Personal development in cycles - anyone else?

[Advocate]

I’ve experienced this phenomenon for some time now: I get involved with a new personal development method. I make progress and get results. At some point the method seem to not be working anymore, or at least a lot less effective. I know that it’s crucial to stick to your path on the way to mastery, but after a couple of months I develop an enormous resistance towards this method that it feels just right to try something ( perhaps slightly) different, some variation. This new method then works really well and I continue practicing it. Usually I don’t come back to the old method anymore. It feels like a step back. And so the cycles continue...
These cycles do occur with meditation techniques and even with supplements. Some times reishi, omega 3 or curcuma feel like they work really well, but after some weeks or months I don’t feel the effect anymore. 
My mind/body seems to be working that way. I grow. And it would not feel right to force myself to stick with something when my whole existence is screaming that something else is better. It seems that I master by dabbling. Does anyone have similar experiences? Any advice? 

[Zigzag Idiot]

@Advocate  Great Observation you’ve made!
You’ve spotted the mi fa gap in the law of Octaves also called the law of seven. It’s one of the most overlooked, deeper truths concerning the enneagram.  It dictates why people often enthusiastically undertake aims only to become disinterested after a time and also why under mechanical influences ( just going on autopilot)  our lives just tend to go in circles without progressing.

Although often overlooked, with some google searches and some digging around, information can be found.

 

http://cwe.hagut.net/the-law-of-seven-or-the-law-of-octave/

 

http://www.katinkahesselink.net/sufi/G2Enneagram.html

 

https://bepresentfirst.com/the-law-of-seven/

I just randomly gathered these links. You may find a source you like better with a search done on your own.

[blackchair]

i think im in this group....

[Advocate]

@Zigzag Idiot @blackchair Thanks for your responses. I used to attribute my behavior to the “scanner personality”. I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole goes, @Zigzag Idiot . To be honest, what you mention sounds a bit far out there, but I’ll be reading more about it. 

[Zigzag Idiot]

3 minutes ago, Advocate said:

@Zigzag Idiot @blackchair Thanks for your responses. I used to attribute my behavior to the “scanner personality”. I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole goes, @Zigzag Idiot . To be honest, what you mention sounds a bit far out there, but I’ll be reading more about it. 

@Advocate  Excuse me for throwing it out there as an absolute truth that you should immediately believe. Sometimes that’s just how my enthusiasm manifests.

Youre right in that it is something that sounds far out. Maybe I should possibly categorize it as esoteric in category. Gurdjieff never attributed the knowledge of the enneagram with personality types but he did correlate the enneagram with what he called the law of 3 and the law of octaves aka law of 7. To confuse things even more he sometimes referred to it as the law of nine foldedness.

You may find it interesting or maybe not. 
Have fun though,,, ?

[Advocate]

@Zigzag Idiot I guess that’s how my enthusiasm works as well

How cool that you mention Gurdjieff in the context of the enneagram. I hold a degree in Russian and Eurasian history and I mostly studied the period when Gurdjieff lived. Gotta do some more research about him. Perhaps that’s something for a PhD  It’s fascinating how seemingly unrelated topics are connected!

[Moksha]

Is it possible that you are chasing an experience, rather than residing in being?

[mandyjw]

Read up on hedonic adaptation. In a nutshell, it's like I buy a new thing, it makes me happy, then I'm like "meh" and forget it. Most people see through this, but not always with personal development because we think it's finally seeking after something real. It's like scrapping the bottom of the barrel of all the things we've tried in life to find lasting happiness. It feels good to have direction, to know where we're going, to be excited about it. But if stayed that way forever, we'd never have an opportunity to be spontaneous, creative, or make unexpected discoveries. Enjoy the ride, go beyond, and pay attention instead to what does not change. 

[mmKay]

On 21/2/2021 at 0:27 PM, Advocate said:

I’ve experienced this phenomenon for some time now: I get involved with a new personal development method. I make progress and get results. At some point the method seem to not be working anymore, or at least a lot less effective. I know that it’s crucial to stick to your path on the way to mastery, but after a couple of months I develop an enormous resistance towards this method that it feels just right to try something ( perhaps slightly) different, some variation. This new method then works really well and I continue practicing it. Usually I don’t come back to the old method anymore. It feels like a step back. And so the cycles continue...
These cycles do occur with meditation techniques and even with supplements. Some times reishi, omega 3 or curcuma feel like they work really well, but after some weeks or months I don’t feel the effect anymore. 
My mind/body seems to be working that way. I grow. And it would not feel right to force myself to stick with something when my whole existence is screaming that something else is better. It seems that I master by dabbling. Does anyone have similar experiences? Any advice? 

It's a plateaux. You expected too much resulta too easily. Read the dip by seth godin. Literally google " The dip" Pdf.  Gos bless the internet

[blackchair]

i think im in this group cause i have tendecy to "run away" hope to God this time wont be running away....learning never stops....

[Advocate]

On 27.2.2021 at 10:08 AM, blackchair said:

i think im in this group cause i have tendecy to "run away" hope to God this time wont be running away....learning never stops....

