The Importance of Growth
From the time we are born, our lives are filled with growth—physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social. With each level of growth, we develop new skills, talents and giftings that will serve as building blocks for the future growth. There comes a time though when our efforts to grow have to be more deliberate and focused.
There are many postings, articles, journals, books, videos, etc., that focus on how to grow in any number of areas or specialties. Some might think that in order to grow, you have to spend a lot of money on a program, or pay someone to help you grow. The reality is that if a person does not have the right mindset for growth, then all the programs, coaches and money spent on each, are not going to do a bit of good. In order to grow, there needs to be a desire, openness and an intentional effort for it to have a chance of succeeding. Carol Dweck and others have covered in multiple forums the difference between a fixed and growth mindset, and the importance of embracing and developing a growth mindset. Even shifting from fixed to growth takes an intentional effort to make the shift.
In John Maxwell’s recently released book, The Power of Five for Network Marketing, John shares some insight on what it takes to grow. He suggests that growth happens when you are in an environment that is conducive to growth. He describes 10 factors that are indicative of a growth environment. I will share one that stands out to me.
John shares in the first factor, “Others are Ahead of You” that “[w]e all do better when we have better people around us.” This can be a challenge for many people in modern society, since it means that you are perhaps not the best at something, and that can seem threatening to some. Having someone that is more skilled, better prepared or more talented than us is not a bad thing, IF you can put aside the ego and seek to learn. I can think back to when I played sports, when I wanted to improve in a certain area, I would find someone that was better than me and ask them to help me learn through demonstration and then let me practice with some feedback. That process would continue in any number of skills I wanted to improve. When I was a kid, I would play basketball with the older kids, because they were better than me and I would have to up my level of play in order to stay on the court…I learned, often the hard way, and became a better player. I saw that same trait in my son when he played basketball. He wanted to go to the courts to play with adults. I asked why, and he would tell me because he learned from them, often times the hard way, just like his old man. You can apply this same thought process to your workplace or area of specialty. Find someone that has a talent or skill that you want to improve upon. Watch them. Ask them to show you. Let them know you want to learn. Most of the time, people are more than happy to showcase their talents to those that are attentive and want to learn…it feeds the ego and feeds you in the process. John Maxwell applies this principle by going to lunch and meeting with those that are ahead of him. He asks them seven key questions that ultimately help him grow and become better.
So, to embrace and operate in a growth environment, one factor to look for and keep at the forefront of you mind is the need to associate with those that are better than you and ahead of you. Doing so will increase your opportunity for growth, which will benefit those that follow you.
I will share more on Growth and other topics of John Maxwell’s book, The Power of Five for Network Marketing, so be on the lookout on my page for additional postings. Don’t let the title of the book fool you into believing that there is nothing of value inside if you are not in the network marketing circles. There are nuggets that are applicable across the board. If you are interested in the book and want to get ahead on your own study, I encourage you to go to John Maxwell website and get your own copy (https://maxwellpowerof5.com/).
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