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Leila Lahbabi's avatar

Oh my god, I love this sooo much.

I've been into the personal development road my self and I created a personal development company (my first company).

Somehow people that came to me felt I was doing personal development very differently than what they have seen: I encourage them to connect with their spouse/husband, enjoy time with their kids, feel the love so much in their heart to be able to spead it around them, recognize it and receive it.

The interdependance is such an important part of our life. We are social being, this is even the reason why we created social media LOL. Developing our selves is amazing (I can't say otherwise, it helped me so much step into the entrepreneur, mom, spouse, sister, friend, collegue I am today. We just need to be careful about not confusing freedom and isolation. Connection is our super power!

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Karl Dunn's avatar

I love what you wrote about recognising it and receiving it. It's the hardest thing in the world to do sometimes. To just accept. I also love that observation you made about social media. You're right Leila, that was the whole reason we invented it in the first place. I still miss those early 2000s of the internet.

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Brianna's avatar

Nailed it 🙌 Just as Maslow went on to top his hierarchy with self-transcendence (connecting to/finding meaning in something bigger than oneself) and Frankl believed it is through self-transcendence that self-actualisation (fulfilling our unique potential) occurs.

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Karl Dunn's avatar

I did not know that was part of Maslow's hierarchy but that totally makes sense.

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Lisa J. Feinics, PhD's avatar

From my understanding of Maslow in the modern era, focus on self-actualization and what people prioritize varies from culture to culture. For example, Americans put our basic needs like food, shelter, safety before connection, that is not true of more collectivistic cultures, they put connection before basic needs--wild for us individualistic folks.

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Karl Dunn's avatar

That’s so interesting. I always thought that was a set system and hierarchy for all humans. Now you say that it makes total sense.

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Begonia's avatar

Suffering teaches humility.

Hard work breeds confidence.

Marriage provides stability.

Children teach self sacrifice.

A home gifts all the above.

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Erica Lucast Stonestreet's avatar

This says so many things that I've been thinking and writing about in the past year or so, all in one place.

"“Being a piece of the puzzle” literally means your shape matters because of how it fits with others. Interdependence isn’t erasure of you, it’s the celebration of you for the expansion and completion of all of us."

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Karl Dunn's avatar

Erica, thank you so much. Yeah it's really about all of us bringing our shape to the whole. I always say no one has the truth, we all have a piece of it.

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Karen Russo's avatar

Thank you! One of the greatest spiritual benefits to my life is that I started on the path with the 12 step program and there’s something really powerful about “we”

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Karl Dunn's avatar

I've had a few friends in the program. That is powerful stuff they teach in there. I loved going to the meetings with them sometimes. What community!

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We Are Already Here's avatar

Spot on. Most (if not all) research seems to show that happiness is best achieved through human connection, and is augmented further when we use our skills to help others. Individualism is a byproduct of our capitalistic consumerist culture - where the pursuit of happiness involves material wealth, fame, power, etc.- none of which seems to actually make us happy.

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Karl Dunn's avatar

I can confirm that mate, I got all the way to the top of the ladder with all the toys, looked around and did not like the view at all.

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Begonia's avatar

On a path of self meaning-fullness , the path widens with connections made along the way. It isn’t that individualism is isolating, but to be an individual one must stand alone as a light for others to find you.

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Karl Dunn's avatar

Very true that, and then add your lights together.

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