There are many ways to develop. One approach is to go through the stages of exploration, enlightenment and evolution. It is then to apply the knowledge in a way that helps you or other people to develop.
Imagine that you want to follow this approach in your own way. If appropriate, you may want to focus on the following themes.
Exploration
Looking ahead, can you think of a specific activity that you would like to explore? You may want to learn about a topic, improve a skill, develop your career, help other people or focus on another activity.
How can you explore the activity? You will have your own approach to gathering information, seeing the big picture and making connections. Bearing this in mind, much will depend on your preferred learning style.
You may like to read, surf the web or do other things to gather information. You may then like to pause and start to make sense of what you have learned. It may be important to see big picture and begin to make connections.
You may prefer to learn by immersing yourself in actual experiences. If you want to pursue a career in healthcare, for example, you may do volunteer work in clinics, hospitals, mental health facilities, hospices or other places. This can help to clarify the path you want to follow.
Imagine that you have taken your own route to exploring a particular activity. It may then be time to move on to the next stage.
Enlightenment
There are several definitions for the word enlightenment. Here we are using it in the sense of understanding information and making a creative breakthrough.
People do different things to increase the likelihood of such Eureka moments. Some may rest and reflect. Some may go for a walk, potter around or do something where they can let their mind wander.
Whatever route you take, such moments may involve two things. You may begin to understand: a) how things fit together; b) how you can use this information to shape the future. The next step will be to translate this into action.
Different people explain their enlightening experiences in different ways. These include the following descriptions.
“I saw the big picture … I saw how things were connected … I began to see patterns … Things fell into place … I understood what was happening … I saw how things could work … I made a creative breakthrough … I found a solution to the problem … I saw a positive way forwards.”
Imagine that you have gathered information about a specific activity. You have made sense of this information, made a creative breakthrough and seen the possible ways forwards. It may then be time to move on to the next stage.
Evolution
Some people simply like to gather knowledge for its own sake. Some also want to use it to develop. They want to apply the learning to evolve, be effective and, in some cases, deliver excellence.
Imagine that you have explored a particular activity. You may also have experienced enlightenment or some other forms of learning. How do you want to use the information?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this topic. This invites you to focus on the following themes.
The Activity. Describe the specific activity you explored.
The Awareness. Describe the specific things you learned or relearned when exploring the activity.
The Application. Describe the specific things you can do to apply what you learned in a way that helps yourself or other people to develop.
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