The Zenprovement manifesto

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By John DeVries | May 4, 2008

I can’t say for sure what self-improvement means to you. But I’m willing to guess that essentially, you feel it is to make positive progress on your life, your sense of identity, your virtues, your character, even your goals and dreams; the idea being that making improvements on what you identify as your “self”, will result in a happier, more joy-filled, peaceful life. It is to grow in a way that will allow you to not only build a better life for yourself, but to become a better person.

Improving yourself is certainly a worthwhile pursuit. In fact, I believe it is one of the most significant commitments you can make in life. Your greatest contributions to the world will ultimately rest on the level to which you develop your own character, discipline, skills and abilities. Yet, considering the impermanence of both reality and life itself, even major improvements and achievements gained through your personal growth are temporary. This is why I came up with what I call, “Zenprovement”.

Zenprovement is about pursuing your passions, dreams and goals, not as a quest for happiness, but because you enjoy the challenge. It is to live life in its entirety and fullness, not through the acquisition of things, but by actually experiencing life in every moment. Zenprovement is to embrace change, enjoy the journey both to and away from your dreams, and as a result, find what it is to truly live.

Acceptance, patience and mindfulness

These concepts are where the Zen part of “Zenprovement” comes from.

In each moment that we live, I believe it is most paramount that we take the time to maintain some healthy observance of what is occurring within ourselves. To watch what you think, what you feel, how you speak, and even the motivations behind your actions is to become aware of something deeper within you. This is the essence of mindfulness. If you practice it as often as you can, you’ll be amazed at how illogical some of your thoughts are and how unnecessary many of your emotional disturbances are. You’ll suddenly be aware of the triviality of anger, jealousy, fear, and anxiety. And though you may not at first be capable of stopping those feelings, an awareness of them will significantly reduce their control over your life. By being mindful and accepting each moment of your life just as it is, you will become a far more patient person. Doing all of the above is primarily about changing what is within you - your internal reality, which in turn will change your life.

Primary reality is within

How we experience what occurs around us is largely dictated by what is within us.

“Your internal state is most paramount. If you become overwhelmed by mental discomfort, external things will not help at all. However, if internally there is love, warmth, and kindheartedness, external problems can be accepted and faced more easily.” The Dalai Lama

If you were to have great riches, fame or success, those things would mean nothing to you if within you were tormented, anxious, worried or deeply unhappy. In truth, it is what you have within that dictates the quality of your life. Conversely, you could be enduring horrible circumstances and great pain and still have peace within in you. Primary reality is within. As a result, making positive changes to what is within you not only changes how you view and experience the world, it will make the world a better place both for you and others.

Pursuing your goals, acting on your dreams, and following your bliss

However, Zenprovement isn’t simply about accepting everything that is both within and without. I do not advocate blindly bending to the will of others or resolving to do nothing in the face of unfortunate circumstances. Quite the opposite in fact.

No one has the power to change your life but you. If a difficult situation is to improve, you will be the primary force to make that change. If you have a goal, YOU will be the one to take the actions necessary to achieve it. Yet, instead of pursuing our goals and ambitions desperately, as a way to make life acceptable, I would first suggest that you must first acknowledge that it simply is, as it is. By practicing acceptance you remove the psychological pain associated with unpleasant or unwanted circumstances. You also enable yourself to take action without becoming attached to the outcome.

Living a passionate and purposeful life, the essence of self-improvement

Zen is not about passivity, it is about having peace of mind with all that is within you and around you. And it will help give you the tools to more adequately live the life you set out to live.

“The real purpose of the work of spirituality is to get us to align our personalities with our soul or higher consciousness, so that the work that you do in the world comes from a place of higher consciousness. You use your ego and personality to serve the consciousness that has put you here on earth in the first place. And when you do that, everything has a flow to it… because you are in alignment.” Oprah Winfrey

To me, Zen isn’t necessarily about sitting quietly on top of a mountain. It means continuing to live your life, to pursue your goals and to become a better person. But, you do those things with a higher awareness. You act and pursue self-improvement not out of a need for something, but to fulfill the higher purpose that is within you. It is to become a more conscious person and to align what you do in the world with what is best for not only yourself, but also for those around you. By doing that, I am of the conviction that you will bring to you the resources you require and whatever help you will need to make positive changes in yourself and in the world. And in the process, I believe you will find that living with that new level of awareness will strip you of your burdens from the past and your anxiety towards the future. It will put you in a place where you can truly appreciate your life. You will begin to see each moment just as it is, and you’ll find that for the first time you know what it means to actually be alive.

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