What-is & Wanted vs. Unwanted: self-improvement

The other day I was browsing at the bookstore.

Two women walked by and when they got close to where I was standing, one nearly dragged the other away saying, Oh, I don’t like to be seen in that aisle. It’s just too embarrassing.

I was standing in the Self-Improvement aisle.

I stood there for a minute wondering if it’s also embarrassing to be seen among the dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Hmm…

I’d never considered wanting to work on myself as embarrassing. It had never occurred to me to feel self-conscious or awkward about wanting to grow and develop.

In fact, I think it’s really important we work on ourselves.

Not because we’re broken or need to be fixed. Not as a sign of discontent or addiction to perfectionism.

But because we deserve to grow and evolve. We deserve to better understand who we are and what makes us tick.

Why? Because knowing and growing ourselves lets us be more of who we really are. Which, in turn, helps us get more of what we really want out of life.

Personal development is not about coming from a place of shortcoming or shame. Instead, I think it’s about making the choice to live more aware and more awake.

I believe each and every one of us deserves to live their best life. And that won’t happen by accident.

Have you made your own personal development a priority?