Lately, I've been having what seems to me as profound realizations on the personal development journey. The journey itself is long and the recurring themes are improving oneself and becoming better.
Every journey has a destination but in this case I'm not really sure what the destination is because there's always something or some aspect to improve upon. It's akin to learning, you'll always discover something new if you keep on learning.
Perhaps, there's no destination, in which case the aim is to keep getting better until we become physically dead. The main flaw with that view is that the essence of personal development is lost, as there is no basis for improvement, in a real or deep sense.
I personally think that we could transcend the linear view of a journey and a destination, and see it more in a non-linear view, where there are levels to it, or a hierarchy of sorts.
And the goal is to graduate from one level to another, instead of endlessly improving on just one level without getting into the next level.
The Marathon Mindset
The first profound realization is how long the journey can be. Building a new foundation or changing a default mode of operation(habit) can take a lot of time. It is really a marathon and trying to sprint in a marathon is just so counterproductive.
Not only do you experience burnout and lose momentum. But you also risk sacrificing sustainable progress for short-term gains. What I've notice is that sprinting merely provides a temporary illusion of achievement, which is unlikely to stick in the long run.
Upon realizing that the journey is a marathon, embracing a marathon mindset can help unlock the power of gradual, incremental improvement.
The idea of getting 1% better every single day definitely sounds insignificant at first. But imagine the impact of compounding this tiny advantage over weeks, months, and years?
For example, adding an extra 1% to your running distance each day or practicing mindfulness for 1% longer might not seem like much.
But when you consider consistently applying this principle across multiple areas of your life, then you begin to have a glimpse of what its impact can be.
Reading for 1% more time, learning 1% more vocabulary in a new language, or dedicating 1% more effort to building a positive relationship. These seemingly small changes compound over time, leading to significant transformations.
Doing the math, 1% better every day equates to becoming 37 times better after a year. That's a great return on investment(ROI) on personal development in just a single year.
Essentially, understand that starting small and being consistent is way superior than trying to sprint to the finish line.
Consistent, incremental progress, like walking or jogging steadily throughout the marathon, allows you to pace yourself, build endurance, and cross the finish line stronger and more accomplished.
Beyond the Finish Line
Now, it sounds a bit ironic explaining this all in linear terms when I mentioned above that we could view it non-linearly.
From that viewpoint, consistently getting 1% better may look like gradually refining one level while also unlocking the potential to transcend it altogether. This is because the trajectory is more of a spiral than a straight line.
Maybe, this upward spiral of growth is the true essence of personal development, a journey without a final destination but with endless possibilities for evolution.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.