What Growth Feels LikešŖ
A Reflection On: Expansive Growth
Hereās an almost word-for-word conversation that my wife and I had this week. For me, it encapsulates what personal growth feels like.
āI just didnāt think weād be grappling with how to buy a house at this stage of our livesā.
āā¦ no, we arenāt grappling with how to buy a house, weāre grappling with how to buy acreage - and thatās a very different thingā.
You see, growth is a funny thing. Itās insidious. It happens without us realising it while weāve got our head down in our work.
When youāre actively growing - youāre looking forward. Youāre seeing whatās limiting you today, not the limits youāve already broken through. Youāre reaching for something thatās still not in reach, not what youāve already conquered. Thereās simply no motivation in whatās already done (at least for meā¦), the excitement is in whatās not yet done.
The excitement is in what could be.
Thanks to the endless stream of inspirational social media posts, we know what personal growth looks like. Itās messy, not linear. (This viral video of Yoann Bourgeois trying to climb a flight of stairs demonstrates it well.)
And thanks to Carol Dweckās popularisation of the āgrowth mindsetā, we know how those that are growing think. (Hereās a 10min crash course on it from Carol Dweck herself.) In short - rather than viewing failure as an absolute (āI failedā), itās more useful to view it as part of a longer journey (āIām not there yetā).
Maybe its time we add to those insights an understanding of what personal growth feels like. Itās hard, uncomfortable, confronting and often overwhelming.
Throughout my career there have been many times where Iād lay in bed and itās like someone has taken an egg beater to my brain. I can almost feel the neural pathways being made.
Understanding this discomfort is crucial for us as change leaders - because growth is what we live and breathe every day. Forward. Onwards. Into discomfort.
Just make sure you do so with compassion for both yourself and others in your stead.
And A Quick Note: On āTransformationā
The term transformation implies an end state.
Yet, for many businesses there is no end - just now, and where you want to go next.
A surprise Thursday newsletter drop this week. See you next week, and as always - show the algorithm overlords that this is valuable by hitting like and dropping a comment.
In the meantime keep growing (just be kind to yourself and others on the way).
BB