“If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of, you will probably be unhappy all days of your life.”
Abraham Maslow
Introduction:
To make good on our true potential is the first duty that we owe to ourselves. We must strive to be better in all our endeavours, whatever they may be. We all would like to be better and continue on our personal journey of self-improvement. In fact, the world as a whole is looking at self-improvement in a big way. The industry continues to grow exponentially. In 2016 this was valued at 9.9 billion USD and in 2022 it would have reached a figure of 13.2 billion USD. Self-help books, shows and podcasts all are available to us in any field that we may think of. There has been no better time in history where so much knowledge and opinions were available to us so easily that could potentially change our lives for the better.
The next question that comes to your mind is that does all this self-help work? Just by reading the book or listening to a podcast can you become better? Absolutely not!! You have to back your intentions with continued and sustained actions that move you slowly towards your next level of self. Every book that you read has the potential to change your life. If that be the case then investing in self-help is an excellent bargain. Despite the good intention, thought and action there is one aspect that we all sometimes forget and not addressing it is bound to stall any progress that we may aspire to make.
Self-mastery before self-improvement
Before growth, we need to look into the aspect of self-mastery. This might sound contrary to popular opinion, however, if we neglect this aspect, we are bound to repeat the mistakes that led us to seek help in the first place. It is only through self-mastery that we can regulate our thinking, eating or learning.
The need to observe and control our sensory inputs is the prerequisite for the achievement of self-mastery. The human body and mind can be thought of as complex computer having great potential. The output of this complex operating system will be directly depending on the inputs it is given. If garbage goes in then garbage comes out. Garbage is anything or any input that you don’t need towards the attainment of your goals. You need to careful of what you see, hear, read, eat and what surroundings you have so that everything around you is aligned with your long term goals. Regulation of our sensory inputs is imperative to free the cognitive space we all need for self-improvement.
To explain let me give an example of fitness. You can do as many workouts as you want. Read all the available books, but if you do not control the kind of food you eat and eat mindfully then your progress at best will be marginal. Another example that you may think of is learning a new skill, if your mind is numbed by the constant bombardment of social media or you are used to Netflix binges, then you have lost some real estate in your head that would have made you a better learner.
Even the thoughts that enter your head need to be regulated. The kind of workstations you have, its neatness, its smell; all are giving inputs directly affecting the output you produce.
We live in an age of an attention economy. Our attention is a resource that is sought and monetized by a constant stream of breaking news, red carpet dresses, and celebrity baby names. Social media likes have taken over our ancient pleasure reward circuits. You need to guard your attention against all this cyber noise. Our phones and the internet have become digital pacifiers. We seem to have lost our ability to get bored. To be calm and do nothing is something that we will find extremely hard to do. Any task or a project that we undertake will have moments of boredom, and only if we push through it that we may reach exceptional results. If you are a long-distance runner, then you will appreciate that every run will not be enjoyable. There will be long monotonous stretches that you will have to go through where you are bored and tired. To enjoy running and improve you have to persist with the boredom, only then sometimes there will be moments where the magic happens.
Approaches towards self-mastery
This self-mastery can come only from two approaches. The first being your willpower, where you can force yourself to avoid unnecessary stimulation. This may help you to some extent, but willpower alone is not the answer. It is like any other resource that gets depleted with use. Once your reserves are down, you will find yourself engaging in unproductive activities.
The second is a more systematic approach that you can use without relying on will power. Here you need to develop a system that will come into play whenever there is a trigger. This is akin to an emergency fire drill whose actions have been thought of and rehearsed. A thought out response to any situation that may steal your attention must be practised and hardwired in you. Deep breathing and mindfulness will all buy you time for the temptation to pass. Journaling your thoughts is an excellent way to objectively assess your thoughts and behaviour. Whatever you do, guarding your senses in these times of hyper-information is the first step towards any self-improvement.
Conclusion:
Growth in any field is neither easy nor linear. Expertise demands all of you. Part-time effort and attention will give you part-time results. Despite your best intentions there will be competing demands on your attention. Setbacks will surely come, as you proceed on the journey to be a better version of yourself. Controlling our senses will put you in a great position with odds of success greatly in your favour. What food do you eat? What shows you see? What are your thoughts? Who are your friends? All will be contributing to your success. Guard and filter your inputs and you will be surprised at what you can achieve.
