Resources referenced in The Journeyman Life; the Not-So-Perfect Path to a Life Well Lived

From Psychology Today: Understanding the 5 Stages of Adult Development

On occasion, I will be posting thought related to our Journeys to find a life well lived on Psychology Today.


Learning about the stages of adult development has given me great perspective on knowing myself and what actions I need to take to improve and get to the next level. I’m hoping you will find this research useful as well.

Dr. Robert Kegan, a Harvard psychologist, has been the preeminent researcher in this field. His thesis holds that developing as an adult is not about learning new things or adding things to the container of the mind. It is about personal transformation, changing the manner in which we know and view the world. Instead of changing the contents of the mind, it is akin to changing the actual container.

That transformation is metaphorically a Copernican shift, realizing that the Earth is—or you are—not at the center of our solar system, but the sun is at the center. When we realize this, nothing really changes, but rather our entire conception and perception of the world transforms.

We experience this often in life. I remember moving back to a town I’d lived in earlier in life and found the people to be so much more friendly. But I was the one who had changed! Only through transformation can we truly move from one stage of human development to a higher stage.

Most of the time, we are in transition between stages, and we behave a bit differently with different people in our lives. The goal is to know where we are, what behavior looks like at that stage, where it comes from, and how it is serving us and others—the impact. When we know those elements, and we have motivation, clarity, and focus, we can deliberately work to change ourselves at the belief, thought, and feeling levels.

Continue ReadingFrom Psychology Today: Understanding the 5 Stages of Adult Development

Tony’s Prayer

In The Journeyman Life, I talk about the benefits of a mindfulness practice on self-awareness and intention. An important part of this daily practice includes mediation and intention setting! The following is an intention prayer that I focus on daily in that time that I take for myself, to recenter, recharge, and be available to connect with the day ahead of me.

“May I be full of loving kindness, may I be well, may I be peaceful and at ease, may I be happy.

I commit myself to the will of God, I give my heart and soul to God, I deserve the best in life, I serve the highest cause in life, I am a divine manifestation of God’s will.

In my mind, heart, and soul, I am filled with a belief and hope in the unlimited potential of myself and all other people.

I am having a positive influence in the world, one thought, one action, one person at a time, by deeply knowing and reflecting God’s infinite love and light always.

Dear Lord God of the Universe, Divine Mother, Christ, Krishna, Babaji, Lao Tsu, Yogananda, Saint Anthony, Dad, brothers John and Joseph, and all the great Saints, I bow at the alter of thy devotion, please bring your light, love and positive energy.”

monk meditating
Continue ReadingTony’s Prayer