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Three Self Development Commandments, Which I Permanently Violate

Some pieces of advice are repeated until everyone believes they must be followed to succeed. I have believed in most of these commandments but implemented very few of them. Today I am still thriving.

By René JungePublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash

Why do we consume self-development content? Probably because we want to become more successful, happier, and more productive.

There is nothing wrong with that. I myself love self-development content. But it should be written by people who know what they are talking about. Otherwise, only the same tips and advice will be repeated over and over again by everyone, because nobody will question these tips anymore.

If you are new to the topic of self-development, you must quickly conclude that you have to do a few things to have even the slightest chance of success. These are the things that thousands of authors repeat without reflection in their articles, without questioning whether they are essential or not.

I do not keep a journal

Journaling has been one of the most talked-about topics in the field of self-development for years. It is best to write in your Journal in the morning after getting up so that you can clear your head and make contact with your subconscious.

In the morning, I don't have to clear my head because it is empty after waking up. Even thinking about writing before the first coffee causes me to be in a bad mood.

Furthermore, the advice to write in Journal first thing in the morning does not fit in with other advice from other self-development guides. Depending on who you ask, you should do the following after getting up.

1. do sports

2. eat

3. do not eat

4 Work on your most important project

5. Write down ten ideas on any topic

6. read.

7. meditate

8. anything else that has just occurred to someone

So it seems to be pretty much irrelevant what you do first thing in the morning. I'm arguing for coffee and a shower, but that's just me.

I've never written a journal, I don't do it, and I never will.

I do not take cold showers

What is the point of having hot water if I then go into the shower to torture myself with the cold?

It doesn't make sense to me. The relevant guidebooks claim that taking a cold shower increases willpower strengthens the immune system and can probably conjure up unicorns.

I have thought about this and have concluded that I don't care. I shower hot because I can and want to.

My willpower is big enough, even without a cold shower, to write a few thousand words every day. I am satisfied with that for now.

I am not meditating

At least, I don't think I do. Well, sometimes I lie down for a few minutes, close my eyes, and don't think of anything until I can go back to work, but that can hardly be called meditation.

I'm talking about meditations where you have to imagine that you are in a beautiful place, where you observe your breath (!) or repeat strange mantras over and over again in your head.

The word meditation has an esoteric sound to me, and I am the least esoteric person I know. When I hear meditation, I think of singing bowls, incense sticks, and people hugging trees. Not my world, not my style.

If it does you good, do it - otherwise, leave it alone.

You may not agree with me, and that's fine. If journaling, cold showers, and meditation are your thing, then stick with it. But stick with it for the right reason.

Do these things if they are right for you and your life. If you do them only because you believe that otherwise, you cannot become successful or happy, stop doing them, and see what happens.

Probably nothing will happen. Self-development will still be a worthwhile hobby. But we should always remember that the emphasis in Self Development should be on the word self. Everyone has a different self, and each self must be treated differently to unfold.

So if someone tells you that you have to do the thing you detest the most in the first place, don't listen. We do not become happier people by forcing ourselves to do rituals that do not fit our personality.

Try everything, see what works for you, and ignore the rest. In this way, you learn as much about yourself as you need to.

self help
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About the Creator

René Junge

Thriller-author from Hamburg, Germany. Sold over 200.000 E-Books. get informed about new articles: http://bit.ly/ReneJunge

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