Several of my previous blog topics; an orientation towards solutions, technology connects and disconnects and being of value, have gotten me thinking about a concept from a book I read in 1990, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey. The concept that I was thinking about this week was the difference between character development and personality development.
Covey contended that much of what was going on in the self-improvement field in the 1980's was really oriented towards personality development whereas back in an earlier time in America, people such as Benjamin Franklin espoused character development. Character development's goal is to cultivate a virtuous life and be of service to others. Personality development's goal is to sell yourself to others for personal benefit. Development of both types has benefits in the short term but our spiritual growth demands we follow the basics of character development.
In many ways, the entertainment industry, "Hollywood", is the most successful industry in the United States over the past 100 years. I am not speaking in terms of financial performance here but rather in terms of cultural dominance. There are plenty of industries which have been more profitable, but the entertainment industry has successfully positioned itself on top psychologically, due to its ability to bestow celebrity. It has made celebrity the most desired attribute in our society ahead of even wealth.
Celebrity is an extrapolation of personality development as everyone knows that celebrities have a public "persona" that is different than the actual person and their private life. It is clear with a celebrity that it is the image of the person that is being sold, marketed and the image is what is really attractive to others. It is no wonder that personality development gurus such as Tony Robbins have intertwined their own celebrity with their methods of helping other's develop.
This past October, there were three fatalities during a sweat lodge ceremony being conducted by James Arthur Ray at the Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Arizona. Mr. Ray was running a "Spiritual Warrior" retreat where participants paid $9,695 per person to spend a long weekend with the self-help guru and author. Mr. Ray gained celebrity through his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live and the Today show. He fled to his home in California while the participants in his Warrior program were still heading to the hospital in Flagstaff. Mr. Ray has been charged with three counts of manslaughter.
I do not know Mr. Ray, what I know about his personality is that he presented himself very well and built a successful business based upon people wanting to spend time with him. What I know about his character is his reaction to illness and death during his ceremony.
I have not sought development from people who are out on the self-promotion tour. I have mostly sought to foster my development from people who live both a principled and accomplished life. I am indeed interested in principles and accomplishments rather than merely one or the other.
Shin-ichi Suzuki, whom I have mentioned in earlier blogs, believed that character was a skill (talent) to be nurtured and developed in others. While Suzuki gained world-wide recognition through the training and development of young musicians, he always saw his primary focus as developing fine human beings. In the books "Nurtured by Love" and "Ability Development from Age Zero", Suzuki writes with deep passion about how teachers and parents can work together to develop a fine character in their children. It will not surprise you that character is best developed in children when adults model values as they work towards results.
I would urge each of you reading this blog to choose to develop your character as you work towards creating results. Do this, even if there is less to show in the short term. When you work hard towards achievement with a process and discipline that respects people and honors values there will be an enduring quality to your accomplishments. You will build yourself as you build your creation and be a full person not a persona.
Showing posts with label personal growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal growth. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Flow: Interest, Intention and Growth
About 15 years ago, I picked up a book that provided me with great insight into the relationship between challenges and my experience of them. The book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a researcher at the University of Chicago laid out an intriguing case regarding our experience of life or work or recreation. Although based in research, it is written for a general audience.
Flow essentially is a dynamic event that occurs when the following are in alignment:
1) Our personal and specific interests
2) Our personal growth
3) The balance between our current skill set and our immediate challenges
While this underlying dynamic of neither being overwhelmed by too big a challenge nor bored by too little challenge relative to our current capability and capacity is much of the text in the book, it is important not to forget points 1 & 2 above.
The Power of Our Unique Interests and the Forming of Intention
Our interests, while shared in part with many others, are in their totality unique to each of us as an individual. Our interests and our intentions are intertwined and often take turns in the lead. While an interest may be serendipitous, an intention is a conscious choice. So at times our attention and focus is the result of chance and sometime it is the result of choice.
I love maps. As long as I can remember, I have always loved maps. I have collected many maps over the years. I still remember seeing a 70 year old textbook that depicted Oklahoma as the "Indian Territories", when I was 8 or 9 years old. I learned how to make a simple and accurate map when I was 12 years old and working on my first class badge as a boy scout. I took an elective in college called, "The Lure and Logic of Mapping", which I did simply because I enjoy it. I subscribe to a Geographical Information System (GIS) software publication simply because I find beauty in the intelligent maps that are depicted in the colorful publication. There is serendipity there.
