In continuing with my exploration of personal development as a writer, to grow as a human and have more experiences to draw from, as a writer, a question pops up from time to time. It’s important to question most everything in areas like this because there can be so much confusing information.

The first question I ask is, who the hell is right? I mean, we have several different diets on the market that exist and get results, most of which are scientifically backed, but even that sometimes requires a degree most of us don’t possess and have no desire to attain.

Take the Bulletproof diet for example. I wanted to eat better to increase longevity and at first, blunt the current levels of destructive behavior I engage in routinely, then I wanted to reverse the damage done. For starters, this is NOT an excuse for me to overdo it, thinking my diet will take care of EVERYTHING. Excess is still excess. But the Bulletproof diet suggests (basic high points) higher concentration of good fats and oils (coconut, olive, non-gmo, organic, grass fed butter and ghee) and adding a lot more vegetables to your diet.

The veggies are even ranked by effectiveness based on what they do internally to the body and how they irritate or promote health function.  Garlic and onion are out. (fuck that shit!) But asparagus, zucchini, squash, kale, (I haven’t named a single vegetable I LIKE) are in because they promote the body’s health response and are not irritants. Also, vegetables are mostly water.

Meats should be limited to wild caught for fish, organic, grass fed for meats and again, limited. I break this rule because my red meat intake actually makes me feel better.

Wildfit, another popular option isn’t nearly as restrictive in what you can eat, but then again it is. Both diets eschew cutting out ALL processed foods, unnatural ingredients, saturated fats, and going as close to clean as you possibly can.

Those two diets I have concluded, work best for me and honestly, most people I know who have gone that route. But they do conflict slightly. So who is right?  In a case like this, I go for the combination because the results people seek when going on diets aren’t the same as what I want or need.

But doing your research in a case like this is best. Oh, and standard warning: I am an author, and lifestyle blogger, NOT a doctor so do your due diligence.

Let’s take another aspect of personal growth:  Meditation. I’ve stated in previous posts that I meditate regularly but which style works for you?  Marisa Peer says one thing, John Asaraf, another, Vishen, another, Ziva Mind, yet another.

To me, this area depends on what you’re seeking to achieve. I’ve found for starting off, Six Phase (through Mind Valley) is a great way to hack the mind and put you in the mindset needed to create a better life with more depth and meaning.  As stated, my meditative practices vary on what I think I need, and what I learn from them but they are not one stop fix all solutions that happen immediately, though I have had immediate results upon starting this practice. The key is to start with one thought, hold onto it and be more present in your life. Actually pay attention to YOU. When you notice a positive thing, acknowledge it. A negative one? Same thing, and keep a journal of thoughts, feelings and maybe the event that triggers the experience. Over time you’ll see a pattern emerge.

The way I approach this area is based on my results. Need deeper sleep? I set up a month and pick one style, apply it, then test it using Sleep Cycle on my iPhone.  Need to hack my attitude? I do Six-Phase because it was designed explicitly for neurological hacking to put your mind in a certain state and generate certain brain waves. Vishen designed that tactic to take the best practices he’d learned about through 40 years of Zen, teaching meditation, learning and studying about it, and then finding the quickest, most efficient ways of utilizing meditation to achieve the desired results. If I need more compassion, Emily Fletcher’s Ziva Mind Practice has that down pretty well, plus she’s not bad to look at.  (like you didn’t see that coming!)  If I need a self-esteem boost, Lisa Nichols has my back.

My main point is that most of these practices utilize similar concepts designed to prime the brain out of the sloth-mindset of protection and encourage stimulation to put the energy of the universe (this is actually quantum physics based) to work for you.

The main point about personal growth is that there is no one-stop solution for fixing what needs fixing. They all work to some degree but you have to put the work in. Picking up my favorite authors in this realm invariably leads me to other authors with similar points and different ways of expressing them. All of the great businessmen and thinkers of our time share one thing in common: They never stop learning.

And neither should you.

Disclaimer:  I am hyperlinking for your interest, I am not shilling for these companies even though I do respect them and benefit from their products.

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