A good self-improvement program regardless of the media format should provoke thought changing questions to help you help yourself. There are many good self-improvement programs that differ in approach and style. Critics may pan one program and praise another which is usually based more on how well the program’s style and approach meshes with their personality and spiritual inclinations.
Some people need a Special Forces boot camp to light a fire under them to respond accordingly for change. The program could feature heavy doses of tough love and establishing hard deadlines to achieve goals to drag you kicking and screaming towards the light. Others need a firm, stern and merely assertive approach. And yet others need a Zen like approach, particularly those who hate being told what to do, that provides a platter of choices to choose from but presented in such a way that they always pick the best one for them – the illusion of choice.
Which style do you choose? You always choose the one that resonates with you on a deep subconscious level. As the Oracle tells Neo in the movie The Matrix Reloaded (2002), “You’ve already made the choice. You’re here to try to understand why you made it.”
Most importantly, resonate doesn’t mean comfortable. There are those who continually engage in the wrong type of self-improvement program and subconsciously delude themselves that they’re making headway when in reality they’re merely running in place. Engage in the program in which you must take bold risks that forces you to change your mindset.
During your lifetime you use different approaches contingent on your life experience and what is required at a particular point in time. Perhaps as a rebellious young adult you needed a firmer almost military type discipline to get you on track and to think straight. And then in middle age a more Zen-like approach worked best.
For others it was the opposite. A Zen-like approach for a young adult who was less rebellious and more open to new ideas worked brilliantly, but then a more aggressive approach was required because in middle age they became mired waist-deep in a rut of a routine.
The same applies to self-improvement authors and speakers who resonate in such a way that you psychologically bond with them and use their advice better than others. As a word of advice: never discount those self-improvement presenters that you feel you don’t connect with. That boring unreadable author today could the most enlightening guru tomorrow. Remember when you saw that intellectual indie flick in your youth that bored you to tears but now in adulthood it’s the more insightful cinematic gem you’ve seen in years. Essentially you’re establishing a diverse portfolio of self-improvement resources from which you can access at whatever point in your life you need them.
Copyright Indo-Brazilian Associates LLC 2014. All rights reserved.
Indo-Brazilian Associates LLC is a NYC-based global advisory service and think tank with connections at the highest levels specializing in international investment, political and security risk assessments. International business is increasingly complex featuring a highly mobile professional class in all corners of the globe. We provide you the tools to successfully negotiate cross-culturally in your global business endeavors. Tell us about your challenges. We'll get you on the "Short List".
Available for speaking engagements and workshops. Contact us at:
