by Murray Heintz, Registered Psychologist

 

Are you a collector?

The number of things available to collect is endless. The area of personal development is no exception; it is currently a 9.9-billion-dollar a year industry.

There are many self-help books, podcasts, videos, and articles that one can access for any number of issues or growth opportunities.

While the resource material is beneficial, a problem can arise when a person focuses on looking for and reading/listening/watching the material but does not implement or keep implementing the strategies provided for any number of reasons.

When no improvement in their life or change in their circumstances occurs or the change process is difficult or painful, the hunt for more resources starts, and the cycle repeats.

Overcoming this pattern is deceptively simple yet challenging.

The first step is accepting that it will take more than a few attempts to start the process of change.

Change can also be painful because many people want to address their past traumas and pain.

Also, positive change can be a slow process, so it erodes our motivation when we do not experience the gains we want or expect.

The second step is to remain committed and follow the plan we developed using our collected resources.

Doing so will prevent the trend of searching for and collecting more resources and hoping for different results.