Listen now (26 min) | Why bother with self-growth? I’m sure there are many reasons in your mind right now, but I want to direct your attention to a more holistic and systemic growth motivation. I grow to benefit the group The idea is simple but there are many layers to this onion, and being able to wrap our heads around this concept needs a little assistance from some Japanese animation, some church doctrine and an old Italian classic!!
I started to tap into the ideas of self development to improve my social skills. I was shy and I envisioned myself more than that. I achieved what I wanted at the time. Then my gf dumped me. At the time I was in Junior College, skipping classes, flunking out. I knew I could be more and I hated working at McDonald's. I dropped my focus on improving my social skills and latched onto this idea of cleaning my body with the "perfect diet" as well as improving my grades. I saw my body transform before me. People said my eyes looked shiny and I was vibrant. I took it too far. I ended up developing a binge eating disorder bc of my Orthorexia. It was a personal crisis. I felt out of control, tears were shed, but I overcame with the help of books, meditation and of course a much more lenient eating pattern. I also dropped EVERYONE from my life in the pursuit of discipline and focus. My social life was non-existent. I studied, aced my classes, ended up transfering to a private University studying Biochemistry. During this time in my life I am still amazed at what I did. Once I transferred my focus became my social life again. Too much partying. I studied abroad and when I came back I was asked to join the graduate program at my university. Now I am in graduate school. At this point I am depressed and apathetic. I lost my focus and discipline. The only social life I have now is my gf and she's amazing, but I am not sure if we're meant to be. I want to grow, but I feel stifled by her at times, stifled by this Masters program, but my behavior is what I can't stand. I am not the man who I forged myself into years ago. I am not growing anymore. I feel inadequate. Sorry this was super long. I just got the urge to write after listening to your article on Dante's Inferno and one's why for self growth. So I took action to grow bc I was not satisfied with my position in life and the potential I knew I could create for myself. My why for growth now is bc I know I can be more bc I was in the past.
I started to tap into the ideas of self development to improve my social skills. I was shy and I envisioned myself more than that. I achieved what I wanted at the time. Then my gf dumped me. At the time I was in Junior College, skipping classes, flunking out. I knew I could be more and I hated working at McDonald's. I dropped my focus on improving my social skills and latched onto this idea of cleaning my body with the "perfect diet" as well as improving my grades. I saw my body transform before me. People said my eyes looked shiny and I was vibrant. I took it too far. I ended up developing a binge eating disorder bc of my Orthorexia. It was a personal crisis. I felt out of control, tears were shed, but I overcame with the help of books, meditation and of course a much more lenient eating pattern. I also dropped EVERYONE from my life in the pursuit of discipline and focus. My social life was non-existent. I studied, aced my classes, ended up transfering to a private University studying Biochemistry. During this time in my life I am still amazed at what I did. Once I transferred my focus became my social life again. Too much partying. I studied abroad and when I came back I was asked to join the graduate program at my university. Now I am in graduate school. At this point I am depressed and apathetic. I lost my focus and discipline. The only social life I have now is my gf and she's amazing, but I am not sure if we're meant to be. I want to grow, but I feel stifled by her at times, stifled by this Masters program, but my behavior is what I can't stand. I am not the man who I forged myself into years ago. I am not growing anymore. I feel inadequate. Sorry this was super long. I just got the urge to write after listening to your article on Dante's Inferno and one's why for self growth. So I took action to grow bc I was not satisfied with my position in life and the potential I knew I could create for myself. My why for growth now is bc I know I can be more bc I was in the past.