In my experience, the more you are "not trying to run away", the more you will run away. Rather, accept that you run away, be conscious of it, and your behaviour will change.

 

On 24.2.2021 at 1:31 AM, mandyjw said:

Read up on hedonic adaptation. In a nutshell, it's like I buy a new thing, it makes me happy, then I'm like "meh" and forget it. Most people see through this, but not always with personal development because we think it's finally seeking after something real. It's like scrapping the bottom of the barrel of all the things we've tried in life to find lasting happiness. It feels good to have direction, to know where we're going, to be excited about it. But if stayed that way forever, we'd never have an opportunity to be spontaneous, creative, or make unexpected discoveries. Enjoy the ride, go beyond, and pay attention instead to what does not change. 

Thanks, I haven't considered hedonic adaptation as an explanation yet.

On 26.2.2021 at 9:25 PM, mmKay said:

It's a plateaux. You expected too much resulta too easily. Read the dip by seth godin. Literally google " The dip" Pdf.  Gos bless the internet

 

On 24.2.2021 at 0:49 AM, Moksha said:

Is it possible that you are chasing an experience, rather than residing in being?

Yes, I hate plateaux and I am chasing experiences after experiences. I should mention that I lived in four foreign countries and learnt their languages. Once I got the hang of it, sooner or later I got disinterested in the languages and cultures and moved to a different place. Same with study programmes at the uni, relationships, sports, or basically any area of my life.

I am aware of this pattern. It is super frustrating. I put in massive amounts of energy, time and money into various stuff. I always wanted to be the best at everything and I got decent results in almost anything I did. Still, I feel like the pay off could have been massive, if I focused my attention more. I just can't help myself. I feel like a drug addict, my drug is new experiences.

Forcing myself to change the behaviour won't work. I guess the only solution is to be even more aware...

[Moksha]

15 minutes ago, Advocate said:

I just can't help myself. I feel like a drug addict, my drug is new experiences.

Forcing myself to change the behaviour won't work. I guess the only solution is to be even more aware...

Realizing the addiction is the first step toward dissolving it. You're right about forcing yourself to change. It doesn't work, because it doesn't address the core issue. You are looking for happiness through experiences that can never provide what you seek.

How many millions of lives have been wasted, desperately diving into one experience after another, only to realize that it never provides the fulfillment that it promised? 

As your intuition is telling you, the answer is to be aware. But aware of what? Most of us require a lot of hell before we finally realize that the chasing itself is the source of our suffering. This whole time, the answer is within. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to dive so deeply into yourself that you directly realize the infinite abundance that You already are. Everything with a beginning must also end. So let go of the transient. Discover the infinite, changeless, timeless Love that is your essence. Abide in You.

[Advocate]

12 hours ago, Moksha said:

Realizing the addiction is the first step toward dissolving it. You're right about forcing yourself to change. It doesn't work, because it doesn't address the core issue. You are looking for happiness through experiences that can never provide what you seek.

How many millions of lives have been wasted, desperately diving into one experience after another, only to realize that it never provides the fulfillment that it promised? 

As your intuition is telling you, the answer is to be aware. But aware of what? Most of us require a lot of hell before we finally realize that the chasing itself is the source of our suffering. This whole time, the answer is within. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to dive so deeply into yourself that you directly realize the infinite abundance that You already are. Everything with a beginning must also end. So let go of the transient. Discover the infinite, changeless, timeless Love that is your essence. Abide in You.

I used to give speeches at the university on how essential it is to always stay curious, justifying the addiction. Now, it feels right to just call it what it is, an addiction. Not to demonise it or myself, but to observe what is there. 

I've read books on the "scanner personality" which did not explain the core issue. So thank you for putting my situation into a meta perspective. It sounds like a beautiful mission that is awaiting me.

[Moksha]

4 hours ago, Advocate said:

I used to give speeches at the university on how essential it is to always stay curious, justifying the addiction. Now, it feels right to just call it what it is, an addiction. Not to demonise it or myself, but to observe what is there. 

I've read books on the "scanner personality" which did not explain the core issue. So thank you for putting my situation into a meta perspective. It sounds like a beautiful mission that is awaiting me.

? It is beautiful. Letting go of the false promises of the conditioned mind, and directly realizing Yourself as unconditional Love, is the ultimate liberation. Curiosity isn't inherently imprisoning, as long as you don't cling to it for Self-discovery and validation. The cosmos is fascinating, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying its wonders, but true Self-knowledge is entirely non-conceptual, and can only be directly realized. All the best in your beautiful journey!

[Advocate]

48 minutes ago, Moksha said:

? It is beautiful. Letting go of the false promises of the conditioned mind, and directly realizing Yourself as unconditional Love, is the ultimate liberation. Curiosity isn't inherently imprisoning, as long as you don't cling to it for Self-discovery and validation. The cosmos is fascinating, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying its wonders, but true Self-knowledge is entirely non-conceptual, and can only be directly realized. All the best in your beautiful journey!

Thanks a lot