At 10:30 on Tuesday night, I realized there was no post scheduled for Wednesday morning. Oops.
So here I am at 6am on Wednesday writing about how I forgot to write this much earlier.
I offer no excuses, though I will share what I was doing instead.
Category Archives: Growth
Typing with a Flat Tire
What could you do if you knew how to type well? Not the two-fingered “hunt and peck” method — I mean using muscle memory so you can type quickly without looking at the keys. Imagine removing the bottleneck in your productivity so your words can keep up with your thoughts.
Would you type reports and answer emails faster? Would you write code more effectively? Or would you finally start writing your book?
The Cost of Growth
It recently hit me how much pain we each endure in a lifetime. Even wonderful streaks in life can be dwarfed by the loss of a loved one, major disappointments, or prolonged illness.
I couldn’t help but wonder where I could be right now without mercy and huge helping of growth.
Surely nowhere good.
Comfort Over Growth: A Sad Story
I just read a book which made me feel very uncomfortable. The author was born with dozens of broken bones due to brittle bone disease. [Update: For much more information about brittle bone disease, read this article.]
His bones are so weak, most falls or bumps will break one. He stopped counting broken bones after two hundred.
It was hard to read this book. It’s difficult to imagine growing up with such hardship. I don’t enjoy thinking about being three feet tall never walking due to deformed legs. I hate the thought of being confined to a wheelchair.
Reading this book made me feel very uncomfortable, to say the least.
And that is exactly why I decided to finish reading it.
Most of us barricade ourselves in our comfort zones. We restrict ourselves to a small bubble of friends, feelings, and activities. Only the things which make us feel good.
We naturally avoid or ignore what makes us feel unsafe or uncomfortable. We reinforce our bubbles and slowly shrink them until we feel no longer willingly experience any challenges whatsoever.
This is sad. It’s the complete opposite of growth.
I need to feel uncomfortable. So do you.
Because growth is just beyond the edge of where we feel secure.
Are you willing to grow at the expense of your comfort? Or will you choose to shrink instead?
The Next Telephone Pole
A marine once told me his strategy for running. He would get exhausted and want to quit. He fought a battle in both his mind and muscles, trying not to give up.
Yet he had to go on.
To keep himself going, he blocked out everything else and focused on just one thing.
Getting to the next telephone pole.
Then the telephone pole after that. He made bite-sized goals which kept him on target.
There’s wisdom here. Are you getting it?
You don’t have to become a stellar musician. You don’t have to start your own company. You don’t have to become wealthy. You don’t have to heal from your loss.
But you do need to pick up your instrument and practice. Or make that phone call to a potential customer. Or put money into your retirement this month. Or journal the painful feelings you have.
You have to get through this minute. This hour. Today. This is the only way you will ever be able to reach the big hairy audacious goals.
And once you’re done, you will do it all again.
Tomorrow.
What is the next telephone pole for you, right now?