Why practice is more important than theory
"In theory, there is no difference between practice and theory. In practice, there is."
- Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut
If you read and talk about personal development too much, then it will start to become a mysterious abstraction. The more you try to intelligentize it, the farther your goal is.
That's why you should think of your personal development as a "practice-based philosophy." The essence of the theme of "personal development" requires you to put your values, beliefs and ideas into practice. Action is the primary requirement. Without action, you are in a place where you are personally stagnant.
Have you heard of "keyboard jockey"? Keyboard jockeys are people who spend more time typing on their computers to do something than actually do it in the real world. This term was originally popular in the Pick-Up Artist [PUA] community.
Whether you agree to the PUA or not, they are all right. They understand that in order to learn something, or to learn better, you need to get out of the "field" and practice it.
Michael Jordan did not become a professional basketball player by reading books about basketball. Gary Vaynerchuk did not become a wine expert by reading books about wine. Moreover, Style did not become a pickup artist by reading books about temptation.
- Nothing can replace practice and personal experience.
So what happens when we don't practice and theorize?
Analysis
In fact, we started to consider a situation very much We actually prohibit ourselves from taking action. We had an idea for the new business, and the next day we thought of two or three other possibilities. In the end, our list is constantly piled up, but we have never implemented any of them.
The flaws caused by analysis are especially common in today's world because we have a lot of damn choices. There are a lot of different foods to eat, girls everywhere, careers to choose, places to watch, music and more. Sometimes we have many possibilities, we don't know where to start. So we don't do anything. The number of our choices makes us so overwhelmed that we would rather not make a decision. Perhaps it is because the "opportunity cost" of missing all these decisions is too much for us.
The more we reflect on our choices, the more likely we are to analyze through analysis. This is a very obvious way, too much theoreticalization will greatly inhibit our personal development.
As we begin to work toward them, the goals become clearer and more vivid.
Before we try it, we often don't know what we want [not to mention how to get it]. This is why it is so beneficial to try a new experience. Of course, we may have some tough times, but this will only give us a better understanding of what we want and we don't want to leave life.
Sometimes it's best to let bad things happen, not to maintain theorization and worry in your mind. You may find:
- It is not as bad as you think.
- You can gain experience and learn from it in a way that you never thought of.
- You build resilience - "Doing things that don't kill you tend to make you stronger."
- You can get a deeper understanding of your preferences and values.
Now, I am not saying that we should act unscrupulously without any caution, but I do think that what we are worried about is often more harmless than what we do.
Faith should be practical and flexible.
"The truth is useful."
- William James
Faith has value only in its actual value. You can replace the universe and multiple gods in the way you want, but if you can't get the truth and it doesn't matter how you act every day, it shouldn't matter [at least not from the individual] development prospects].
Of course, it may be interesting to consider all of these unknowns, and it may even make us a more critical thinker, but if these problems start to take too much effort and time, then it's best to refocus on more practical issues. Focus on the ideas that bring you results and ignore abstractions that are usually irrelevant.
I remember earlier I consciously pursued personal development. I began to fall in love with Buddhism, Eastern philosophy, enlightenment, and seek "absolute truth" about reality and the nature of consciousness.
I will go to my university library and come up with a variety of books, not including astral projections, afterlife, supernatural activities, spiritual philosophy, and so on. It was a long and boring journey, and no results came from it. I eventually had to give up the pursuit and accept the fact that there are things that I don't know and can't know. These things are not worthy of the past.
Since then, it feels like a weight has been lifted from the shoulder. Being able to accept that you "don't know or know" is one of the freest feelings in the world.
This is also the best reason to keep your beliefs flexible. It is quite presumptuous to think that you can discover [and solve] some beliefs and principles and follow them through your life. The universe is too complicated, human beings are too easy for us to make mistakes, and we cannot base all our decisions on static principles.
This is not to say that we should abandon all the principles and values, but it is important that they are not bound by them when they are no longer applicable. This is an important idea behind the practical foundation and theoretical foundation.
You can use it as a general principle of "do not kill others", but if you find yourself in a situation where someone attacks you, then you may be willing to defend yourself and kill them. Similarly, in some cases, I can't even imagine that I might need to compromise, adjust or abandon certain values based on the situation.
I want to finish, I believe that choosing practice rather than theory will give us more possibilities and more freedom. Full adherence to our principles makes us stubborn and narrow. But giving us the flexibility and freedom to adapt to our surroundings allows us to navigate more effectively throughout life.
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