"We should not trust the masses who say only the free can be educated, but rather the lovers of wisdom who say that only the educated are free." – Epictetus, Discourses, 2.1.21-23a
In essence, education is learning how to live. This results in a free, peaceful and joyful life. We've all been told as human beings we have free will, but is that really the case? Do we really have the freedom to do whatever we want? Well, in fact, we are free to choose whatever we want to do, however, the problem is we were never taught how to.
How many times have you been negatively impacted by the actions of others? A bad partner or a horrible boss at work? How about a mistake that you made many moons ago that still haunts you to this day? If so, you're not alone. This may surprise you, but it is common for a person to even adopt particular tendencies that dictate their choices which stem all the way back to the actions of a parent, friend, teacher, partner, colleague or boss. These adopted behaviours then concretise into natural tendencies which soon become our "personality". It is then very difficult to even see our own behaviour patterns let alone break them. And it is with these patterns we live our lives, with anything outside our usual normal being deemed strange, outrageous and non-agreeable.
“So in the majority of other things, we address circumstances not in accordance with the right assumptions, but mostly by following wretched habit. Since all that I’ve said is the case, the person in training must seek to rise above, so as to stop seeking out pleasure and steering away from pain; to stop clinging to living and abhorring death; and in the case of property and money, to stop valuing receiving over giving.” – Gaius Musonius Rufus, Lectures, 6.25.5–11
Exercise: Musonius Rufus is telling us to stop mindlessly operating out of habit and become more conscious of our actions. For instance, when choosing to perform a task such as making the bed, getting dressed, eating a meal or making a business decision, ask yourself: "Is this the best way to do it or is there a better way? Can I improve?". If you start questioning your actions and reactions, your learnt habits and behaviours will become apparent which spawns the possibility to constructively reinvent yourself. Although you may have unwillingly picked up behaviours, now you can begin to cultivate the behaviours you wished you had.
Did you know that 43% of employees have left a job due to their manager? And a further 14% have left multiple companies due to bad management. Believe it or not, that's not even the worst part. It has been found that 32% of employees have thought about leaving a company but never mustered up the courage to [1]. No wonder mental health is at an all-time low and anxiety, depression and a lack of fulfilment has been normalised with slogans like "it's okay not to be okay". This global shift in employment has become such a phenomenon, it has been called the "Resignation Pandemic". According to the Telegraph, half of UK employees are in active search of a new role, with job moves hitting a record high of 988,000 in the final quarter of 2021 [2]. WION summarises this beautifully in the video below [3]:
As informative as these sayings or facts are, they do not help resolve anything. This is the gap I wish to fill. To go from facts to real time-tested procedures that we can apply systematically, whenever we experience any sort of discomfort or undesirable situation. Once you have read all the posts from the "Eliminating Worry" section, you will have the tools necessary to eradicate your personal handicaps and free yourself from anything that is holding you back. Once your personal feelings, tendencies, memories and anxieties of the future have been completely wiped clean, any personal reluctance you feel during the pursuit of a goal will automatically evaporate in the light of knowledge.
The vision for Self-Mastery is to be the hub of personal development to educate and train people of all ages and stages in life. The main areas of personal growth will be:
Stress Elimination
Effective Communication and relationship management
Business (MBA)
Belief systems and emotional intelligence
Pursuing a goal, passion and meaning
“You don’t attract what you want. You attract what you are.” – Wayne W. Dyer
And that's just the beginning! By practising the exercises and reading real-life stories of how people have used these skills to better resolve their life problems, you will feel fully equipped to craft the person you wished you were. Personal development keeps you equipped for any internal or external situation which breeds confidence to really pursue and craft a life you want for yourself.
One may wonder if this is too good to be true. Can a simple blog really eradicate worries, concerns and resentments? Can one really alter their personality so it is now tailored towards their wants, goals and vision? Aren't these feelings completely normal and in our nature? Can one really learn people skills? Don't you either have it or not? Fair questions all! And if I were you, I would think of the author as an inexperienced fool who doesn't have a clue about how people think, let alone hand out precise tools that alter the thoughts, tendencies and potential of an individual.
Well, I am so confident that if you only read a handful of posts and find it of no use, by all means never return to this site and I apologise dearly for wasting your time. However, if you do find this site of some use, please get in touch as I am eager to hear what you have to say. Even if you just want to get something off your chest, just know Self-Mastery has you covered!
Ready? Okay, let's go!
P.S. Self-Mastery is committed to positively impacting the 8 billion people who live together in this world. Through education, guidance and nurturing, the eradication of global issues such as poverty, inequality, mental health and global warming is possible. This is my life purpose which I will work on daily for the rest of my life. If you feel inspired, why not join us?
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