Get On The Playground! Learning into action
April 2006

“When they tell you to grow up,
they mean stop growing.” 
Tom Robbin

Ever meet a personal growth junkie?  Are you one?  With so much to learn, we risk absorption in “mind work” or “classroom practice” rather than real life practice.  It is seductive to move from learning to learning…books, psychology, written exercises, journaling, classes, solo time.  These are all essential parts of growth and change.  And yet, there comes a time to shift from practicing in learning environments, to playing out in “the world” with others.

Spinning in Personal Development
Those who choose to grow tend to be exceptional people.  They desire a lot out of life, will look at their darkness, clear out the icky corners and are open to new, creative ways of thinking and living.  They stretch comfort levels through various workshops and seminars.  They crave an intentional life.  They identify and yearn for their deepest desires.

However, personal development can also be addictive.  It can shroud us from our action opportunities.  We may get so engrossed in the classroom work, enjoying its relative safety, that we prefer to stay there.  How might you be concealing yourself beneath personal development?  Are you ready for the BIG stretch of taking all that scrumptious learning out onto life’s giant playground?

Isolation vs. Immersion
After a “loss” it is extremely tempting to hide out, to retreat with a great self-help book and try to figure out what went awry or what’s wrong with you.  You’re not broken.  You’re a fabulous masterpiece in progress…you will continue to evolve into your most amazing self, every moment.  So retreat briefly if need be.  Mourn, clear, feel it, learn.  And then, get back on the playground!  It is like learning to ride a bike.  You ride, fall, ride, fall, ride, fall.  And finally, you simply ride!

Openness and Devotion
How open can you allow yourself and your heart to be?  How devoted are you to realizing your deepest desire?  You say you want “it” and yet in the past you held back, you got scared and ran.  Be willing to sit in “unfamiliar” spaces as you ride out whatever wave of fear you’re on (even if you don’t think it’s fear).  See what is on the other side of that self-preserving urge to flee.

Here’s how it often goes: you start to “practice” in the world, fear pops up (it could show up as irritation, disappointment, ambivalence, loss of interest, anger) and you cut and run.  You think it’s not going to work, it’s too complicated, you’re too busy, it’s all wrong, you start to think maybe you don’t really want it…there’s a million reasons to bail and they all make so much sense to you.  Is it real or subconscious trickery, self-sabotage?

How devoted to your deepest desire are you?

The Antidotes to Fear
Trust, love, and devotion are amazing antidotes to fear.  Immerse in all that you love in yourself and your life.  Remind yourself of what you truly, deeply desire…see it coming to fruition; practice feeling what it would be like to be that free and imagine welcoming your desire into your life.  Devote yourself to the real live practice in conjunction with the classroom work.  Trust that you can handle it; trust that you are guided.  Once you believe you can have what you desire and imagine receiving it, you’ll be able to stick with it, and continue playing until your desire becomes reality.  So get out and play!

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