[blockquote text=’This is a guest post by Stephanie LeBlanc. Stephanie is the practice administrator at TotalCare Hulen in Fort Worth, Texas. She also holds other leadership positions including president of her accounting firm, as well as Project Connect Texas, a non-profit organization she founded to serve the Dallas/Fort Worth community.
– Wes Saade, M.D.’ text_color=’#ffffff’ width=’95’ line_height=’undefined’ background_color=’#aaaaaa’ border_color=’#dba400′ show_quote_icon=’no’ quote_icon_color=’#dba400′]? ?
Personal growth doesn?t have to be complicated. In fact, I?ve discovered that even rapid growth can be guaranteed if you follow these three simple steps.
Step 1: Admit you have some growing to do.
You will not grow if you do not challenge yourself to do so. 
??I already know this? and ?I know enough? are your two worst enemies. You have to admit that there is always someone better than you; there is always someone who knows more than you; someone with more experience than you; and someone who has accomplished more than you.
It may be hard to swallow. But this is the most important step in the process: admit you have some growing to do. Once you have come to terms with the fact that you (and everyone else in the world) have some room to grow, you?re ready to move on to Step 2.
Step 2: Find the person at the top of your mountain.
If you aren?t the best, then someone else has to be, right? Find them. It is important that we find the person who is at the top of our current mountain, and set our sights on them. Whatever that mountain may be for you, there is someone already up top. What do I mean by your current mountain?
Let?s say you decide to climb actual mountains. Would you start with Everest? You could. And you may even be successful. But, you exponentially increase your chances for success if you start with the basics and climb a smaller mountain first. Once you get to the tops of the smaller mountains, you can set reasonable goals to take on the taller ones.
It is the same in life. For instance, if you aspired to be a Supreme Court Justice, would you presume to be ready to take the bench by the end of your first semester of law school? Personally, I would start by finding the top professor in my school to learn from. Nearing graduation, I would seek the most successful attorney in town to work under. Once I had built a successful career, I would begin looking for the best judge to mentor me. After becoming a judge, I might then find someone on the District Court, continuing my path to the Supreme Court, one step at a time.
By staying the course on your current mountain, you are much better equipped to learn from the person who has already journeyed before you. You will accrue the personal experience you need to combine with the knowledge that you gain from those ahead of you. Once you set your sights on the top of any mountain, find the person who has already made it there, and you only have one step left.
Step 3: Become the person at the top.
Learn what they have learned. Soak in the knowledge they have gained, the experiences they have had, and the setbacks they have faced. Challenge yourself to reach their level. By knowing who they are, you have given yourself a living, breathing goal. You can emulate them. Find out what it took to get there, and you can take off full force on your own growth journey.
The intent is not to knock them off of their mountaintop. Ideally, this is a mentor-like relationship. This should be an exercise in humility and personal growth, not a competition.
Can you admit that they know more?
Can you be humble enough to learn from them?
Can you be wise enough to apply the lessons they?ve learned to your current journey?
If the answer to these three questions is yes, then you are guaranteed rapid growth. You are giving yourself a gift?a path to set out upon. You don?t have to figure it out yourself; someone else already has. You?ll have your own experiences along the way. But learn everything you can from someone who has braved the path before you on your current mountain.
And as a leader, once you reach the peak, be the person on top to someone else on the way up their own mountain.
Stephanie LeBlanc
Practice Administrator, TotalCare
For Further Reading:
Growth: You’re Not a Magic Beanstalk
The Most Crucial Step Of Growth
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