Master two forms of Growth

Your growth determines your reality.

Hey Champion,

If you are not growing, you are dying.

Growth is an essential part of our lives. It's the one promise that we have; change is inevitable. It will happen with or without your control, or should I say, with and without your control. 

Today's newsletter is very much around this thought. So let's reframe it into Involuntary and Voluntary growth. Growth in this context speaks of learning.

Involuntary Growth

Involuntary growth is a significant contributor to who I am; how I currently think, how I act, my level of maturity, how grounded I am, what actions to take or where I apply myself. Everything I do is a directive of such experiences. Do I do so unintentionally or without awareness? Absolutely not. I do so knowingly, willingly, confidently, consciously, and with clarity.

Few can say so because this type of growth comes in a raw form; we need to extract the information to process and grow from. So what do we mean by involuntary? Something we have no control over.

Lessons that shape us through:

• Your adversities

• Mental or physical experiences

• Surprises that you did not expect or ask for

• A change in your environment

• A disagreement

• A family feud’s

We all go through Involuntary Growth; what we decide to do with the information is what sets us up or holds us back.

Let me tell you a personal story. On Sept 10, 2020, three men broke into my house at 11 pm. The door was easy to break, they used a large broken piece of the slab, and it didn't take much to knock it through; they did and indeed entered the property and held the family on the landing with a knife. What, how? Let me tell you...

On two occasions before this event, we were "signalled" to change our door. You can say life told us so. 

My father and mother got locked out of the house on the first occasion. No one was home; they had forgotten the keys inside. Can you relate? Anyways, dad grabs something long, hard, some form of metal. He shoves it into the gaps of the door where the lock is situated, and in about 5 mins, he manages to get it. 

On the second occasion, my wife and mum went shopping and locked themselves out of the house. Again they attempted to break their way into the property successfully. 

We knew the door needed changing; we experienced it twice, and before those events, the door was on the maintenance list. We just never got around to doing it. There was always something more important than spending what we had on the door.

Sure enough, we got robbed. As much of a shock as that was for the family at the moment, we benefited from it happening. That understanding came after the events, in due course, when we had clarity of the experience. Perhaps a deeper story for a later time.

Here's what we learnt:

• When something needs to be done, prioritise it.

• Be aware of what is happening - be present.

• Our actions can and will affect others.

Society can keep you from focusing on what you must be doing. Those that lack true clarity and awareness are simply walking a path laid down by others. It's up to us to change how we perceive and extract information from our experiences and surroundings. 

To learn and grow in ways that contribute to your next move. Note this, failure to distil the lessons from our experiences will result in another lesson; the class is inevitable.

Voluntary Growth

So this brings us to voluntary growth. Many today search for the answer, get coached, take courses, collaborate with others, learn, read, and try to grow actively. This type of growth is something we can control. 

Perhaps this need not be said; however, if we are not actively involved here, we give ourselves no fighting chance to unlock our potential. 

Nothing can ever be achieved without the power of the mind, body and soul. Everything that happens to us happens inside, be it a scrape from falling off your bike, being robbed, passing your exams, going for a drink with a friend, or learning about being a Champion. 

We take information through our sensory instruments, assigning its meaning, evoking emotion and forming a behaviour. Without the ability to build a mental model that places us in a powerful position every time, we create setbacks that now need to be addressed. You've heard the saying, two steps forward, ten steps back. 

The problem arises when we try to develop ourselves without genuinely knowing what information is needed right now. Where to source it from? Who is teaching it? Does it contribute to my overall path?

Where are you?

Please take a look at what we call a Growth Chart below. The chart illustrates our ability to adopt lessons and apply our own. Where are you on there? Plot yourself truthfully. 

For me I feel my journey has very much been in the following sequence and it’s a beautiful perspective from where I’m standing.

L/L → H/L →H/H

The place we need to be is the H/H. Being able to adapt the lessons masterfully you receive involuntarily and be actively invested in developing the gaps {More on this in another newletter} that need to be filled voluntarily.

The worst place you can be is L/L. Someone who negatively or has no awareness of life's lessons and personally is passive in developing themselves. Beauty is in the journey to progress into a higher state of being. 

What can you begin doing?

• Be attentive - Notice what others aren't willing to.

• Ask better questions - gain a deeper understanding of your experiences.

• Learn to listen - develop an acute sense of awareness.

• Aim to understand - Be open to change

• Active development - Growth happens when you choose to grow.

• Get clarity - We can make mistakes when we are happy and angry; get clarity first.

Do we all have room to grow? You better believe it, we need both the involuntary and voluntary growth to establish yourself in the ways you ultimately desire.

Remember, the sign of growth isn't saying you learnt it; it's living and showing how.

Stay Fulfilled, Champions.

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Today's empowering belief:

Growth is a choice I need to make.

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Unleash Your Greatness

There is an unstoppable inner Champion you are not allowing to come through, the source of your power. With the right empowerment and strategies, you can become the person you know you should be.

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Can someone benefit?

Contribute this letter forward - help others grow.