Below is a lesson from Mindvalley on proactive personal growth through insight (Satori) to minimize the need for painful, reactive growth experiences (Kensho), as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

Vishen

Key Learnings:

• Two Paths to Growth: 

  • Kensho: Growth through pain, adversity, and difficult experiences (e.g., job loss, relationship breakup, illness). These are "wake-up calls" that force change and adaptation.

  • Satori: Growth through sudden insight, awareness, and "aha!" moments (e.g., during meditation, learning, or profound experiences).

• The Universe's Role: The universe (or a higher power) nudges us toward growth. If we aren't actively seeking growth through learning and self-reflection (Satori), the universe might deliver "tough love" in the form of painful Kensho moments to push us forward. Kensho is not random, but a way for our soul to awaken us.

• The Power of Listening: The central idea is that actively engaging in personal growth reduces the need for painful Kensho moments. By being proactive and listening to our intuition and inner wisdom, we can experience more Satori moments and guide our growth more intentionally.

• Shifting from Kensho to Satori: Actionable steps to shift from a reactive (Kensho-driven) to a proactive (Satori-driven) approach to growth:

  1. Daily Meditation Practice: Create stillness to allow insights.

  2. Continuous Learning: Seek new knowledge and perspectives.

  3. Self-Reflection: Process challenges before they become crises.

  4. Engage in Personal Growth Programs: Actively upgrade your mind.

• Embracing Challenges: Even when Kensho moments occur, embrace them as opportunities for growth and understanding that these challenges are happening "for" you, not "to" you. They are transitions that allow you to level up.

•  The Lifeline Exercise: A practical exercise to map your life's growth, identify Kensho and Satori moments, and reflect on the lessons learned. This exercise helps reveal patterns in your growth journey. This exercise increases self-awareness, resilience, and provides a roadmap for future growth. Use different colors for different moments, add notes, and be honest. Regularly review the lifeline to continue your growth.

1. Draw a graph: X-axis = time (past 10-20 years), Y-axis = quality of life.

2. Plot key moments:

   • Kensho (painful): Dips in your graph.

   • Satori (insightful): Peaks in your graph.

3. Connect the dots.

4. Reflect: What patterns do you see? What lessons did you learn?

• In essence, take an active role in your personal growth journey. By seeking insight and learning, we can minimize the need for painful experiences to instigate change and live a more purposeful life.