I've always had an interest in self- development and finding ways to improve myself. YouTube has been my main source for motivational speakers, psychologists and just YouTubers talking about their experiences and giving life advice. Besides this, I have also bought many books and gone to see speakers live.
A month and a half ago I enrolled onto a 12- week course that focuses on subjects that are key to success such as integrity and priorities. We also learn how to cultivate a purposeful life through intentional living- taking action on your dreams and aspirations.
At one point, I started to wonder whether all that I was doing was really helping me or if I was pursuing all this because of the demand of modern society and social media. Yes, I want to be the greatest version of myself, be successful, live the life I constantly dream about, but maybe if it wasn't for these 2 main factors, I wouldn't have put so much pressure on myself to wish to be so perfect.
I was thinking, it's in our human nature to reach full personal potential. There' a lot more being asked of us because the world we live in is constantly evolving. We've come such a long way with our knowledge, innovative ideas and breakthroughs it seems only right to build on your skills since competition is at an all time high.
Then I thought of my great grandparents who lived such a simple life in the countryside and found happiness in just that- simplicity and family.
I believe it all comes down to one question. Am I doing this because I truly want to change myself and have an impact on this world or because I need to prove something to people and show off?
In the beginning, I wanted to look only at the good and bad effects of self- help since I myself, have experienced first hand this double edged sword. I am still doing this but I took the angle of looking at Millennials and the effects of self- development on them in a hypermediated world. My focus on Millennials came when I found out that this generation, which I am also part of, drives the growth of the self- help industry forward. As research points out, this is because millennials have a higher value on health and are more emotionally intelligent. Social media also plays a big part in this too.
Before my pitch, I consulted one of my lecturers about my MMP ideas and we talked through each one individually. As we came to this current idea I'm working on now, he asked me if I believe Millennials are too self- absorbed in pursuing perfection through personal development because it wasn't as emphasized in his generation. It got me thinking and from there, I spoke to several family members and friends about it and developed the idea further.
I then knew, this is a big and trendy topic I would love to explore further.
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