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Naturally, everyone wants to feel good. When our lives are not working we tend to turn to personal development in search for answers. Nothing wrong with this concept, however very few realise what is involved of you are serious about accelerating your personal growth.

Working on your personal growth will sooner or later lead you into unknown territory as you transit from one developmental level to the next.

To get from where you are now to the profound understanding that you will always be searching and that there will never be an end point or an end to life’s challenges and to let that be okay takes time, but it can be done. The ultimate goal of any personal development journey is knowing that you can let things be as they are and not feel too bad even about the things you do not like. This insight will give you an edge and inner strength as yet unknown to you.

So why is personal development so challenging?

After all personal growth is natural. Everyone does it all the time. Your development starts from the moment you are conceived and continues until you die. (We are just concerned with the human life span here.) Most of us will remain at the developmental stages where most of our growth is largely subconscious and this gives us the illusion that we have no influence over the process. Most people believe and will continue to believe that they are the victims of outside circumstances.

Yet a small number of people decide to work on their personal growth seriously. For me it started when I encountered big problems trading derivatives and realised that I had to do something about the massive losses I was incurring. My my world as I had known it was falling apart.

My personal growth journey led me to insights and countless challenges along the way which I could not have dreamt of and which have completely changed my view of life. This was a long process during which I travelled mostly in the dark, unable to find someone who really understood what I was going through and who could guide me.

I learnt by trial and error until I found something that worked for me and clarity gradually replaced the mental fog.

When you pursue your personal development properly beyond the pop culture of personal growth you will find yourself often in uncharted territory as you move from one level to the next and you should know what that feels like. It will help you immensely on your journey particularly since this process can take some time.

The further you climb up on the rungs of personal growth the fewer people can assist you and that can be a little daunting to say the least. On the plus side as you get beyond a certain point your ability to manifest the outcomes you desire will start to accelerate. Often at a surprising rate of knots. This is your reward for all the work you put in.

A good starting point will be your value system.

Maybe, you never examined your beliefs and values deeply. Most of us have not. When you do, you may be in for a big surprise. You may discover that the many thoughts, beliefs and behaviours you cherished as yours belong to someone else.

This realisation often represents your first step on the journey of self actualisation as you are getting ready to move from one developmental level to the next.

When you first expand your view of yourself and your world you may dislike what you see. You may be surprised what you find out about yourself as many thoughts which were until now subconscious start coming to your conscious awareness. There will be many innuendos and open questions, all awaiting their turn to be address and there is no template to work with as you often do not recognise yourself any more.

Nobody told you that you would be experiencing these sentiments and you don’t know how to handle the situation, let alone where to go for sound advice. You are probably feeling highly stressed as your mind is coping with the new influx of energy and has to build new neuro pathways.

Finding someone who could explain to me what was going on as I was moving from one developmental level to the next and found myself stuck in between levels was one was one of my biggest challenges until I learnt that I could actually cope very well on my own by practicing acceptance.

Transition periods are a large part of your personal growth journey

Moving from level to level involves transition. The transition takes up a fair time of your journey hence you need to understand the process. As you transit through the different stages of personal growth it may feel at times as if you are temporarily losing your identity. This is natural, yet quite a weird sensation when you encounter it for the first time. When you are moving from one developmental level to the next you have to give up something that was previously of value to you. This causes value conflicts and confusion you experience as loss of identity.

Think about it like this: As a toddler you had to give up crawling eventually in order to walk. Of course in the early developmental stages you allowed the process to evolve unconsciously and you also had the guidance and help of your parents who knew how to encourage you and make you feel safe.

As you are evolving into the higher levels of consciousness, and that is basically what personal growth is all about, your increased level of awareness as an adult is a handicap as you are more aware of the strangeness of the new territory you are entering. Old conditioning creates further conflicts. You will be fighting the new insights with old coping mechanisms. The idea of having to relinquish those things that worked so well in the past in order to move forward is not part of your life principles because you probably were never told about this important step that makes progress possible.

Coming back to the example of the toddler, this is what is happening to the toddler: During the learning period, or transition the toddler is effectively crawling and walking intermittently. Since he has found out that walking is much faster than crawling he will want to walk more, but is not yet able to maintain the walking stance for very long. He gives himself a break and reverts to crawling as necessary. Going back to crawling now feels cumbersome and not as good or natural as it used to.

