A Sane Approach to Personal Growth

Imagine a buffet teaming with healthy options. Laid before you are favorite standbys and unfamiliar foods you’re nonetheless willing to try. Since you’re starving this is excellent news. Grabbing a plate, you begin piling it high.

Soon it becomes clear you can’t eat everything without exploding. Will you feel guilty about not tasting each type of quinoa?

And despite your adventurous palate, you don’t like every item. Will you be ashamed for (rightly) deciding kale looks like dinosaur skin, making it unfit for human consumption?

The answer to both is “of course not.” For one, although food’s nutritious in moderation, too much will hurt you. And, it’s normal to dislike some kinds. Especially when it comes to raw kale.

Think of self-help advice as a buffet. The ideas and suggestions are the food. Your desire to grow is your hunger.

Squeezing every scrap of advice into your life is like stuffing yourself at the buffet — rendering you an explosion risk.

And thinking all suggestions will necessarily speak to you is like assuming you’ll enjoy each item — also unlikely.

So stop approaching the entire industry with “Oh man! Now I have to try this morning routine…”

Employ the eagerness, curiosity, and careful consideration people use around buffets.

You remember what that’s like, right?

It’s staying open-minded and curious, nibbling at a lot of random things and returning to what appeals. All without anguish.

There’s no “I should really eat the salmon because it’s good for me.” or, “I need to get into hummus but the texture freaks me out.”

Obligations beyond fullness do not exist.

In life as in personal development, accept and expect there will be too many options. Discern and politely decline the rest.