What Do Runways, On-Ramps and Personal Growth Have in Common?

What do runways, on-ramps, and personal growth have in common?

Probably more than you think!

Runways, on-ramps, and personal growth are related because:

• All three are a build-up process
• All three require significant energy to get moving
• All three symbolize something harder to start than to maintain
• All three are necessary to reach our goals and to take us to new places

I know very little about flying. In fact, I think the reality of a C-130, weighing up to 155,000 pounds, taking flight is either completely absurd or one of the coolest pieces of physics God has given us.

But I do know this: without a runway, no airplane would get off of the ground.

So how do runways relate to personal growth?

A runway allows an airplane to gain momentum. Consuming a huge burst of energy to start moving, an airplane needs the runway to gain the required speed to gain lift and take off.

Do planes start off at 500 miles per hour?

No.

Do they even reach their maximum speed by the time of takeoff?

No.

But what the runway provides is the opportunity to get just enough lift to take the leap into the air. Even then, an airplane still has to climb higher and higher to reach its full potential and go full speed ahead.

This is a great parallel to how I view personal growth. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are my runways. Each day I build on what I did the day before, adding to what I know and gaining momentum.

The same will apply to you on your journey of personal growth.

Each book you read will expand your knowledge, each time you step beyond your comfort zone you will see personal growth. (click to tweet!)

You may not reach your potential immediately, but each of us has to take the first step and keep moving if we're ever going to get there.

Okay, so where does the on-ramp come in?

On-ramps allow drivers to do a couple of things. They allow drivers to gain speed and merge with the freeway traffic. On-ramps also give you the opportunity to see the pace at which the traffic is flowing and prepare to become a part of it.

If you're moving too fast or too slow, you're going to have trouble. The intention of the on-ramp is to give you the best chance of success in becoming part of the bulk of traffic. A successful merge prevents accidents.

Personal growth, and our journey with it, operates in a similar way. Whatever leadership position we're looking to take on or move into, we need a successful merge.

Don't come on too fast & leave people behind. Lead at a pace people can follow (click to tweet that!).

You also don't want to come on too slow and not be able to catch up. If you're behind, it is very hard to lead from the front. You also don't want to try to merge through bullying; while you may get your way, in the end you won't get what you want.

As we learned from Jeremy Lin, it's only through preparation and practice that we can be ready for when we're called into action. Use today as your runway, as your on-ramp, and begin preparing and practicing for your next big thing.