The disciplined pursuit of personal development
In an interview with Jerry Seinfeld, when asked how many hours he spent working on his craft, he said, “That’s like asking God how long it takes to grow an oak tree". He continues, “All the time. That’s what I'm doing all the time, growing trees. It’s not 5 hours or 10 hours. My whole life, that’s what I’m doing.”
Hearing these words spoken resonated deeply with me. Frequently I am asked, "how long did it take you to complete X program, or X schooling". But for me, its not about the completion times as this study of life and therapy is what I am doing all the time. Its not a weekend hobby, its not an "enjoyable pass-time", it's not a yearly quota of learning techniques but rather a lifelong journey in which I have chosen to do just that, dedicate my life to it, my whole life in time. It's not 5 hours or 10 hours, my entire life is called to the journey of living and breathing these things I hold dearly to my heart.
Crafting my craft is my oak tree growth. And it doesn't end till the day I die. So there is no "hours it took me" to get where I am and no "hours it will take" to get where I am going. I am on the path and that is what is most essential to me. This is who I am. Unapologetically.
Standing in ones values is the path to freedom and I whole heartedly believe that.
If this resonates for you, I would love to hear your experience and if it does not, that is also alright. It is not for me to judge the unique realities of others. With grace and compassion we may all share space in this field while honouring individual perspectives.
Comments