Help yourself to be yourself

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

By the end of this article, I hope to persuade you that the individual?s personal development is best served outside the confines of any organisation to which they may belong.

We're informed that no two snowflakes are the same. When I tried to prove otherwise, the light fluffy snow melted in my hand before I could examine the details. Maybe you'll have to have an open mind or accepted it as true. Is it something you can prove? To remove a snowflake from Everest and compare it with the snow on the French Alps seems so impossible.

We are told that no two human beings are the same. There are body and stunt doubles who are similar in appearance but what about other qualities? We are called individuals because that's what we are. If you took identical twins and locked them in a room together their individuality will be evident in their different opinions, even though they've shared so many common experiences from birth.

We know that no two footballers are the same. Footballers with exceptional individual talent sometimes feel they are restricted by their club's rules. Wealthy soccer stars believe that their money lifts them above the club and they strive to be completely individual, both on and off the pitch. Club managers argue that no one player is above the club, so there is conflict.

We know that no two published books are identical. From all books that are published, you will not find two identical books by two different authors. It is impossible for two writers to write the same text word for word or full stop for full stop. Even non-fiction books written on the same subject by more than one author, express a different point of view. Recognised facts are challenged because everyone is entitled to an opinion. Some people still accept that the earth is flat.

We believe that no two self help organisational groups are the same. Some argue that organisations suppress the individual's quest for individuality within the group. The group imposes a set of rules to facilitate a common experience for all members. I have heard it said that an organisation is just the first step up on the stairway to knowing yourself.

The more you understand about yourself, the more relaxed you become. You may have found an organisation that helps you, but one set of rules that fits all may inhibit your own development. The best advice is to join an organisation where your own individual opinions are accepted and do not attach yourself to a group where you have to change your own thinking to that of the established organisation.

Does this prove my case? In a Sunday paper (March 2006), there was a report of a Benedictine monk who jumped from a second floor balcony to his death. He had devoted his whole life to the Church but after reading a book, it highlighted the uncertainties about his faith. He was tormented.

When individual?s personal development grows outside the organisation?s box, it?s time to move on. The monk had obviously been pulled back inside so often by external pressures that he had reached a place of extreme turmoil. His individual thinking failed to allow him to reach out towards the next step in his development.

The crystal globe of truth rested on the town?s walls for all to see. One day during a gale, it crashed to the ground. The townsfolk stampeded to spot. Several individuals picked up fragments, holding them up to reflect the light.
Each claimed that they had the truth. Maybe there a little bit of the truth scattered in all organisations and in all personal development information. Perhaps no one is the guardian of the whole truth.

So your search may be never ending. Exercise your freedom of choice to permit your own individuality to be recognised within a group and where you may be your own brilliant self. To supplement this quest, self-help information may build into an extensive personal library. I know mine has.

In summary, the organisation to which you belong must be compatible to your own individual opinions. You should find the truth no matter who holds it, but you have to be an individual to enjoy this freedom of thinking.