“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Carl Rogers
In the last 20-30 years, life has accelerated so much that in order to achieve this speed, we have to be in change and development almost every day. Have you ever think about how fast we’ve been changing? Remember the days 10 years ago, what do you have in your life today that you did not have 10 years ago? Let’s even look at the more recent time, think about your life a couple of years ago. Are you noticing the change in your life and yourself? For people who lived in old times, a change didn’t happen so fast. At that old days 40-50 years ago, the most important changes were Wars and social events. Nowadays, life is quite variable and open to development from an individual perspective. Especially after 2000, change in life is accelerated and it becomes inevitable to bring personal change with it. We’re changing, whether we want or not.
Development has a little difference from change. Change can happen in a positive or negative way. On the other hand, development is a positive way of change. There is a need for a special effort in order to transform the change we are experiencing into development. In other words, while change is inevitable, development is often planned.
Oğuz Saygun, one of the well-known personal development experts in Turkey, mentions the 5 rule in order to create development;
1-Need: Everyone changes, but the direction of the change is uncertain. For the change that has to be targeted, need is the first step. The process of development does not begin without the need for change in any subject.
2-Willingness: Once the need is realized, the person must show enthusiasm for change. Development does not happen without desire and effort.
3-Trust: Trust is very important in the most part of our lives. The person who needs change must first trust himself in this process. Other than that, people and/or institutions which the person may need help in this process also should be trusted.
4-Faith: Faith is critical in the development period, as in every aspect of life. Life tends to offer us what we believe. It’s like a precondition to believe that we will succeed.
5-Endeavor: Many changes that we wish for, may not happen easily. It is very important to strive, not to lose faith and not to give up until the end.
All of these 5 simple things can be branched in themselves, all of which have profound meanings. According to my experience based on my observations and my personal experiences, the 5th stage (Endeavour) is the most difficult one. People determine the need. They are willing to change. Many of them go without problems in the trust and faith. But most of them can’t finalize the process because of the last stage, Endeavour. It requires a lot of persistence.
One of the Basic Rules of life is that nothing can be achieved without effort. It requires hard work. You know five simple rules to make progress. Therefore, what do you think is the hardest to accomplish stage, therefore critical importance for you? What do you want to develop in your life in accordance with your own plans? Make a new development plan for yourself through these 5 items that are needed for development today. Remember, the best time to start developing yourself is now.
K.