A Year of Growth – Year 1
I've grown a lot over the past year. I've learned so much and connected with so many people. I've grown, in part, because of readers like you. I asked my wife Ashley what I should call my anniversary article and she suggested, “A Year of Growth.” That title fits so perfectly, which is no surprise because she has a way of cutting through to the heart of the matter. So, here is:
A Year of Growth, Year 1.
Much of my growth has been in a few key areas. I try to learn from every experience, taking time afterward to reflect on what I did right, what I did less-right and how I'd handle a similar situation next time. I've shared what I have learned with you below in hopes that you too can learn from my experiences.
Goals
We often hear about goals; setting them, writing them down, achieving them, winning, etc. But what about the goals we don't hit? What about the things we wanted to do but didn't?
This year I've learned that goals are extremely important but they aren't the only thing that is important.
For example, if you set a goal and achieve it, do you know why? What about if you didn't achieve your goal? Why not?
Finding out “why” is just as important as the goal itself. If you achieve your goal simply because you got lucky, and not because of anything you did, then does your achievement mean as much?
For me, the answer is “no.” I want to know why I achieved my goals so I can replicate my actions and do even better next time. If I missed my goal, I want to know why then as well. What to avoid, what to do different and where I went wrong. What not to do is just as important as what to do.
Inspiration
Have you ever been truly inspired? I hope that my site has inspired you, but unless you've read my articles, how would they provide that inspiration? For me, I've had to look all over for inspiration. I've read books. I've watched videos. And I've learned from golf and even from car shopping. But what I've learned over the past year is that inspiration is often right in front of me. I've had to train myself to look for it, but it's there.
I don't have to attend a grand conference or have a life-changing experience to find inspiration. Over the past year, I've discovered that I can make a difference in someone's life just by being there for them, listening, sharing and connecting. I've also learned that through the internet, and with a platform, I can inspire readers all across the world.
Transformation
Who I am today is different from who I was 12 months ago. Did I know then what I wanted to be today? No. But if I'd waited until I'd figured it out before I began, I'd probably still be sitting there without any clue on what to do next. Transformation in your life is possible too, if you want it. But I've learned that I have to start if I'm ever going to finish. I've been transformed over the past year and that all started with a decision. You, too, have to decide. Whatever your goals, your dreams or your aspirations, you have to decide to start the journey. And that journey will always begin with the first step.
Positivity
Misery loves company. It does. Sometimes it's fun to complain and gripe and criticize. But is it productive? I learned from reading Norman Vincent Peale's book The Power of Positive Living that you have to be positive to attract positive.
I developed as my motto:
You can't make a positive change with a negative attitude.
While it may be socially acceptable to always be complaining and placing the blame on someone else, it is ultimately futile. The only thing over which we have any control is our attitude, and our attitude reflects who we are inside.
A positive attitude is important to me, so let me give you an example.
Let's say I was out with you and our colleagues after work. We were having some wings at the local hangout and talking about the week we just had.
During our conversation I started complaining about the boss, the job, and project I was working on. I griped about how things were awful, and I spent my time in a cesspool of negativity.
If I did that, would you want to follow me or work for me as the leader of your team? I know I wouldn't want to follow someone like that, so why would I want to behave that way?
Leaders see change as opportunity and uncertainty as an invitation to step up and lead.
Attract positive with positive and lead from the front.
Vanilla
I love vanilla ice cream. Blue Bell is my absolute favorite. But I've learned that no one chooses the vanilla person for a special task and no one chooses vanilla for a promotion.
Vanilla soldiers don't become Navy SEALs and vanilla entrepreneurs don't start the companies that change the world.
Vanilla doesn't stand out and it doesn't make an impact.
Vanilla doesn't make a difference; its safe but safe gets us nowhere. It does all the right things; it tastes great, it does the job, but it can be done without.
I realized that most of the people who get laid off were probably doing everything right; I know I was when I was “down-sized.”
If we're going to be remembered, if we're going to make an impact and change the world, as much as we like the ice cream flavor, we can't be vanilla.
People
I said here that people are our greatest resources. I need to amend that with the “right people”.
The right people are our greatest and most necessary resources and assets; without which, we could do very little in this world.
The books you and I read are written by people. The toys we buy, the food we eat and the homes we live in are all created, designed and usually built… by people.
Without people we'd have no one to lead us, no one to follow us, no one to help us and no one to grow us.
But surrounding yourself with the right people is even more important than surrounding yourself with just anyone.
While I understand that some people are here to challenge us and make us stronger, and I do believe that arguing can lead to success, I don't think we need those things around us all of the time.
We need to surround ourselves with people who build us up, encourage us, and help us along the way. And we need to do those same things for the people around us. We need to surround ourselves with positivity and creativity, not negativity and pessimism.
Teams
When was the last time you did something that made you really proud? Did you achieve a goal, lose those last 10 pounds or finish a huge project? And were you working on a team?
I've realized that almost everything I do and accomplish is made easier, faster and often times better, by working on a team.
Even the seemingly solitary activity of writing an article and publishing it on my website is made better by using a team. In fact, most of what we do, if not everything we do, involves a team in some way.
For example, I outsource 99% of my pictures; surprise, I don't take them all. I also get every feature on this site from a team who writes code and designs the elements on the ride side of your screen.
To varying degrees, I also rely on a team to help me come up with ideas, to help me edit and proof my articles, and to help me reach a larger community through social media.
Without my team, Empoweringthe80Percent would just be me, sitting in my home office and writing a typo-riddled article that would reach very few people. As John C. Maxwell says, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
So after 1296 words, I'll come to a close. If you've made it this far, thank you.
Thank you for sharing the last 12 months and this article with me. Though I'd still be reading and writing articles, without readers like you, my experience would be very different. Thank you for reading with me, learning with me and growing with me.
I hope to be writing to you again in January of 2014!