I also use maps. I have planned sophisticated and complex excursions for my family, the Scout Troop I was leader of and businesses I have worked for using "real" maps and mapping software. I have created sophisticated statistical and planning maps to explain and explore business models and multi-year projects. Sometimes, I have done this work mostly in my head, because the tools for rendering a map do not quite capture what I have organized in my mental map. I love maps because they facilitate seeing the global view and the detailed view in context to each other and a good map allows you to quickly "zoom in" or "zoom out". There is choice there.
In giving you an example of one of my personal interests, I have easily written more than I intended.
When you begin to apply your unique interests in a purposeful and creative way you have both kept an intention and are well on your way to a flow experience.
Woven throughout my personal map-related experiences is also a tale of personal growth. My personal growth with regards to this aspect of my life is so relatively painless that it escapes my attention unless a take stock of it.
My appreciation of the design, construction, functionality and beauty of maps has grown along with my skill set in using mapping techniques to solve problems and organize complex information.
What passions or interests have you cultivated? How far have you grown with regards to these passions and interests?
When you are purposefully creating a personal legacy, there will be many timeless moments of flow and much growth with no pain. You will get stuck from time to time when the challenges presented by creating or creating your life fill you with anxiety.
Take comfort in knowing that the key to creating and the dynamic of flow only require that you take the next step whether it is working on your skills and resources or breaking down a big challenge into a series of more manageable challenges.
Flow essentially is a dynamic event that occurs when the following are in alignment:
1) Our personal and specific interests
2) Our personal growth
3) The balance between our current skill set and our immediate challenges
While this underlying dynamic of neither being overwhelmed by too big a challenge nor bored by too little challenge relative to our current capability and capacity is much of the text in the book, it is important not to forget points 1 & 2 above.
The Power of Our Unique Interests and the Forming of Intention
Our interests, while shared in part with many others, are in their totality unique to each of us as an individual. Our interests and our intentions are intertwined and often take turns in the lead. While an interest may be serendipitous, an intention is a conscious choice. So at times our attention and focus is the result of chance and sometime it is the result of choice.
I love maps. As long as I can remember, I have always loved maps. I have collected many maps over the years. I still remember seeing a 70 year old textbook that depicted Oklahoma as the "Indian Territories", when I was 8 or 9 years old. I learned how to make a simple and accurate map when I was 12 years old and working on my first class badge as a boy scout. I took an elective in college called, "The Lure and Logic of Mapping", which I did simply because I enjoy it. I subscribe to a Geographical Information System (GIS) software publication simply because I find beauty in the intelligent maps that are depicted in the colorful publication. There is serendipity there.
I also use maps. I have planned sophisticated and complex excursions for my family, the Scout Troop I was leader of and businesses I have worked for using "real" maps and mapping software. I have created sophisticated statistical and planning maps to explain and explore business models and multi-year projects. Sometimes, I have done this work mostly in my head, because the tools for rendering a map do not quite capture what I have organized in my mental map. I love maps because they facilitate seeing the global view and the detailed view in context to each other and a good map allows you to quickly "zoom in" or "zoom out". There is choice there.
In giving you an example of one of my personal interests, I have easily written more than I intended.
When you begin to apply your unique interests in a purposeful and creative way you have both kept an intention and are well on your way to a flow experience.
Woven throughout my personal map-related experiences is also a tale of personal growth. My personal growth with regards to this aspect of my life is so relatively painless that it escapes my attention unless a take stock of it.
My appreciation of the design, construction, functionality and beauty of maps has grown along with my skill set in using mapping techniques to solve problems and organize complex information.
What passions or interests have you cultivated? How far have you grown with regards to these passions and interests?
When you are purposefully creating a personal legacy, there will be many timeless moments of flow and much growth with no pain. You will get stuck from time to time when the challenges presented by creating or creating your life fill you with anxiety.
Take comfort in knowing that the key to creating and the dynamic of flow only require that you take the next step whether it is working on your skills and resources or breaking down a big challenge into a series of more manageable challenges.
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