Mark Cole: Do You Want to Grow?

Growth is a lifetime process and a daily decision. It doesn’t happen automatically; you have to be intentional about growing every single day.

I love Charlie Brown, but he was misguided when he said, “I think I’ve discovered the secret of life—you just hang around until you get used to it.” The only way that can be true is if you have no interest in improving.

You don’t improve by simply living.

Bruce Springsteen once said, “A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.” No one accidentally improves. If you want to improve, you must improve yourself.

Have you ever seen a leader who is in a rut? This is a dangerous place to be! It usually starts with falling into a comfortable, easy groove, where the leader coasts along with no thought toward breaking out of it.

John Maxwell has some clear words on this type of leadership: “The only difference between a rut and a grave is the length!”

Lou Holtz said it this way, “In this world you’re either growing or you’re dying.”

So let me ask you a very important question, how much time have you specifically scheduled for personal growth? If you’re like most people, your answer will probably be none. But you need to hear this, my friend:

Growth is optional. It’s completely up to you!

Hope is not an effective strategy; especially when it comes to improving yourself. I want to encourage you to schedule an appointment with yourself every day for personal growth.

If you truly want to grow, do whatever it takes to make this happen. Wake up an hour earlier, stay up an hour later, spend your lunch hour on it, do whatever it takes to make time for your personal growth daily. It’s that important!

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

If you want to reach your goals and see your dreams become reality, you must do more than just experience life. It is imperative that you’re intentional about seizing growth opportunities as if your future depended on it. Because it does!

Remember, growth doesn’t happen by accident. You have to seize it—today, and for the rest of your life.

Don’t just live and hope you’ll grow; grow and you’ll learn to live!