self-development,

[inquisitive_paradox]

Hello everyone!

     New to the form and I would like to say hello to everyone!  In this post I am looking for someone who has gone down the path of self development (reading books, listening to audio, attend seminars, etc.) and was wondering what do you look for in a self-development product?  Are there any indications that let you know it will be beneficial for you?  What do you avoid in self-development products?  Is there anything that had turn you away from the product?

     Sorry for all the questions.  I do know that I will have to dive in and find out what works for me.  It is just a great help to get others feedback to help on the decision process.  Thank you in advance! 

[voodoo scientist]

Read actual science. Get a big, fat, boring textbook on psychology, then get some more. Self development is hard as all hell, and if the investment you're willing to make to achieve it is nothing more than reading an NLP book and maybe attend a seminar, you're gonna get nowhere.

[Enigma]

I just got an ebook on NLP.  Haven't checked it out yet though. 

[inquisitive_paradox]

I have never heard of NLP so I looked it up and as interesting as it sounds...  is this stuff real?  Is the whole thing a bunch of BS?  If NLP is legit what should I look for?  What should I avoid?  Any suggestions is much appreciated.  Back to doing more research.    Again, thanks for your replies.

[SWM]

@ inquisitive paradox
interesting choice for a name iP


self development can take many forms depending on how an individual experiences the self and what the individual considers development.

defining the self is not always an easy task. can you define what it is that you consider to be your self?

[voodoo scientist]

I have never heard of NLP so I looked it up and as interesting as it sounds...  is this stuff real?  Is the whole thing a bunch of BS?  If NLP is legit what should I look for?  What should I avoid?  Any suggestions is much appreciated.  Back to doing more research.    Again, thanks for your replies.

NLP is more easily applied to real life situations and requires a lower sum total of relevant knowledge in order to do so. It's like the drive-in of psychology, so the first point I was making is that the information you need to pursue self development is already fully present in the academic sciences. Most people know this deep down, they'd just like a solution that's easier to swallow, so to speak. The second point I was making is that you should get rid of that notion immediately and accept the fact that self development requires mountains of effort, so you may as well get started on the real science.

[SWM]

voodoo gives me an opportunity to reiterate my point,

voodoo above identifies self development activity in terms of intellectual development. this would relate to how voodoo defines the self.

some people may identify activity that eliminates desire or attachment as self development. such as in buddhist practices.

some people may identify more with there physical self and engage in physical exercise as there way of personal development as in yoga or martial arts.


so discovering and defining who you are, is the first step in enhancing your self.

"man know thyself"

thus knowing which of the sciences you resonate with.

[voodoo scientist]

I'm quite capable of expressing my own ideas. Please refrain from using a vague, watered down interpretation of what I say as substantiation for your points - especially when every part of your point derives equally from that flawed interpretation and pure baloney.

[Zepher08]

I am taking off from what SWM has brought up. I am a yoga instructor and the one thing I mention and then teach slowly to people who come to my classes is that YOGA is not an exercise but it is a form that uses the body as a door way into the self. Next is that yoga is a practice that is meant to grow awareness. Simply put..growing awareness is self development. My translation.

it seems to me that the awareness of mind and body is significant in developing as a human (complex) organism.

Developing the ability to self observe I have found to be an important skill in terms of self development. This include being able to observe with out judgment and just the ability to see all patterns and habits of the body and the mind.Which means to not evaluate or connect to the body and mind as a self.

What people usually call a self is mostly a whole bunch of well established  habits such as I regularly go to all the sushi all you can eat hour, I AM a sushi lover and this is supposed to constitute for a self. Self defined by qualities of preferences.

Even as a yoga instructor I wouldn't exactly recommend  a person going out and applying to the practice of yoga in terms of self development since the way I see it most yoga studios and that which is offered in gym and so fourth isn't going to teach all aspects of yoga...just the part that is posture or "hatha yoga" which is precisely why people consider it an exercise. The word maintenance/exercise used here rather than development.

Ultimately with yoga, it is a developed self, an aware self or ego which is stepped out of , no longer self identified. Sound confusing?



The entirety is a practice and includes many other features.

[SWM]

I'm quite capable of expressing my own ideas. Please refrain from using a vague, watered down interpretation of what I say as substantiation for your points - especially when every part of your point derives equally from that flawed interpretation and pure baloney.

haha
surely, you know me better by now.

[Joseph]

What do you look for in a self-development product? 

What do you want to develop? Give a better answer than "myself".

Are there any indications that let you know it will be beneficial for you?

Ask questions like "how does this help me?", "do I really need (to know) this?", etc.

What do you avoid in self-development products? 

Getting as much as you can. Focus on quality, not quantity.

Is there anything that had turn you away from the product?

Yes. I don`t like workshops where the general feeling is "laisser faire"..
I don`t like products where the spelling is really bad, even if the message itself is good. When I buy videos I am also looking for quality, no small talk or broken sound/image..

[Psychdigg]

The psychology books that I found most useful are the ones that place humans as part of nature.  Unfortunately, the root word of psychology is Psyche or soul.  Ancient man believed that there had to be someone at the controls.  They believed there was a "little" man inside the physical man.  This mind/body split is the biggest obstacle to "being our-selves".  "Being our-selves" is the goal of therapy. It is tempting to say "knowing our-selves" but that re-introduces the split into our "selves" and something else that does the "knowing".  There is nobody at the controls. When you can understand the essential structures of an organism you will understand your "self".