The desire for growth and to evolve is innate in all of us.
Our capacity for growth is one of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience. Our unyielding drive to improve, learn, and evolve sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. (Whether we have used this position wisely is highly debatable).
But growth doesn’t just happen on its own. It requires intentional effort and focused attention. And in a world that’s constantly bombarding us with distractions and interruptions, it’s all too easy to lose sight of this fact.
Until we find ourselves stuck in a rut and unable to progress…That’s when we inevitably experience intense dissatisfaction – a sense of shrinking, being contained or missing out. Put simply:
When you stop growing, you start dying. William S Burroughs
According to Cal Newport in “Deep Work”, the key is cultivating the habits and routines necessary to foster deep, meaningful work. We can tap into our full potential and achieve remarkable things by carving out dedicated time and space for focused, uninterrupted concentration.
Our potential for growth is vast.
Yet we’re often barely aware of all the possible areas to improve. Here we share just a few examples:
Character: how we show up in the world through the outward expression of our values (our actions, accountability, and confidence).
Mindset: embracing growth and improvement.
Wisdom: learning and having the courage to acknowledge what we don’t know.
Physical: building strength, endurance, and making healthy lifestyle choices.
Interpersonal skills: enhance our communication, cooperation, and collaboration.
Emotional intelligence: empathy, compassion, and self-awareness (including strengths).
Decision-making: learning to ask better questions and think critically.
Creativity: we’re all born creative, but often need to be reminded and rekindle this innate trait.
With sufficient love and care, we all have an innate sense of our true selves and our purpose in life. Sadly, this nurturing isn’t universal, and even those who have experienced it may struggle to maintain momentum. We’re constantly bombarded with negatively biased advertising and media messages telling us what we lack. Marketers continuously try to sell us solutions to problems we didn’t know we had, to feel better or be better.
Algorithms used on social media platforms, widely known to be harmful to individuals and societies, compound the problem by deciding what we need and want to know for us. In this increasingly complex environment, where information is controlled and disseminated digitally and at break-net speed, how do we consume the information we receive more critically and constructively? How can we separate “fake news” from what is legitimate and worthy of attention?
We need to reflect on these questions because it’s easy to lose sight of who we really are and what’s most important.
We must be aware of how the information we absorb online makes us susceptible to confirmation bias and groupthink. Instead of blindly consuming information, we need to actively engage with others with diverse viewpoints, both online and in person, to seek to understand their way of thinking and challenge our own thought process.
It’s a natural human tendency to listen to views that back up our beliefs instead of ideas that challenge us and require us to think more deeply. We must be courageous enough to reflect on our views and question whether they’re well-founded. In the words of academic and author Adam Grant, “As you form opinions, keep a list of factors that would change your mind.”
We must take the time to consider the sort of person we want to be and consciously uphold this identity. When it comes to decision-making or action, we must ask ourselves if it is consistent with this identity. It’s these identity-based habits that lead to positive behaviour change. Build a Better Normal
It’s important to remember that growth, or building new habits, doesn’t have to transpire in seismic leaps; it can also be in small increments. As bestselling author James Clear asserts in his book “Atomic Habits”, small daily changes to our habits can add up to significant gains over time. These small, consistent improvements are also more likely to be sustainable and meaningful in the long run.
Many of us may have grown up thinking our potential is fixed, but with research into neuroplasticity, we now know that we can all grow our potential. The American psychologist Carol Dweck is well known for her research into mindset and the concept of a “growth mindset”. Her work highlights that people who believe they can improve their intelligence, talents, and abilities with effort achieve more than those who think their abilities are fixed.
It’s through cultivating courage, connection, and growth that we find purpose: by developing the courage to be vulnerable; to be our authentic selves; to let go of our defences, and the need to be “right”; to stand up and speak out for others, for acceptance, and to celebrate individuality over conformity; and to discard beliefs that no longer serve us…
And collectively build a better normal.
*With the widespread use of personality tests in workplaces, how they are applied is essential. Without adequate context and understanding of their benefits and limitations, it raises the question of whether they may limit people’s ability to change by making people believe their personality or “type” is fixed (and become a “self-fulfilling prophecy”).