Since the toddler develops largely subconsciously he does not judge his progress, but you do. Your learned need to be critical of yourself makes personal development work challenging.

You, the adult going through the transition to the next level will often experience relationship or business worries. It feels as if your life is completely disintegrating and you will be resisting this instead of allowing this disintegration as part of the process. Every time you put up a fight or resist the changes you are making matters more difficult for yourself. Yet you have learnt to fight, set goals and expect to see certain order.

Gradually you will learn that there is order, a very clear one in fact, but it is very different from your old reality.

Transition from one level to the next takes time. Often years. You did not wake up one morning walking having crawled all your life. The modern pop culture of personal development will tell you that you can change instantly. This is nonsense. Change is gradual. Yes, it can appear to happen over night, but only because so much work has been going on before.

As your self awareness expands you have more control over your emotions and thoughts and thus more choice. It is precisely the increased choice which makes your life more worthwhile. Increased choice will bring you peace and happiness. Both are the foundations for success.

True change comes only from within and you do not need to change what you are doing on the outside, even though many people do as they grow. There is a lovely Buddhist saying: Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water, after enlightenment chop wood and carry water.

Transition and growth enables you to see for yourself that the universe always evolves in an orderly fashion, and this is immensely reassuring.

Mercedes Oestermann van Essen is a human development coach specialising in trading and investment psychology and manifestation techniques. Get your
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In a garden there stands a majestic tree. In the winter it stands bare, stripped of its splendour but in the spring it produces a mass of beautiful white blossoms. The flowers appear over the course of a few days like kernels of corn which have reached bursting point.

This grand annual showcase is a poignant reminder of the quote by Anais Nin:

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Many people lament about not being able to truly master success and achieve their full potential. It’s like they’re caught in a tight bud whose development has, for some reason, been stifled. The thing is, if instead of fulfilling your true destiny you do indeed remain in a bud you’re robbing the world of your unique gifts.

But the question is why does this happen in the first place?

Year after year, the tree in the garden blossoms. It knows of no other way of existence. It simply abides by the Laws of Nature and the Laws of the Universe. The tree doesn’t worry about what will happen when it blossoms. It doesn’t worry that its beautiful flowers are transient. It doesn’t hold flowers in reserve. It produces its flowers in abundance. The tree simply fulfils its destiny.

You are a higher life-form than the tree. In fact, you’re the highest life-form of all. Success is your birthright.

The difference between you and a tree is that you can think and you can choose. So while the tree abides by the Laws of the Universe you don’t have to.

You can consider different options and different paths to take to achieve your goals. But the irony is that unless you abide by the Laws of the Universe your success will be limited and your results will be inconsistent.

So, while the tree simply flows with nature and exists in harmony with Universal Laws you will sometimes live in harmony with laws and at other times you will be out of step with these laws. The good thing is that you will know in which state you exist because the Universe always gives excellent feedback by the way of your results.

Simply put, if you’re achieving the results and success you desire then you’re working in harmony with the Universal Laws.

One of the many reasons why people do not achieve the level of success they desire is because they worry about what it would be like to achieve their goals and be successful. Some worry that their family and or friends might become resentful of their success. Some people think that they will not be able to handle the extra responsibilities that come with success. Some think that becoming wealthy as a result of being successful might change who they are.

They start to rationalise that becoming successful might not be such a good idea after all. Of course these reasons are generally ill-founded. Nonetheless, they’re powerful enough to keep them from achieving their goals. They sabotage their success and when the time comes for them to bloom they remain tight in a bud.

If you can relate to this a good exercise is to imagine yourself 5 years down the line. What would life be like for you if you don’t take the ‘risk’ to blossom and things continued along their present trend?

~ Where would you be living?

~ How much money would you be earning?

~ What would you be doing for fun and recreation?

~ What would be the state of your health?

~ How would your family be living?

Answer these questions honestly and you’ll find that the perceived ‘risk’ is insignificant compared to the potential gain. You’ll stop resisting change and your true nature. You’ll give yourself permission to grow, ‘blossom’ and share your abundance.

You’ll start to live in harmony with the Universal Laws. You’ll become a master at achieving success in your life and you’ll give the world the gift of you.

One reason why people do not live in harmony with Universal Laws is simply because their awareness of the laws is limited. For an excellent program on the Universal Laws and how you can create the life you desire visit Mastering the Universal Laws.

