“The decisions you make today will determine the stories you tell tomorrow.” — Craig Groeschel
If you’ve been around me enough, or read into many of my blogs, I love to talk about intentionality. In fact, intentionality was my word of the year for the last two years. I wanted to be intentional about being intentional. Being intentional in our daily lives about EVERYTHING that is important to us. This includes our personal growth. Ironically, you have to be intentional in wanting to grow in your leadership and every area of your life.
The first year that I started to engage in intentional personal growth, I discovered by the end of that year that it was going to be a lifetime process. During that year, the question in my mind changed from “How long is this whole growth thing going to take?” to “How far can I go?” I was faced with some pretty severe leadership calamities, and thought I was doing everything right, but kept getting knocked right back with each forward push. Little did I know that I was just being molded into a stronger version of myself. Those same questions as you are focusing on growing yourself should be the same things you should be asking yourself right now – not that you will be able to fully answer it. I started this personal growth journey about 5 years ago, and I still haven’t answered it. But I now know and have clarity on the direction I want to take my life and my leadership.
Here is what I am learning about self-growth. You grow by investing in yourself, making yourself the best you can be. The more you’ve got to work with, the greater your potential – and the farther you should try to go. Give growing your best so you can become your best! The greatest danger you can face today is the idea that you will make intentional growth a priority later on in life. Don’t fall into that trap! Later, as in “I’ll do it later.” Or, “Later, I’ll have time to read that leadership book.” Or, “I’ll worry about my health later – I’m still young!”
“Later” is one of those goal and growth killers. I can’t stress that enough. It is one of the countless obstacles we put up to derail our chances of success. The pursuit of the life we want for ourselves and our families that begins “someday” combined with other self-imposed roadblocks that locks us on “mediocrity” autopilot. Why do we do this to ourselves, anyway? Why don’t we take action now? Let’s face it: The familiar is easy, we are creatures of habit, and the uncharted path is lined with uncertainties and freaks us out!
People tend to get into ruts in life. They get in an easy groove, and they don’t try to break out if it – even when it’s taking them in the wrong direction. After a while, they are ok with getting by with just getting by. If they learn something new, it’s because of some happy accident. Please, my amigos don’t let that happen to you! If that is the attitude you’ve developed, then you would do well to remember that the only difference between a rut and a grave is the length! I’ll say that again, the only difference between a rut and a grave is the distance!
If you want to reach your potential and become the person you were created by God to be, you must do much more than just simply experiencing life and hoping that you learn what you need along the way. You must go out of your way to seize growth opportunities as if your future depended on it. Why? Because it does. Growth doesn’t just happen – It doesn’t for me, not for you, not for anybody. You have to go after it!