Non-Supernatural Personal Development
February 28, 2021 4:53 PM Subscribe
What are the best personal development resources that do not assume a belief in the supernatural - no god(s), no spirits, no invisible "energy," no "woo."
Mindfulness in Plain English is one of the very few personal development publications I've encountered that doesn't boil down to some charismatic glad-handing fuck using a slick pitch to sell you, at vast expense, a scant few tiny nuggets of something useful and actionable thoroughly buried in a bucketload of self-glorifying horseshit.
Woo, in the 21st century, is more likely to clothe itself in a sharp suit and a Rolex than in crystals and incense, and "market forces" are as good an example of invisible "energy" as any you'll find.
posted by flabdablet at 5:18 PM on February 28, 2021 [11 favorites]
Woo, in the 21st century, is more likely to clothe itself in a sharp suit and a Rolex than in crystals and incense, and "market forces" are as good an example of invisible "energy" as any you'll find.
posted by flabdablet at 5:18 PM on February 28, 2021 [11 favorites]
I have done some of the work from Designing Your Life and found it really helpful and woo-free. You might also check out Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit.
posted by brookeb at 5:27 PM on February 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by brookeb at 5:27 PM on February 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
Yeah, mindfulness is a good keyword for what it sounds like you're looking for. It's basically a psychological / philosophical approach that emphasizes things like learning to be in the moment (rather than being stuck in feelings of fear or anxiety about the future, or sorrow, anger or regret about the past); being able to notice one's emotions and feelings without being taken over by them; attending to one's body and how one experiences the world in this moment. It's rooted in Buddhist ideas to some extent but is very much an evidence-based practice as well.
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:27 PM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:27 PM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Cal Newport "Make Yourself Useful"
posted by at at 5:50 PM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by at at 5:50 PM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Stoicism is worth a look: The Subtle art of Not giving a f*ck. also
The Guide to a Good Life.
Principled Centred Leadership. Essential to understanding how proper personal development tightly winds its way into relationships, groups and organizations.
Meditation for the Fidgety Skeptic. Nuts and bolts manual on how to start this valuable (but often misunderstood) mental well-being practice.
posted by storybored at 6:00 PM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
The Guide to a Good Life.
Principled Centred Leadership. Essential to understanding how proper personal development tightly winds its way into relationships, groups and organizations.
Meditation for the Fidgety Skeptic. Nuts and bolts manual on how to start this valuable (but often misunderstood) mental well-being practice.
posted by storybored at 6:00 PM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
I found Atomic Habits to be articulated very clearly and in a way that lends itself well to applying its ideas to any area one wants.
posted by teremala at 6:06 PM on February 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by teremala at 6:06 PM on February 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
For life-skills development: Unf-ck Your Habitat
For social development and "mindfulness": the Protocol for Relaxation is for training dogs, but like any great dog-training resource it really is about training you.
For the brains! MDN learning pathway taught my brain that it likes to solve problems and that confusion leads to breakthroughs.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:43 AM on March 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
For social development and "mindfulness": the Protocol for Relaxation is for training dogs, but like any great dog-training resource it really is about training you.
For the brains! MDN learning pathway taught my brain that it likes to solve problems and that confusion leads to breakthroughs.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:43 AM on March 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
The appropriately named Personal Development School (website) and the YouTube channel.
The focus is on attachment theories but also includes courses about co-dependency, personal goals, anxiety, trauma, depression, improving self-esteem among other things.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 10:01 AM on March 1, 2021
The focus is on attachment theories but also includes courses about co-dependency, personal goals, anxiety, trauma, depression, improving self-esteem among other things.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 10:01 AM on March 1, 2021
I really recommend Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine. It's a book based on Stoic principles by an atheist about how to live the happiest life possible.
posted by guster4lovers at 4:16 PM on March 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by guster4lovers at 4:16 PM on March 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
If you are female—or just parts I think if you are not—Burnout by the Nagoski sisters (Emily of internet-favorite Come as You Are) is really good, particularly the parts about completing the stress response cycle.
posted by emkelley at 7:59 AM on March 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by emkelley at 7:59 AM on March 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
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I don't have much/any separation between career and personal so YMMD but:
Anything by Dan Pink - about the only US author I read on business as he doesn't immediately start praising a capitalist god; Sue Knight (mainly NLP and asking deep questions of anything).
Spending serious distraction-free time alone, preferably travelling with no phone.
posted by unearthed at 5:11 PM on February 28, 2021