Personal Achievement or Spiritual Evolution: Can You Have Both?
In the world of personal development, there seem to be two distinct camps. Both approaches seem to lead to the same thing: happiness and INNER PEACE. Is one approach more effective than the other? How can we make sense of the sometimes contradictory approaches?
the achievement camp
The first is the power-filled, achievement-based, goal-oriented doctrine. This school of thought tells us to “take charge” of our lives. It tells us that we CAN shape our destiny. WE CAN create our own reality. We CAN achieve anything we set our minds to. He is usually very “focused on me”. Whether it’s a Tony Robbins seminar, a motivational book, or Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, the focus is on getting more done. It’s about being the best. It’s about productivity. It’s about material success. It’s about power, taking control and taking action. It’s about MORE, MORE, MORE. Because, after all, MORE will bring you more happiness. Right?
Personally, I love setting goals and achieving them. Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to throw away goals or achievements. Think about it, without the world of achievement, we wouldn’t have all the luxuries and staples of our modern world. We have cars, airplanes, computers, internet, tv’s, tives, DVD’s, CD’s, GPS, cell phones, clothing, books, appliances, as well as heating and air conditioning. We can even access 10,000 songs from a single iPod. There are countless creations that you enjoy every day because someone focused on achieving a goal. Our world continues to prosper and grow thanks to people and companies committed to achievement.
The Enlightenment Camp
The other camp focuses on spiritual evolution or enlightenment as its ultimate goal. Masters of this path focus on the “here and now.” It’s about accepting reality, as it is, right now. It’s about letting go of resistance. It is about recognizing the perfection of the moment. It’s about doing nothing. It is about BEING. It is about meditating and clearing your thoughts. Of course, many of these thoughts are running amok because we wanted to pursue our goals and dreams, and they are not materializing as quickly as the books promised. The path of enlightenment is more about shedding the me, me, me focus and recognizing the “oneness” of the Universe. This path is more about simplifying your life. It is about doing and having less. Some practices go so far as to recommend that you discard all material possessions. It’s not about achievement, it’s about letting go of effort. It’s about being. Loving What Is by Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti and Wayne Dyer speak effectively about this camp.
In our busy world, permission to release all thoughts in a meditation class is a welcome invitation. Taking the time to “be” when you are “doing, doing, doing” balances the most committed achiever. Aligning with the now allows us to savor each moment and connect more deeply with ourselves and with others. It allows us to follow our intuition and think creatively. By simplifying, there are fewer competing thoughts and more time to BE.
Personally, I have struggled to reconcile these two camps because I recognize many of the contradictions (do vs. be, control vs. surrender, more vs. less, and force vs. allow), but at the same time, I see tremendous value in both. I see how each has the merits of it and can contribute to pain and frustration.
The Downside of Achievement
The field of personal achievement or “success” has an implicit assumption. The presumption is that your life is NO longer “perfect” and wonderful as it is. We are told… that you need to set goals. You must reach your potential. You have to commit. Your life will be better when you reach your goals. Many marketing approaches aim to highlight their shortfalls and exaggerate their upside potential. And they love to part you with lots of money to learn their “secrets”. The achievement can be costly and exhausting. There is a lot of energy in the future. It’s about focusing, taking action, working hard, and doing whatever it takes. There is often a “forcing” type of energy. Do it. Do more. push off Struggle. Sounds familiar? It can be very exhausting. When the achievement pendulum reaches the extreme, there are many associated costs.
The positive side of the path of achievement
I think for many people, personal achievement is THE perfect place to start. Considering that the vast majority of the population does not set goals at all. Most live life more or less on autopilot. So taking conscious control of your lives allows your life to become a more authentic expression of yourself. The achievement of goals gives us focus and direction. From this search we learn about ourselves. We can recognize unconscious limiting beliefs. We can develop our strengths and improve our weaknesses. Goal achievement also builds self-esteem. The achievement of goals often contributes to the greater good of society with new products and services. Without a certain percentage of the population focused on achieving and achieving, can you imagine how many basic luxuries we would not have?
The disadvantage of the path of enlightenment
The Path of Enlightenment also has an implicit assumption. It speaks of the perfection of the universe and tells us that we do not need to do anything. There is a certain truth in that. We are whole and complete, yet most of us still have work to do to authentically “own” this truth. If we accept “full and complete” wisdom without doing our inner work, we have just created a big story to justify our human blind spots. I have also seen many people become financially distressed when they focus exclusively on seeking enlightenment. These people take the wisdom of “the perfection of the universe” as a “corridor” to stop contributing to society. It’s as if they stopped listening to their creative impulses altogether. They give up. At their extreme, they begin to resist anything that falls into the “achievement” bucket or any kind of “doing.” These people are often part of the anti-capitalism movement. Of course, true enlightenment resists nothing…including capitalism, achievement, or doing.
The positive side of the path of enlightenment
For some, completing “letting go” is exactly their path, even if it includes financial devastation. For the achievement junkie, stepping off the gas is EXACTLY what he needs to balance his being. When achievement becomes so “mind-driven,” intuitive and creative impulses can be stifled. Relaxing in the flow of life seems to bring a different kind of serendipity and flow. Living in the present moment IS where life happens. Most of us can learn to live here more often. The principles of enlightenment allow us to connect more deeply within ourselves and with others. There are countless other benefits, including my favorite… inner peace.
the happy medium
Perhaps there is wisdom from both fields for us to integrate into our lives. If we could be aware of swinging the pendulum too far into the “field of achievement” or too far into the field of enlightenment, perhaps we would all be living in a natural place of flow.
We would be living predominantly in the present moment, while occasionally learning from the past or being inspired by the future. We would be consistently honoring our own inner voice of guidance, often referred to as our intuition, our Higher Self, God, or Spirit. This inner voice would be inspiring authentic goals and desires. This inner voice would also guide us to rest and relax. We would be nurturing this inner voice through silence and stillness. This inner voice would get our FOCUS and attention. Through this inner voice we would naturally honor our creative impulses.
We would NOT be trying to speed things up artificially. Achievement Camp is often about trying to artificially speed things up. It manifests itself in the form of pressure, guilt, overwhelm and stress. In between, this would melt.
We would NOT be trying to artificially slow things down. Sometimes Enlightenment Camp gives us permission to slow things down too much. Although, it is true, the members of The Achievement Camp can also be victims of this form of resistance. It appears in the form of procrastination and fear. In between, we would simply be inspired to act.
The perfect mix
I’m not exactly sure what the perfect combination of both fields is, but I know it intrigues me. I am continually aware of extremes. I continually try to relax back into the moment, keep my energetic vibration high, embrace the reality unfolding before me, and listen carefully to my inner voice. From this place flow conscious choices. And, from this place, I experience INNER PEACE.