Month: October 2017

 

Last year I worked in the mill on a science fiction movie which is part of a very popular franchise.  I have known the Foreman  for many years, but do not remember having ever worked for him.  My partner, who I had worked with on three consecutive shows, is an excellent craftsman, but has a very low tolerance for people he does not think are good enough at their job; and he rarely holds back on expressing those opinions to me.  We were building elaborate control consoles and space lock doors.  During the first week my partner voiced his displeasure with the quality of my work: ‘You’re making us look bad’, or something to that effect.  The truth is that it had been a very long time since I had worked on a project that demanding.  I actually do not believe the degree of precision they were looking for was necessary, but the Foreman expected it.  At the end of the week he told me that my work was not of sufficient quality for that crew.  I would have been just as happy to work with the other crew on stage, but my ego would not accept that result.  That weekend I talked to some friends in faith and confirmed what I already know: The only answer to a situation like that is to raise your life condition.  I got up two hours early on Monday morning and immersed myself in my spiritual practice.  I showed up at work that day with a new attitude, on a sub conscious level.  For the rest of the job they complimented my projects, and they invited me to work on their next show, also a space movie, which I just finished.  I cannot say exactly what changed about me over that weekend.  I did not exponentially improve my carpentry skills or discover some new trick to hide any mistakes I may have made.  What I do know is that I have a reliable system that enables me to raise my life condition, in order to counter any negativity, either internal or external.

Faith, to me, is fundamentally a belief in yourself, and in your own capabilities, both those you already possess, and those you hope to develop.  My mentor, Daisaku Ikeda. states: “The struggle to surmount inner deadlock and feelings of defeat is what faith is all about. It is the rousing of the strong and powerful spirit within, the commitment to resolutely wage battle against all inner tendencies toward complacency and stagnation.”   Personal Empowerment is described on skillsyouneed.com as a process of “developing self-awareness, an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses”.  They say we can become powerful by “reflecting on our personal values, skills and goals and being prepared to adjust our behavior in order to achieve our goals”.  What I love about my spiritual practice is that the benefit is not only in the goal you are pursuing, which you may or may not achieve, but in the person you become in the process.  Amazingly, the by product of our efforts, when we base our pursuits on faith, is a deep internal satisfaction and happiness, that stays with us long past our attachment to our original goal.

Many people have different opinions on how to achieve self empowerment, from changing our computer password to a personal mantra to taking a timeout to be alone so that we can “disconnect from all the other voices around us, including your spouse, children, in-laws, employers, co-workers, and friends” (Jackie Dishner). Skillsyouneed describes a range of “coping responses” they recommend to deal with diverse life situations:  Setting Goals to chart the direction of your life; Gathering information to expand your life choices; Developing Skills that can help you achieve your goals.  “In order to be self-aware it is necessary to be aware of our values, to critically examine them and to accept that our values may be different from those of others”.  In my experience of faith I like that the goal (and usual outcome) is that everyone wins.  Daisaku Ikeda sums up my opinion on this topic.  “Faith is the eternal treasure and sustenance of human life.  It encompasses immeasurable benefit and boudless good fortune.  Its power is as vast as the universe and can transform our entire environment or world”.

 

 

 

My first job, which I happened into while walking home from the tennis court with a friend at the age of 12, payed one dollar an hour, and all the Slurpees I could drink.  I killed them on the Slurpees.  After that I rototilled yards, pounded nails, sold vacuum cleaners, ski bummed and, among other things, worked at McDonalds for one day.  They say that the average person of my generation will have ten to twelve different jobs during their lifetime.  My kids, who are part of the so called generation Z, are predicted to have fifteen to twenty jobs through their working years.  Each job I have had has allowed, or forced, me to learn a new skill set.  At 17, while trying to sell the very expensive Rainbow cleaning system my father directed me to How To Win Friends And Influence People, by Dale Carnegie, which, although I didn’t label it as such at the time, began my personal development journey.

How do you measure your personal development?  In the context that I first heard the term it was promoted as a necessary ingredient for success in a particular business.  The leaders within that company plainly said that if you were not getting the results you wanted it probably meant you were not pursuing your “personal development” earnestly enough.  Even though I feel that I failed at that business my rigorous training in other areas of my life allowed me, after much reflection, to grow from the experience.  Matt Morris on his very expansive blog (mattmorris.com), says “ Become a Master in the Art of Living where people can’t tell if you’re working or playing because, to you, you’re always doing both”.  I think that expresses the idea I mentioned in a previous post of making a game, or personal competition, out of mundane tasks.  In his 10 Tips for Personal Development I particularly value the advise to Start now, Learn from other people (both their successes and failures), Be grateful & recognize your worth, and Keep going and NEVER give up.  I would modify that last point to state Never give up on yourself, but it is okay to switch lanes.  I ended my business association with the personal development encouraging company; although I still fully believe in  the value of the service they sell and am still a customer, I choose to pursue different business opportunities.

The website skillsyouneed.com presents advice in many important areas of life.  They promote Personal Development as a life long process with benefits which can “enhance your employability prospects, raise your confidence, and lead to a more fulfilling, higher quality life”.  They also cite Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Presented in a  pyramid form it states that only when lower, fundamental needs are met can you explore the higher realms.  At the bottom are the basic physiological survival needs of food, drink, sex and sleep.  Next you have safety and security, both physical and financial.  Above that is the need for love and belonging, followed by the need for self-esteem and self-respect.  The top three areas of need are cognitive,the need to understand,  aesthetic, the need for pleasant, calming surroundings and self-actualisation, the need to reach our full potential, at the top.  Maslow states that all people need to see themselves as competent, independent, and self ruling.  My personal journey down this path has been marked by many side roads.  I do however, appreciate every lesson I have learned, and am more aware than ever of my need to keep growing, for the sake of my career, and full and complete enjoyment of life.