Do you have a growth plan for your personal development? ?Is it written, specific and measurable?
Your success as a professional, spouse, parent, leader, politician, pastor, team member – or whatever your role in life may be – does not primarily depend on your technical knowledge and skills or what you learned from school.
My success as a physician and as a human being does not come from my knowledge of medicine.? Of course that knowledge is something I am expected to excel at and an area I take seriously to develop! ? However, what we learn at school, whether it’s medicine or something else, does not lead to success; what we learn in life does!? What we learn at school (or our technical/professional knowledge and skills) will only open the door for us and give us the opportunity to play in the arena of life.? Excelling, I believe, depends on something else.
Our success in life comes from how much we have grown in the areas of character, self-awareness, self-control, thinking, habits, discipline, attitude, emotions, humility and communication (and many, many others).? These are not things we learn from school. ?Yet these are areas that are imperative to a successful life that we should always improve in, regardless of how good we get or how old we are.
It always amazes me and deeply saddens me when I see people not moving forward or even failing in their leadership, marriages, parenting, relationships, team building, etc.
I sometimes approach them trying to see how I can help.? I ask:
?How many books have your read in this area?? ?They quietly answer, ?None.?
?Seminars?? ??None.?
?Mentors?? ??None.?
?Coaches?? ??None.?
?Recorded Lectures??? ?None.?
They cry and weep. ?They get frustrated, lose hope and sometimes simply give up.
Whatever problem you are experiencing, someone has likely gone through it before you. ?The solution is probably written in a book or recorded in a lecture. ?Someone out there can take you to the next level?and it is the ?next level? that we should all be striving to achieve!
But you have to be proactive.? You have to be intentional.? As the Bible says, you have to ?ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.?
Too many of us are weeping and not seeking.? Talking and not knocking. ?Gasping and not asking!
If you want to be more effective, more productive, more loving, more patient, a better spouse, parent, boss, employee, entrepreneur, or leader?
You have to grow, grow, grow! ?Grow daily, grow creatively, grow continually!
In December, I develop my growth plan for the approaching year.? If you are wondering what a growth plan looks like, check out the next few blogs.
I am also working with my team members on their growth plans because their personal growth and development is important to me – and to the team.
If you are on my team, growth is not optional.? And passive growth is not acceptable.? Personal development has to be planned and must be executed with discipline.? We simply cannot move forward as a team or organization if individually we are standing still.
Walk with me to develop a growth plan for 2013!
(continue reading – Part 2: Book Reading, Part 3: Additional Reading, Part 4😕 Audio)
Your Friend,
PS ? If you believe this blog may benefit someone you know, please consider sharing!
Reading:? This week I am reading the book Face To Face With God, by Bill Johnson.
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