The Start Which Is Also The End

Understanding the impact of how we take our first steps has on the process

What is to follow in this article may appear to some readers to be a ‘word salad’ of sorts. The reader may feel as though they find themselves becoming bogged down in some of the more ‘technical’ aspects of the self-developmental process. It is a common misconception to think that true progress with our self-development will come by learning some breathing technique, yoga pose, or mantra. All of these things may help with the process but, at its highest levels, this process is more about coming to see the subtler nuances of Life. It is for this reason that it is beneficial for us to devote some time towards becoming aware of the more ‘technical’ aspects of the process.

You can sit around for years on a yoga mat becoming very proficient at certain poses, but you will still not necessarily have attained your highest potential. Obviously, doing this is likely to have had some positive effect on you and may be a part of your own larger process. Subsequently, engaging with these same practices, only instead doing them consciously, represents an additional step along the path. The greatest progress though will be realised when we stop focusing specifically on what we are doing, and instead begin to become aware of why we are doing what we are doing, and also how we approach doing whatever it is that we do.

It is once we have embraced this new way of looking at the world, that we will also start to go beyond simply observing what we do and become aware of our conscious level of perception, our awareness, and our conscious intention. The focus of the self-developmental process then becomes less about what we are doing, and instead we rather focus on our internal state whilst performing any actions, whatever those actions may be. These three things: our conscious level of perception, our awareness, and our conscious intention become like the herbs and spices which are added to the main body of a dish. They are the least dense element of the dish, not necessarily being the part of the dish that fills our stomachs, but they add something to the dish which has a noticeable impact on the whole of it, in some ways ‘completing’ it.

Until you do this, you will find yourself learning techniques, methods, and practices from various teachers, teachings, and frameworks. You will hop from teaching to teaching, thinking every time that your new choice is the answer to the riddle, and then subsequently end up wondering why you never reach a point within you when you finally feel as though everything has clicked into place. This particular story is likely to resonate with many readers. What is being discussed in this article, and for that matter what is also discussed in many other articles here, are things which are not often held in our awareness when engaging with this process.

We must remember that in our more modern age often the most popular content, whether that be content related to our self-development or any other subject for that matter, is usually created with the intention of it trying to draw in as many people as possible. With this type of content, we often see the emphasis being placed on producing something which is in demand, rather than producing something which is perhaps less popular, but at the same time more needed. What is in demand is not necessarily always what is most appropriate and needed.

Using writing as an example to illustrate this, we often see shorter articles with titles that are designed to grab the attention of the reader in an effort to get them to want to read on. The content of these articles though is usually more limited in scope because they are primarily written to create something popular, rather than creating something which is an accomplished part of a larger whole. The content is often presented in such a manner that the reader is able to get most of the information without needing to become fully engaged and immersed in the content.

Although the reader may think that this is a good thing because it brings more ‘efficiency’ to their lives, at the same time, there is something else which is being lost. Referring back to the previous analogy relating to the preparation of food, it is similar to the difference between eating plain rice and beans when compared to rice and beans which has various spices and herbs added to it. Both of these variations will ultimately perform the task of filling you up. We can think of the plain version of the dish as being the ‘more efficient’ variation to cook. With this variation, we get straight to the point, but in the process of doing so we have lost something.

We see a similar approach being taken with regards to self development, personal growth, and spirituality. The vast majority of individuals engaging with the process want to learn some technique, practice, or method which is efficient at bringing about a positive result in their lives. Therefore, much of the content out there is designed to fill that role, it is trying to match what is in demand. It is as if these individuals are eating the plain rice and beans though. It still fills them up, and they are able to go on with their daily lives, but in their subconscious there forever remains this feeling that something is missing. This ‘something missing’ are the herbs and spices which they were so keen to skip adding to the meal in the first place because they wanted to be ‘efficient’ and fill themselves up quickly.

True progress on this path is made gradually and requires a certain level of dedication from the aspirant. In order to achieve this, the aspirant has to consciously decide that they are willing to go that little bit further in order to create a more complete ‘final dish’. As an example, we may need to be willing to take an extra few minutes to read an article which isn’t straight to the point and presented as quick bullet points. If taking the time to read a few extra words here and there is something that you find impossible to justify, you will effectively be limiting your own progression. For many, what I have just written is not necessarily what they want to read, at any stage of their journey, but it is ultimately what they need to read.

By making you aware of this from the very start I am actually making the process more efficient for you because, if you were to realise this from the start, you won’t have to double-back on yourself later on. It is like someone telling you that plain rice and beans will not fully satisfy you, but you cook it anyway because you are in a rush. You then eat it and see that you are not fully satisfied. You then need to cook another dish of rice and beans, this time adding the herbs and spices, in order to fully complete the process.

You have now done double the amount of work because you could have just followed the recipe from the start and saved yourself the time, cooking only one meal instead of two. What we find in this journey is that the things that logically appear to be more efficient are often the things which bring less efficiency to the process. The things which initially may seem like a good idea, because you think you are saving valuable time, are really the things which do not respect your time at all. I urge the reader to consider this paradox more closely and, at the same time, try to become aware of other instances in their life where this principle is also present. This is not the only instance in one’s life where it shows itself.

The fundamental principle being discussed here is not something people will come to realise based on their intelligence, their wealth, the titles they have, how many qualifications they have, how popular they are, or how successful they are. This principle applies to all people from every walk of life in exactly the same manner, from the billionaire to the worker, from the Nobel laureate to the ‘uneducated’ farmer. These are fundamentally all external labels we use to categorise people, whereas what is being discussed here is related primarily to the internal landscape of an individual.

This is a positive thing to become aware of because it means that our self development is never limited by any external factors whatsoever. At the same time though, this means that we must take full responsibility for our progress with the process. The largest hinderances we find on this path are fundamentally coming from us. Ironically, it is often the more ‘simple folk’ who are able to realise this fundamental principle more readily and align with it to bring about positive changes in their lives.

Starts & Ends