The Importance of Personal Growth

I believe in personal growth. I believe in being intentional about getting better at what I do in life, in education, in leadership. I am personally committed to growing and developing and improving my practice. I want to get the most out of every day, every experience, every interaction.

Sadly, too often I meet people who have not had multiple years of experience, they’ve had one year of experience multiple times. They have not developed in their profession, they haven’t invested the time to get better at what they do, and they haven’t allowed their thinking to be stimulated and challenged. In short, they haven’t grown. They haven’t developed.

Perhaps you have similar challenges: your time is spent trying to get through the day (not get from the day), you are constantly trying to tackle paperwork, and you are desperately trying to reclaim your time in an increasingly busy world.

Here’s 3 reasons why you must grow (and make time for it):

1. If something’s not growing, it’s dying.

As soon as we stop growing and developing, we stop living to our full potential. We keep doing things in the same old way, with no room to embrace new thinking or new ideas. If you really want to have an impact in what you do, you must decide to grow. As soon as you stop growing, you stop moving forward.

2. Stagnation stinks.

I remember walking across a bridge over a creek one day and I was taken aback by the smell. This creek had stopped flowing and was stagnant. There was nothing appealing about this stinky, stagnant creek. In fact the lack of growth was repelling. The same applies in our own lives. Standing still and not allowing your skills and behaviours to be challenged and developed results in stagnation. And there’s nothing attractive about a stagnant person.

3. Growth is attractive.

In contrast, growth is incredibly attractive. Have you ever watched seeds burst into life? Have you ever seen a rose bud bloom and grow? It’s inspiring. It’s captivating. It’s energizing. A person who is engaged in personal growth and allowing themselves to develop and mature is a person who is incredibly attractive and whose influence extends far further.

This week’s assignment:

Simple: make a choice to be a person who intentionally decides to grow. A person who is open to new ideas, who engages in professional development in a way that works for them.

Enjoy the journey,

And more importantly,

Enjoy the moments.

🙂

Megan

P.S. Next week, I’m going to be sharing my favourite ways of growing personally including some of my favourite blogs, books and podcasts. Stay tuned.

QUESTION: Do you work with someone who is stagnant and not growing? What do you find most challenging about them? I’d love to hear your comments here.