Self-development is extremely important to the spiritual path. 

But where is the line between self-development and selfishness?

It comes down to motive and the impact on others. 

If your motive for developing yourself is so that you can have more powers and just use these for your own personal gain or enjoyment, that would be selfish. 

But if your motive is to become more powerful so that you can help others more, that is selfless.

In The Nine Freedoms, Mars Sector 6 said:

“One person who is rendering true Spiritual SERVICE, not self delusion, but true Spiritual SERVICE to those who need it, is worth ten who retreat from the suffering of others in order to bring about a state of joy and peace within themselves.”

In his commentary on this quote, Dr. George King explained:

“There are many people who delude themselves into believing that they serve others. There are some people who may think, because they are charitable towards one person who is near and dear to them, that they are giving true Spiritual Service to the world. It is not so. The men and women who are giving Spiritual Service to the world are those who will go out into the by-ways and give Healing, advice and help to complete strangers. The true Spiritual server is he who will charge himself with the great Universal Life Forces and send a stream of magnetic Healing energies to his own enemies! It is not a test of Service to give Healing to those you love. It is a test of true Service to give Healing to those you dislike. This is what the Master means by self delusion.”

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When starting to work actively on my spiritual path, I was not initially interested in self-development. 

I wanted to help the world, but I didn’t want to focus on myself. 

But when I started to perform regular spiritual practices, I felt that I was able to help others better. 

I felt more focused, my concentration was better and I had more energy. 

It’s easy to find excuses not to work on our self-development, but if we can make it a regular habit it will become easier and help us a great deal.

Something you can try

Regardless of the spiritual practices you perform, make sure that you include prayers for the world. This is a great addition to any spiritual practice. 

You’re all charged up with spiritual energy from pranayama, mantra, or some other practice, then you can send it out to the world.