Question: What is your plan for personal growth?

I ask this tongue in cheek, because I know that very few people have thought about it, and even fewer have one.

Internal growth doesn’t just happen; it has to be intentional. Nobody simply drifts to a preset destination, and getting older is not a guarantee of personal growth. To have a successful life we have to be continuously growing and continuously being stretched. Growing what, you ask? A simple answer is your potential. God’s gift to us is potential, and our gift back to God is to develop this potential. Everyone has it, and nobody ever fully reaches it, because there is always more. We believe in growing body, soul and spirit.

I once missed a business opportunity which defined much of my career. At age 32 I had built a substantial business. In order to move it on successfully, I needed access to capital. I knew the right people. The plan was a merger with a friendly competitor who was also a minority shareholder in my business, and then a listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This would have required a mind shift for me, from a happy-go-lucky businessman to a responsible steward of public money. It would also mean giving up some lifestyle habits not in keeping with the position. I needed to trade a comfort zone for a greater impact. I chose the easy way out, sold my business to a willing buyer, and avoided the growth challenge. It was a poor decision which I regretted for many years. I had an opportunity, but I was not prepared. Don’t let this happen to you.

John Maxwell teaches that internal growth powers external growth. What is invisible on the inside enables what is visible on the outside. Successful people don’t drift through life hoping things will turn out favourably. They intentionally set a course and have a plan of action. They realise that hope alone is not a strategy. They don’t choose the easy road. They are prepared to work to reach given destinations, and they expect difficulties.

Internal growth prepares us for making the most of our opportunities, as well as for dealing with the unexpected. Internal growth helps us to know ourselves, to add value to ourselves, to develop strategies, to convert failures into learning platforms, to destroy imposed limitations, to prepare us for success, to inspect our values, and to enable others.

Wherever you are in your life journey, there is room for growth, and we have a plan to help you.

Contact us for information regarding a leadership or growth plan.

www.acceleratedgrowthsa.co.za