Topography of Self Growth January 19, 2007
Posted by The Probabilist in : [Articles], Calculus, Consciousness, Creativity, Goals, Personal Growth, Purpose, Beliefs, Vision, Work, Abilities , trackbackOne of the greatest frameworks for understanding the path of increased personal development and attaining higher levels of consciousness is the analogy of topography as your growth map. Topography is the study of surface features and is most easily described as the brown, curved patterns on a map that signify elevation. Although one likes to think that personal growth follows a simple formula of continuously improving oneself, you may not achieve the best results of who you could ultimately become just by following that procedure.
To better understand my point you’ll also need to apply the basic understanding of local and global extreme points. This mathematical conception explains that if your current location is on a curve (equation of the n:th degree), then you can move upward or downward to either infinity or to a local maximum or minimum point. A global extreme point is found when you have several equation curves in the same graph and calculate or observe the greatest extreme point from there.
Now, when we combine these both concepts together we’ll start to get a glimpse of how vast the topic of personal growth really is. Imagine that your current personal “size” or level of growth is found on a topographical map. Depending on the point you’re currently at, you may see valleys and hills of different sizes below and above you. Maybe all you can see is a swamp that swallows you like quicksand and your perception of improved positions is hindered by a fog. Or maybe you only see snow-clad mountain tops where clouds present a barrier telling you that you can’t stumble and fall from your current peak performance.
The limit of this perception on your growth potential is that you only see up or down a road you’re currently standing on. You see no other paths. The thing is that there are plenty of paths leading to different local maximum points and the one you’re currently at is very unlikely to be the most optimal one - because there are an unimaginable amount of them and they increase in numbers all the time as humanity itself advances. Being open-minded is your best bet on literally expanding your horizons.
The thing about your current path that may keep you trapped, is the comfort of knowing how to behave and act in it just to get by on a daily basis. And even though you may have pushed yourself to be the best you can be in that line of development, you’re fooling yourself to believe that you’ve now reached the pinnacle of personal development and there’s nothing left to do. You’ve found yourself at a local maximum point unable to see the mountains next to you.
In order to start climbing one of the mountains next to you that will enrich your life with an even greater scenery, you are required to acknowledge at least these following steps. Firstly, your current size or point of development as a growing individual is defined by the sum of all different aspects of personal development - health, wealth, relationships, environment, security, happiness, locus of control, values, etc. The list goes on. Therefore, think first of yourself as the map reader, and think of the sum of all these growth areas as your ability to see where you are and what you can achieve.
Secondly, choose the area within your life that is at its worst shape, the one that is currently sitting on an anthill unwilling to make a difference. This is your major point of concern as of this moment. Why? Because it’s dragging everything else about you down and most strongly disabling yourself from expanding your big picture view of your personal development map any further.
Thirdly, it’s a question of leaving your old beliefs behind in order to accept, attract and allow a new belief in its place. This is the process of walking down from your anthill first so that you can start walking up that bigger mountain. It’s a scary thought even dumping whatever you had before, the one that gave you the comfort of a pleasant sunshine every now and then, but it has to be done.
To better grasp this view I’ll give you some examples. Walking on your current hill of development might for instance be eating the same food as usual, but trying to optimize how much you eat and when you eat. You might achieve the best result possible on that path, but it’s only as good as the hill you’re on. A new mountain is changing your diet completely and the different mountains around you are simply different diet programs. Another example is how you generate income. Working a nine to five job in the same industry and work task can only get you so and so far. Quitting your job to do something that has the potential of much greater income is again a question of leaving your past anthill to start pushing yourself up an uncharted mountain. Only by walking this path are you able to start expanding and drawing new areas on your topographical map of personal development.
Fourthly, you need to advance as many areas of your existence or areas of personal development as you can. Every side of growth is intertwined with the others. Eat healthier and it’s easier to exercise more. Exercise more and you feel mentally empowered. Use your brain and its different intelligences and you generate more income. Become wealthier and you have more time to do what you love doing. Do more of what you love doing and you become happier. Become happier and your relationships improve. And so on.
This is my way of using topography and some concepts of mathematics to give a better understanding and perspective of how to most optimally pursue personal growth. Remember that you can’t achieve more or perform better than you can identify within your level of understanding as possible. The thing about the areas of personal development is that there really isn’t a global maximum point to be found. Local highs are the traps that give you a feeling of comfort, ease, false pride and feeling of achievement that keep you trapped. Remember to constantly view where you are and take a few bold steps to the unknown so you can expand the radius of your perception. If something new that you try turns out to be an even smaller anthill, then you can always turn back to your current level of development, no matter how small or big it is. We all have our own levels from where to start our journeys.
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Comments»
I like your writing but I think it is probably too intellectual for most people. I have the exact same problem.
You raise a good point and while I’d like every article I write to suit every possible reader, it’s quite an impossible mission. This particular entry is an attempt to use slightly sophisticated terminology to the average reader and still thoroughly explain its applicability through practical examples. I don’t see any problems or limitations in doing so, for it is one fascinating, ongoing challenge to improve my ability to make myself understood and make a difference. As long as any form of information drives both the reader and writer (just as well as speaker and listener) to expand their knowledge and understanding, I’ll be here - writing, responding and re-evaluating.
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currently, I feel that I am riding high on top of Mount Everest and I am quite sure of that. I have literally almost killed myself to get here, and that is no joke. When I climbed down the figurative Kilamanjaro to get to Everest is when I faced near death. My experiences taught me a lot and there is no question now that I have seen what I need to see and climbed every peak that I have seen only to be disappointed. However, I am fortunate enough now to be at my peak and I write this in support of your idea. Whether you use the analogy of mountains and peaks, or searching in the dark to find the right light the basic premise of your idea is true and I concur without doubt.
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