On what it takes to change...
And the three time tested principles of change
There’s appears to be a system for change.
Over the past however many thousands of years, humans have studied what it takes to change.
Better yet, we have zoned in on the key inputs that allow change to happen at a rapid rate.
Time and time again, the same three overarching principles are required;
Good mentors, teachers & guides
Good practices & pathways
Good company & community
Most ancient systems (such as Yoga & TCM) were been built upon these principles and most modern personal development courses lean heavily upon these as foundations. For the most part, it makes sense…
It’s fantastic to have someone further along the path to light the way so we don’t get lost.
It’s useful to have pre-qualified practices that help us with the struggles other people have also had.
And it’s nourishing to have a group of people who can relate and validate the process that we’re going through.
It’s easy to see how this framework has merit.
However, the systems that use these principles also have their blindspots.
Ancient systems such as Yoga were developed for a specific group of people at a specific time in history.
The challenges they faced were likely a little different to the world we live in now.
It would make sense to assume that the developmental path of a human is in direct relationship to the culture, social configurations, lifestyle demands, environment and the levels() of consciousness of that time.
The glaring blindspot of modern personal development courses is that they lack depth.
The lack of depth means that their definition of success is often materialistic and their markers for success are defined and measured by the head coach, who is often also the business owner.
The pressure to provide KPI’s that promote the success of the business, to generate more business and support their livelihood, means that the coach measures the clients ‘success’ based off their own intrinsic idea of success.
Unfortunately, many modern personal development courses unconsciously mould their client to be like the coach.
I hope you can you see the issue and inbuilt bias here?
The intention and heart of any development work is to reveal who you are.
This then begs the question, is there a way to use the three keys for change without living in the past or becoming someone else?
Yes, and here’s how;
Good mentors; it requires a mentor who quantifies your ‘success’ by the prevalence of your essence. They are passionate about your evolution without needing you to be anything other than you are right now.
Good practices; the practices need to be a personal research project where the teacher is your interested supervisor, not your boss. The practices support you to build a thesis of self understanding.
Good company; in this modern age of noise saturation, silence is often the best travel companion while doing the work. If you’re going deep, books, podcasts and audio clips of great teachers can be the best company, along with select people.
These three clarifications of the keys for change allow us to know if we’re engaging the right help.
Also, it’s wise to remember that when we’re working with someone and receiving their support to grow, they too are still growing.
If you have explored the ancient pathways for growth and feel disheartened and disconnected from the modern world, I urge you to continue on the path and find the thread that connects them.
Or, if you’ve been chewed up and spat out by the chaotic, current personal development scene, I remind you to not let someone else determine the fait of your flowering.
And finally, if you’re centred and receiving appropriate support… full steam ahead my friend.
I hope this email brings clarity to those on the path.
Ryan
So good Ryan 🙌🏻