J. G. Bennett, Mathematician and follower of the Gurdjieff teachings wrote about development, of which is part of my work. These four sources assume one has a core or essential self that includes ego while also transcends it:

1. Learning - from books - known traditionally as secondary sources of knowledge. Primary sources were the authors that wrote the books. But that is no longer true. Learning from Teachers and Masters in an oral tradition was considered learning from a primary source. Taking what is learned and testing it against what the core self already knows can advance learning up against its limits.

2. Struggle - attentive struggle is a battle between "yes" and "no". We complete many struggles everyday - those are the easy ones. The effective struggles are pitting oneself against the difficult obstacles and creating energy through the act of the struggle.

3. Sacrifice - is using Higher Will as it flows through us to release an ego attachment in the moment.

4. Help - asking for help from another person. Or asking for help from God or Spirit but without expecting a result. Making space for a result to happen and then releasing the expectation that help will come.

From Bennett's Book: "Transformation"