The Misnomer of Self-Improvement
The most successful efforts to self-improve have interdependence at its core.
I mentioned in a previous article, “Social alchemy: Making the ordinary extraordinary,” that interdependence is a source of strength and survival for any community, and no one accomplishes anything of greatness without the help of other people. Interdependence is necessary for success, both personally and professionally and social networks are powerful vehicles for creating value by collaboration and cooperation for every member of the network.
We cannot accomplish effective self-improvement by ourselves. We need candid yet compassionate feedback to improve "self" and achieve our fullest potential. “Human beings are infamously bad observers of our own reality. Our ability to calibrate where we are effective, or not, and which talents are worthy of investment, or not, requires the eyes and insights of those best positioned to help decide — those on the receiving end of our behavior” (Carucci). Not only do we have limited visibility to identify these items on our own, but we have limited willpower to change them. We need to participate in a community that is "a safe place to discuss setbacks on development efforts, celebrate progress, get advice on new approaches, and challenge each other when commitment wanes. Knowing that someone is going to ask you about commitments you’ve made creates a level of accountability that raises the ante on following through" (Carucci).
It requires trust, effort and generosity to participate in a social network community focused on self-improvement, but it is a powerful way to enrich you and your social network. Including others with a shared interest for self-improvement means you increase the odds of your success and, in turn, help them increase the odds of theirs. Self-improvement requires interdependence and your participation in a self-improvement community is one way to be generous and transform your social network from ordinary to extraordinary.
Inspired by: “Why Self-Improvement Should Be a Group Activity” by Ron Carucci