All About Growth

My word for the year is GROWTH. I have been allowing my word to inspire my decisions for the past few months.

I know I have a long way to go but I pat myself on the back because I know I have the choice to be complacent but I wasn’t. I know I have the option to settle into my comfort zone but I didn’t.

Here are a few things that I have learned so far:

Growth requires change.

Just a few weeks ago, we said goodbye to our studio office. It was an informed decision guided by our purpose and values. The studio was our team home for 3 years but we let it go to make room for bigger and better things. We started working at a shared space which drastically improved our editing workflow.

Growth is about creating space for things that matter most. It requires a lot of letting go, which is quite scary but exciting same time. 

Growth requires failure.

We often ignore the value of failures and mistakes. 

Our fear of failure paralyzes us. We value other people’s opinion too much, we prefer to settle in our own little bubble. We fear making a fool out of ourselves when truth is, more often than not, no one’s really looking. And I mean that in a good way. We’re too hard on ourselves, it limits us.

It took me a year before actually publishing posts here on my blog. Drafting my first few posts involved a lot of overthinking. But the more I did it, the easier it became. Pressing the publish button was not as daunting as it was the last time. Overcoming my fear of failure allowed my purpose to add value to others shine brighter.

We have to accept that failures and mistakes are perfect opportunities for for growth. We often make them, but we ignore the fact that they’re teaching us valuable lessons that can potentially change our lives for the better.

Growth requires a lot of saying yes and figuring things out afterwards. 

Sometimes we all need a little push. 

Last May, I was invited to be a guest speaker for an art exhibit held by graduating design students. My sister Amrei also invited me to share about my brand at her digital selling training. It has been a while since I last spoke but I knew without a doubt that I had to say yes and I did it!

The process was quite daunting and exciting at the same time. Committing pushed me to do things I have never done which allowed me to grow.

“Jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.” – Ray Bradbury

Growth can be achieved best by consistently and patiently taking small steps forward.

I wanted to be where I am right now. Completely in control of my time, building something beautiful and meaningful, making a difference in my own little ways.

I know now that every tiny step I took was essential but my 18 year old self and her Canon Ixus point and shoot camera had no clue at all.

There will be days when you’d feel like you’re working too hard but not reaping enough. But we have to trust the process because it always seems impossible until you start seeing results.

Take those small steps and keep on moving forward and uphill. There’s nowhere to go but up!

Growth is intentional. 

The best kinds of growth are the intangible ones like growth in knowledge, skill, attitude, and mindset. It takes conscious effort to grow. We can’t just sit all day and wait for inspiration to come along – we have to work our ass off and intentionally do things that would allow us to get better.

Read books, listen to podcasts, attend trainings and workshops, find a mentor, and try new things. There are so many ways to learn and often times, it’s literally on the palm of our hands.

Growth by knowing and doing.

I have finished reading three books (I haven’t finished one in a long time so yay to me!) and have attended a few business and leadership trainings for the past few months.

Upon starting my fourth book – Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – I came across this quote on the first few pages: To know and not to do is really not to know. I realized I had to take a moment to absorb all the information and start applying it to my life. 

Learning without application does not convert to growth.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I am a huge planner and I like being in control. But growth means having to put myself in uncomfortable situations because in these situations, lie the perfect opportunities to learn new things and grow. 

Have you learned something new recently? Have you been jumping, taking risks, and going outside of your comfort zone?

Featured Photograph by Aaron Burden on Unsplash