I’ve met this type of person hundreds of times.
In fact, I’ve been this type of person for 10+ years.
The best way to describe this archetype is the personal development junkie.
They obsessively…
Consume information to improve themselves
Seek out workshops and retreats
Come up with so many ideas
Try to optimize their daily routines
Yet they don’t apply most of what they learn, let alone EMBODY it.
You know what I’m talking about.
Some of these people lean towards Tim Ferriss-style entrepreneurial optimization. Some of them are into Tony Robbins and all the motivational stuff. Some venture more into the realms of spiritual knowledge and ancient wisdom.
No matter the flavor of personal development, there’s an insatiable desire to better themselves. And that’s a good thing… Until it isn’t.
The Problem
There’s nothing wrong with the desire to evolve yourself and help others.
However, it becomes a problem when that desire turns into obsessive information consumption.
It’s so easy to accumulate knowledge by reading books, listening to podcasts, watching videos, etc. That’s why it can become a slippery slope.
The personal development junkie chases the dopamine rush of learning something new. Soon enough, they’re spending every minute of their time absorbing content.
(I’ve been there.)
Sure, they learn a lot. But how much do they really apply?
Sure, they know a lot. But how much wisdom do they really embody?
This is why we see so many people on the merry-go-round of personal development. They learn all the tactics, try all the systems — and yet their life doesn’t change much.
The Solution
More information is not the solution.
That next podcast you listen to won’t solve your problems. That next book you read isn’t the missing key to your success.
You don’t need more information.
You need more SPACE.
I know it sounds cliché, but the missing ingredients we’re all searching for are found within.
When you go for a long walk outside, you realize this.
When you meditate, you realize this.
When you get into flow state, you realize this.
Creative breakthroughs — in every area of life — emerge from introspective space (not by obsessively consuming more information).
There’s a way to get off the obsessive personal development hamster wheel and flow into your best life.
That’s why I wrote Information Alchemy.
It’s a work of information that points you beyond information.
It helps you upgrade your relationship with information, to use it as a tool, without it using you.
In the book, you’ll learn to embody the seven principles to reclaim your attention and create meaningful work in the world.
Here’s where you can get it: Information Alchemy
Much love,
Stephen Parato
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“That next podcast you listen to won’t solve your problems. That next book you read isn’t the missing key to your success.
You don’t need more information.
You need more SPACE.”
You hit the nail on the head - great post.