My friend Paul closed his business of 30 years a few months ago. He was not planning on retirement but the economy proved too much a battle. His major customers were closed or in bankruptcy. Now my friend is bored, lonesome, and depressed.

Paul is like so many other people. The research from the last 10 years shows that physical illness and depression occur more frequently among retirees then people of the same age who are still working.

On the other hand, many people do benefit from retirement. They find that retirement has eliminated the stress that a job brings and the anxiety over time missed with family and friends. They may also be involved with volunteering and love traveling.

Retirement, however, is especially hard on people who are forced to leave their jobs or those who do not have interests or hobbies outside of work. You might think that doing nothing will feel good and then are surprised when you experience anxiety, depression and other negative feelings.

The secret, of course, is to plan ahead for retirement and to challenge yourself after you stop working just as you did when you had a job. You need to set goals, do interesting and demanding things, maintain and develop meaningful relations and keep well informed. In other words, as your environment changes, you have to change also.

Psychologists say to establish a routine for yourself to help you manage your time wisely. Replacing the structure of your work with your own flexible schedule can help you reduce feelings of depression and force you to stay focused. My advice is not to limit the routine to chores. Include activities that are fun and challenging and helpful to others.

Let’s face it. Depending on personal circumstances, adjusting to retirement can be difficult. Health problems and financial worries stimulate stress. Without day-to-day social interaction of the workplace, loneliness and isolation become part of the picture. Lack of a daily routine may lead to feelings of purposelessness. Here are a few tips for a more productive retirement:

Plan Ahead: As we know the time to plan for what you will be doing during retirement is while you are still working. Even so, a blueprint for the future is good at any time considering you may have another 20 to 30 years of living.

Set Goals: Structure your time and make that part of your goals. Learn to sell on eBay, or speak a foreign language, or build up your endurance so you can ride a bike 20 miles a day. Goals provide purpose and a sense of achievement that will give you positive feelings.

Develop interests: If you do not have a hobby and always wanted to collect stamps, now is the time! Sign up at a gym. Interests keep you involved and help you stay mentally alert.

Give back to your community: Find a way to invest in your community through volunteering. Volunteer activities provide a sense of purpose and that also reduces depression.

If none of these ideas work for you get some professional advice. A psychologist or counselor may help you find what you really want to do by offering support and guidance.

Ruthan Brodsky helps people in midlife change the direction of their career by marketing on the Internet. Recieve notice of free teleseminars on health and business at From Retirement to Career Change.com

Nature governed by Universal Laws and so operates in a very orderly manner.

In your society you are also governed by laws and if you fall foul of those laws you suffer the consequences. There are a multitude of different laws and some of them can very complex. So lawyers specialise in different types of law. In other words they become experts in a specific area of the law.

Now while you’re probably aware of the general laws that govern your society you’re unlikely to know the laws inside and out. So you’ll at some point in your life you’ll probably hire an expert lawyer to represent you in a certain situation.

However, what many people fail to realise is that we are too are a part of nature and so the Universal Laws which apply to nature also apple to us. Yet, the majority of people stumble through life haphazardly hitting their goal targets because they do take the time to understand let alone master the Universal Laws.

The trouble is when it comes to your life you can’t delegate. Only you can live your life and if you don’t learn, understand and work in accordance to the Universal Laws you will suffer the consequences. You’ll experience random success and you’re likely to feel extremely frustrated because things just don’t seem to go your way.

Many have described life a game. However, you can’t win any game if you don’t know the rules of the game. So to win the game of life you have to understand its rules and then apply them. It’s that simple.

“Life is a game. Play it.”
Mother Teresa

The movie “The Secret” did an excellent job increasing people’s awareness of the Law of Attraction and how it works. However, many people have become frustrated with their attempts to manifest what they desire.

One reason why people fail to manifest their goals when applying the Law of Attraction is because it is just one of the laws that you must abide by if you want to live your ideal life.

“Most people don’t ever go beyond where they’re at because they just don’t understand the rules or the laws that govern their success.”
Bob Proctor

Others seem to achieve success by default. It seems that whatever they decide to do they achieve success and yet if asked how they managed to be so successful they often struggle to explain their level of success. Bob Proctor describes this phenomenon as follows:

“A small percentage of people live in harmony with the laws most of the time but there’s only a small percentage of that percentage of that particular group that really understands what’s happening. Most people who are really successful cannot truly articulate on why they are.”

