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★Self Improvement Is Masturbation

The movie ‘Fight Club’ is quite possibly the best movie ever to come out of Hollywood. A bold statement, and because the movie is so frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted, probably a fairly unpopular statement too.

Fight Club is one of the few films I have watched more than once. Usually I can’t stand knowing what is going to happen next, but I have seen Fight Club probably near one hundred times, and every time I watch it, even though I can practically quote it word for word, I learn something new.

One quote that I had never fully understood was ‘Self Improvement is masturbation, self destruction is the answer’. Of course, it works well with Tyler’s vision for the future, and fits in with the rest of the movie, but everything else in the movie seemed ambiguous and applicable elsewhere in life if it was taken in the right way. This statement didn’t quite work like that until the other day when it finally made sense to me.

What Tyler is saying is that society has instilled some values in most people that are way off the mark. They aren’t doing anyone any good. You can use affirmations and other self help tools to help you progress, but basically you are building a sky scraper on a plot of land originally designed for a tin shack.

What of self destruction? It sounds very negative, and counter productive. It goes against what a lot of self help books recommend, but some times it might be the best thing to do. The way I see it, the further you have ‘progressed’ the harder this is going to be, so the sooner you take a look at yourself and consider your core values, and how they are helping you, holding you back, or will hinder your progress in the future, the easier it will be to back track, dig deep and really uproot yourself until you get it sorted.

This isn’t to say that everyone needs to strip themselves back to the bare essentials and work their way back up. But in some cases, it might be the best thing. Think of it like putting band aids and sticky tape on top of a massive open wound. If you ripped off all the self improvement hacks and started again you could really tackle the foundations of your self, and build a base that will last you the rest of your life.

I liken it to something Wayne Dyer says about people working in a job that a naive fourteen year old decided was a good idea. Obviously though, this affects your entire life on all levels, it isn’t just a choice of a career. It is the core values that you adopted or where indoctrinated into that are now dictating your every decision.

Don’t take this article, or the Fight Club quote the wrong way. Self improvement is incredibly important, it isn’t just playing with yourself, as this quote seemingly implies at first glance. Affirmations and other self help utilities are more than just toys, they are tools that help you be the person you want to be, to get where you want to go.

What I am saying is that your core values dictate your direction. If your core values are not in line with your goals, it doesn’t matter how close you seem to get, you are always on the wrong track. You might have to go back to the station to get on another train.

I hope I got the point across in this article, if I didn’t please let me know! You can get in touch with me via the feedback form on bmindful.

This post was converted automatically from the old bmindful article archive. Some of the mentioned links or references may no longer exist.

“How easy it is in our life, to miss what’s being offered.” — Paul Haller

Lee this post was great. It reiterates what I have been reading in The Vortex by Jerry and Ester Hicks. I have just finished posting about it in another thread. I think the Universe is trying to tell me somthing. Better listen up. ;->

I’m not a big Fight Club fan, but I have heard people mention how self-help can take a shallow approach to life. I’m quoting Franklin Covey a bit here. But success literature used to be more foundational, presenting concepts on a realistic paradigm, than on finding the magic action to get what you want. For example: In a company, if you consider the value of people and their abilities, their willingness to follow through, then you recognize assets that go beyond quarterly profits. Valuing people is foundational. Valuing money alone is like valuing the golden eggs, but not the geese that lay them.

Speaking more directly to self-help. In our efforts to adjust to the world, to move through it in a more productive way, it is useful to look at the long run. We all have things that we want. But those wants might change over time. If we empower our inner character. Concentrate on developing the traits of cooperation, friendship, planning, resilience, and so on, we would be creating the “ground up” changes that will give us greater control over our lives in the long run. :) It’s always a good idea to pause and evaluate where you are placing your efforts.

I GUESS WHAT I HAVE TO SAY,PERSPECTIVE IS SOMETIMES THE THING THAT CAN HELP WHEN NOTHING ELSE DOES.IN OTHER WORDS I,M PROBABLY DOING WHAT I SHOULD IF I,M OBSERVING MY OWN INVENTORY, RATHER THAN SOMEONE ELSES.AND ALSO REMEMBER TO BE GENTLE WITH MYSELF.I THINK I SPENT MANY YEARS BEING CRITICAL OF ME,UNTIL A COUNSELLER POINTED THAT OUT TO ME.SHE WAITED UNTIL I WAS SEEING HER FOR A COUPLE YEARS,IF SHE WOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT EARLIER I MIGHT HAVE NOT NEEDED THERAPY AS MUCH.WHO AM I KIDDING SHE WAS SMOKING HOT.LIKE JULIA ROBERTS HOT,JUST ONE OF LIFES LESSONS.DON,T PICK A THERAPIST OR COUNSELLER THAT YOU MIGHT FALL IN LOVE WITH.

“To boldly and or vulnerably go where no one has gone before”

The fight club movie is so nice. You Look so gorgeous after Masturbation.,,

another movie added to my must see list :)

When I first read this post I had thought and it won’t let go of me so I came back to add it here.

Self masturbation = ego / love of self , a preoccupation with edifying and improving upon oneself and hoping others notice.

The answer = destruction of that ego , from a christian perspective “death of the flesh , putting off of the old man being born a new man in Christ “ etc.

No matter what ones spiritual preference is , or is not , I find that the first words often used to describe their belief or practice are ones of peace and love toward others.

When we are giving and doing as we should , and we do it faithfully , the improvement should be noticed by others.

Perhaps when one seeks to improve self , the first lesson to be taught should be ~ You cannot improve yourself until you have first destroyed yourself.

Start with a clean slate. Or as Lee said in another post “ face everything with a beginners mind “.

Still have to see the movie one day :)

Dr. Brian Martin is one of the renowned motivational writers of the world. Brian Martin is a person who has a lifetime of learning experiences that have transcended into a lifetime of success, which he now wants to share with others.

Read more:- Brian Martin

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