is. Who am I?
You are not your thoughts, feelings, or behaviors
It is easier to find the answer to the question of who we are by thinking about who we are not. For example, you are not your thoughts, feelings or behaviors. Behaviors can vary and you can choose different behaviors. We think many thoughts every day, but thoughts are something we can influence. Thinking is an ability and it is possible to learn not to think and it is possible to learn to shape one's thoughts in different directions. Similar reasoning can be made about emotions. You are not your feelings. A better description is that you have emotional experiences but that is a different thing than being one's emotions. Emotions are labels for sensations and emotions are influenced by a variety of factors. When we learn to influence sensations then we can also influence emotions.
As you learn to understand and influence, for example, your thoughts, feelings and behaviors, life is not something that you are exposed to or suffer from. Life is more of a play where you have the opportunity to write the screenplay.
The play of life
You as a person are fine just the way you are, you are not broken and you do not need to be repaired. But if you are interested, it is possible to develop self-understanding and develop skills, which makes life more pleasant, motivating and wonderful to live.
Example of the steps
If the first step is to recognize that you are not your sensations, thoughts or actions the second step is to learn to experience and witness sensations and let it play out. The third step is experience without judgment. The fourth step is to step back into sensations, engage and interact with life wherever it plays out. This means we are the witness and the actor at the same time. This is awareness.
Conversation
This blog is a string of conversations about personal development in general and specifically the path towards non-duality.
Bon voyage!
Magnus