Still, if an astute person who understood the Laws of the Universe examined how they achieved their goals they too would be able to see how these individuals were working with the Laws albeit unconsciously. They would notice for instance, how these people worked in harmony with the Laws.

For example, they provide enormous value wherever they go and whatever they and consequently are rewarded by the Law of Compensation. They focus their attention on the things they desire and so are able to significantly to expand these areas - Law of Increase. They interpret the trends that exist around them whether or not the general public think of these things as positive or negative and instead of trying to fight whatever is happening they simply learn how to adapt to whatever is going on and go with the flow - the Law of Non-Resistance.

Unfortunately, you’re born with no awareness of the Universal Laws. This awareness usually comes later in life. By this time your programming is such that you have been effectively programmed to violate the laws. So to succeed and win the game of life you need to understand the rules of the game of life and then reprogram your mind so that you play those rules. Then you can become a master of achieving life success.

Discover how you can gain a deeper understanding of the Universal Laws and how you can truly master your life - Master the Universal Laws.

By now a blind man with a stick can see it, the world as we know it is changing. Yet there are still those who believe that the worst of the stock market crash is over. However, when you look at the fundamentals there is little evidence to support this view other than wishful thinking.

Of course most of us hate change and the associated chaos. Who wants to live with the uncertainty when the turmoil that always accompanies change is already wreaking havoc with your routine and stretches your mental resources to the limit.

Change means having to give up things. Well, we are not very good at that either. It is a well known fact that we will even suffer unpalatable situations rather than entertain change. We stay in relationships which are unsatisfactory because we believe it is better to be with the devil you know than the devil you don’t know. We put up with bad jobs from a need for security and we stay in investments for years instead of getting out on the top, believing that stocks always come back.

Wake up my friends, this time really is different. This is am bear market of a large degree cycle. The reason I can say this with such certainty is because of years of studying human and economic cycles. Let’s forget fundamentals for a moment and just look at universal laws in operation you will simply have to accept the fact that change is in essence a universal law.

Your reality as you see it is basically an illusion, because nothing you perceive ever stands still. Contrary to what you feel comfortable with, the essence of life force is change. In fact the moment change stops and movement stops you are dead.

The universe literally switches on and off all the time. We just do not see the off and only see the on of this constant exchange and this gives us the illusion of solid object which stand still, just as we believe that life can carry on in our preferred ways.

This giant illusion has let to the belief that we can have infinite economic growth and that we are able to print money indefinitely, borrow forever or whatever else it may be that helps us to maintain the status quo of our illusory existence.

Larger and smaller degree cycles unfold as part of the wider universal forces and there is precious little you and I can do to stop this evolutionary process which is natural and an intrinsic part of our existence.

So, how can you make these unpalatable changes easier on yourself? As always, it begins with your inner state. If your mental state is in harmony with your environment you will be able to adjust to outside turmoil with relative ease and allow yourself to go with the flow instead of resisting it.

Fear of course is the biggest challenge everyone of us will have to face at some point and degree. How you deal with fear and how you experience it depends on your conditioning and any unresolved past life trauma. The recent economic turmoil as surfaced many unresolved old fears in many people.

This is only natural and since the cracks in the system became glaringly obvious literally over night there was no time to adjust. Many had to cope with shock in addition to the fears and anxiety surfacing.

If you recognise yourself here you should begin right now clearing your energy channels and the neuro connections which are creating stress responses at a time when you need relaxation and calm above all in order to function properly and do the right things to ensure a secure future.

The biggest favour you can do yourself right now is to examine your old beliefs for their truth and validity in your life today. You will find that probably over 50% of them are useless now and unlearning them as quickly as you dare to would be your best option to safeguard your future.

A major cycle is coming to an end. This massive paradigm shift is not only affecting the financial system, we are experiencing a shift of consciousness which will lead to a much improved system in time. Major changes like this do not happen over night, but the more cognisant you can be of what goes on around you the easier you will find it to weather the storms and come out on top.

Don’t stand still, expand your self awareness and clear your stuff. The message is really very simple, yet taking action seems difficult for most as it is much easier to come up with new ideas than letting go of old stuff. Don’t follow the heard, allow change, it’s good, go first!

Mercedes Oestermann van Essen is a human development coach specialising in investment and trading psychology and manifestation techniques. Her latest book
THE BUDDHIST TRADER is available now. Get your free report, 5 Little Known Keys To Happiness