Personal Development Answers

When you are in search of personal development, it is natural to read books, watch videos, try to find gurus to follow, put a lot of focus on learning more to add to your happiness and reduce any suffering. We look everywhere for the answer to questions like the meaning and purpose of our life and how to be happy. This is normal and natural.

There is, however, some words of wisdom that you might want to consider. And here it is: There is no Answer to Life!

We run around trying to find the answer to life. We believe that if we can just find the answer, we'll be happy and whole and complete. We'll be rich and successful and loved. Let's say we find an answer, like Buddha's "grasping is the cause of all suffering." Then we work hard to kill desire within ourselves.

It is then human nature to make detachment and non-grasping the answer to all life's problems. But it doesn't work in that way. They are the not the entire answer to life. There are just partial answers.

Not understanding this, you can spend months trying to overcome desire and grasping within yourself. You will grasp after not grasping! Then, when you finally figure out that that doesn't work, you will give that up. "I guess that Buddha didn't have the answer after all..." Then you will start looking all around for another answer.

This pattern occurs over and over in our lives. We think love is the answer. Or spirituality. Or financial success. Then we work hard to have more love or holiness or money in our lives. Only to find it doesn't end up making us live happily ever after.

Here's the short of it. Any answer you find to make your life better can only be partial. It cant be the complete answer. Loving may be a great answer for you, for a while. So sure, work on being more loving. But don't try to make love the answer to life. Don't burden love with your hopes and needs to feel better about yourself.

Understand that any answers you find to living a successful and happy life will only be partial and temporary. What you can do that is powerful is begin to let go of needing an Answer. Get more comfortable not having answers. Live more into the question. Obviously, this is a deep subject, but just this can be a great start.

Action Step:

Notice how much you want there to be AN ANSWER to the challenges of life. Notice how much you want solutions that take care of as many problems as possible.

See if you can give up needing an answer so much. Try it out for a few days.

self development