Steve Pavlina and ChangeThis: Personal Development without the Schtick

(Note: I found this cartoonist Randy Glasbergen online that I totally love. Firgured I’d save myself a post since his cartoons on the subject of stress kinda work with this article, so here we go…)

I will admit first that I decided on this post because I’m going through a diffcult time personally, facing the possible end of a very important and deep relationship, and it has actually pushed a lot of other things to the surface. I ended up reconsidering my work, my job, my career choices, examining my personal development and my emotions, and even rethinking life goals, making spiritual considerations, and trying to figure out what I really want.

Not that I got a lot of it solved. It takes a lot more courage to face yourself and try to answer these questions than I have at the moment. What I have been doing, however, is reading as much as I can find so that I work out which tools for self-evaluation and strengthening I can be comfortable with to help my situation.

Now, I’m not the type to read self-help books or attend feel-good motivational seminars. And if anything, I’d be the first in line to see the Self-help/Inspiration section of the bookstore burned down. But I guess when push comes to shove, and hard-asses like me find themselves dealing with internal conflicts and perhaps needing advice that won’t make them vomit, it is important to know there’s sane wisdom out there that doesn’t require belief in a higher power, roundabout reasonings for faith or psychiatric drugs. At the end of the day, it is about going with what works for you (and what your oh-so-impeccable logic is least likely to reject before the positive effects can kick in).

Because my problems rooted in a relationship, but I wasn’t willing to read the how-to-deal-with-loss variety of advice available on every other woman’s publication, I found myself gravitating towards a blog: Steve Pavlina’s Personal Development for Smart People.

As far as renown goes, Steve Pavlina isn’t a name up there with, say Tony Robbins or Jack Canfield or Max Lucado. I discovered his site some time ago by pure accident (some may say providence) while curiously searching for information about, um, extra sensory perception. Although I later wasn’t too receptive about the articles that dealt directly with psychic development and more esoteric matters, I found (ironically) some of the most sensible, grounded, and non-esoterically applicable advice on issues like identifying mistakes made by the self-employed, learning to accept yourself while still pushing yourself to grow, and improving life by giving up television or coffee.

What I’ve always read up on were the articles about business growth and thinking, entrepreneurship, and work and career. A lot of his advice is based on an individual’s consciousness and mindset being the fuel for change, improvement and a real positive impact on your life. Originally, I wanted to reject this idea because it reeks of subjectivity and immeasurability (which Pavlina himself admits), but after my interview with the Philippine All Stars (winners of the 2006 World Hip Hop Championships), positivity or, for them, faith seemed to work enough for them (to say the least) to merit at least a try. (And if it works, well, don’t knock it. No matter how much of an agnostic or deconstructionist you fancy yourself to be. We all exist in paradigms, like it or not. Some mornings when the coffee’s not hot and the weather’s not conducive to philosophizing, it’s just more effective to pick one and go with it.)

Anyway, getting back to my original concerns–this time around I was looking for help with my relationship problems. While every women’s site prescribed that my immediate concerns should have been healing the wounds and all that jazz, what I really wanted was to open myself to new things and possibilities, and to be more aware and, in Pavlina’s words, conscious. What I found were interesting reads about living consciously, motivating myself, and even finding my purpose in life (or attempting to). Yes, they sound a little too motivational-speaker-ish, but, seriously, there’s a less-BS approach to the way the subjects are handled.

Another site that I’ve always read up on is ChangeThis. An idea that orginated with Seth Godin but was set in motion by a group of young people who got the likes of Malcolm Gladwell and Guy Kawasaki to contribute Manifestos, their genre of choice, to the site.

Okay, okay, this site has nothing to do with my relationship issues, but has everything to do with personal development. Straightforward, concise, and insightful, the topics and advice you read here are eye openers (or at least cause for why-didn’t-I-think-of-that moments) for people interested in everything from trendier topics like marketing and branding to semi-philosophical subjects like truth and choice (in marketing and branding… hehehe).

Read up a bit on both sites, since the information they offer is basically free of charge and if not life-changing, well, in the least very interesting to ponder on.

(If anyone’s wondering, I’m still dealing with my relationship issues and slacking off on that for now. But I’m consciously putting my work issues at the top of my list, since it is a major concern and has been for some time now. So if I get a break at work anytime soon, well, it’ll show that I didn’t end up slacking off on that, too. Hehe.)

Check out Randy Glasbergen’s site, where you can see all his funny cartoons. I think he’s got an interesting niche with his diet, fitness and medical cartoons.