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As I was writing the post yesterday (and afterward) I was thinking of the interesting phenomena that seem to surround me. Is the fact that I keep running into self-development material a form of manifestation, or am I creating connections where there otherwise wouldn’t be? Or is this a “chicken and egg” scenario?
My only conclusion (like so often) is “some from column A and some from column B”. Ask any expert in any field what they see in a situation and they’ll tell you what they see in terms of their expertise. I’ve touched on this before when dealing with the mental filters.
On the other hand, when you really get clear and spend a lot of time and thought on a topic, it seems to “crawl out of the woodwork” at times and presents you with new outside variables and data that you hadn’t expected or (in some cases) even considered.
As you get clear on who you are and start gravitating towards your purpose (or decide what it’s going to be - same result in my opinion), you’ll find that what you are looking for will start to come to you. Not in the way you expect, and not in a way you can predict and control, but in ways that will keep you thinking and keep you guessing.
By the same token, doing so starts to build a momentum of its own. Now that I am starting to see development lessons around me no matter where I go I have to remember to stop and try out other mental filters and see how things fit. Looking at a situation from different mental angles is an important skill, and not one that should be overlooked. I recently made a grim but important decision to make a big change in my life soon. Don’t worry; the blog should be unaffected. The very next day after I made that decision, I was presented with reasons (rather compelling ones) to alter my stance. Immediately, I started checking out what was going on inside. Is this some kind of test or could it be viewed that way? What does this say about me, that I was willing to make this decision without anticipating these compelling reasons? Which one is more “me”? Which one offers the greatest opportunity for growth? The questions went on and on.
After I had worked in that mode for a while, I “switched hats” so-to-speak and tried a different mental filter. I came in with an approximation of a beginner’s mind (the naive mind), and I realized that I had been creating an either-or choice where one didn’t really exist. I can handle both directions at once because neither really interferes with the other.
I tried out a few more filters: The pragmatist, the “devil’s advocate”, the loyalist, the rebel, and so on. Each had something to contribute, but the one that offered the most was the naive mind. Getting my mind of the single-focus mode of making a yes-no decision in the name of development and growth, I realize that I can walk a middle path and probably wind up growing just as much if not more.
Coming back to one of my repeating themes: Technology is great, but its purpose is to serve you, not the other way around. Focusing on your objectives is good. Keeping your thoughts focused on the end result is good, but take the time to step back and re-evaluate the situation from time-to-time. You’ll find that adding in some balance fuels your focus even more.
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