In a single lifetime, how many times have we heard the saying “Change is inevitable”? This quote from John Maxwell is heavily used in workplaces and businesses. But it is also often quoted incompletely; Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. The complete quote gives us two main ideas: First, it tells us that change will happen with or without our intervention. Second, growth occurs when you decide to do so.
Confused? The things that happen in our lives will eventually change. Despite our exhaustive efforts to keep something the same, it will change. Just like how a park remains in the same place yet changes over time—either for beautification or to optimize the space. Change doesn’t always mean growth. They are two different occurrences in life. You can change without growing, but you can’t grow without changing.
How does one grow?
There are many ways to answer this question. But for one, growth is not all the same. Some will have it easy, while others will have to go through rigorous phases to grow. We grow when we open ourselves to learning how to treat others well. We grow when we understand that we do not have to carry conflicts and arguments all the time. To move forward, we need to be able to take a step freely without unnecessary weight. When we let go of things that only make our journey difficult, we learn and grow as a person.
Growth can be our personal indicator—a barometer to measure how much we’ve learned, what we do to learn, and how we apply those learnings to our lives. At school, they throw in tests and difficult questions to gauge our understandings. When we make mistakes, we remember them so that the next we encounter them; we know what answers to give. It may be easier said than done, but it should be the same in life. When we make a mistake, we learn from it and try our best never to make them again.
The vicious cycle of doing the same thing hampers you from growing.
Yes, we know they say practice makes perfect, but it’s only applicable to things you want to perfect. We’d assume you don’t want to perfect making mistakes all the time, do you? If our goal is to grow, have a better view of life, or experience a better life, changes must be made. One change that you may need to consider is your routine. You can’t simply expect a different outcome when you’re doing the same thing over and over again.
Challenge yourself to find new ways of doing what you do. Think of other possible means to get something done. If you can, trail your steps back to find areas that you may need to get rid of. Like the muscles in our body, we can’t grow them unless we work them out properly. In life, when we do not challenge ourselves to be better, we can’t expect growth. Life is better for those who are willing to grow.