I have talked to numerous people in all walks of life; early career, menial jobs, students and even athletes. There is a very common pattern of discontent among an astounding 95% of people. Most are frustrated with their jobs, others feel that they are overworked, some believe that they are underpaid. Another common pattern was that most of the blame fell on external stimuli and hardly ever on the individuals themselves.
There might be a lot of major cases where in fact the bosses are unjust or simply cruel jerks or the jobs are frustrating but the question I ask and never really get an answer to is; what was your role in it?. It’s usually well I can’t do anything or what am I to do or most commonly how can someone like me make a difference.
Well, people motivational speaker Simon Linek, one of the world’s most renowned think-tanks believes otherwise – meaning that solution starts and often times ends with you. He states on many occasions that we tend to blame our environments because it’s the easier thing to do than to take responsibility for the direction of our own lives. He maintains that first ask yourself the fundamentals; what can I do differently? What is stopping me from taking action? How can I accomplish this particular goal? Can’t find the answer – search for it. Develop that all essential weapon of knowledge and grow as a person. That is self-development.
Moosa Banajah, an expert in human development and behavioral psychology believes that most people are firmly wired to do the extra work, spend long hours on work that carries little meaning and consider growing their own mind a waste of time. He said we live in age of minds and highly effective. He explains that in this competitive world we live in that is the opposite of what you should be doing if your goal is to get ahead. Instead of grooming your own mind, gaining knowledge on how to make things work, researching the ‘how’s’ to solving your problems is, in fact, the only true way to grow as an individual. You aren’t going to become the next vice president by doing or even overdoing your daily tasks the same way day in and day out. Neither you are going to rid yourself of the frustrating situation by dwelling on it as a victim. It is only when you take action to better yourself when you decide on personal development to move ahead as a person and as life teaches us – it is individuals that excel not people as a whole.
The bottom line that Linek and Banajah are focusing on is the art of personal development. It is a skill that no one can teach you, they might be able to point you in the right direction, but it is indeed something that takes years to develop oneself to reach that next level and there is a huge chance that you will find yourself satisfied with your development as an individual and as an overall member of the wider society.