Personal Growth and taking a breath.
Am I doing this right?
As entrepreneurs building businesses while leveraging the very basis of technology, we are constantly forced to change our mindset. We also need to change our thinking processes, not to get stuck in legacy, to adapt to change quicker than what that shot of tequila goes down, and we are all well aware that this list goes on.
However, the one thing we can control is equipping ourselves for the disruption by focusing on personal growth.
How often do you catch up with an old friend or business network you haven’t seen in a long time and realise there’s nothing left on the table to chat about. Sometimes this can be that we have grown to have different interests, but more often, it is because we have outgrown each other. One person has invested more time in their personal growth than the other, which is fair, each to his own. However, as entrepreneurs are driven to disrupt, driven to find a niche, and passionate about upliftment in an ever-changing world, we’re going to have to do more than that to get this right – we constantly need to be challenging ourselves. Reading, audiobooks, observing, webinars – all of this is fantastic and creates insightful conversation around the braai (Here we go SA, here we go!) or the dinner table. However, unless we are completely open to change, open to being wrong, open to constructive criticism, we can read as many books as we like, but we will never really grow unless we implement.
However, the one thing we can control is equipping ourselves for the disruption by focusing on personal growth.
How often do you catch up with an old friend or business network you haven’t seen in a long time and realise there’s nothing left on the table to chat about. Sometimes this can be that we have grown to have different interests, but more often, it is because we have outgrown each other. One person has invested more time in their personal growth than the other, which is fair, each to his own. However, as entrepreneurs are driven to disrupt, driven to find a niche, and passionate about upliftment in an ever-changing world, we’re going to have to do more than that to get this right – we constantly need to be challenging ourselves. Reading, audiobooks, observing, webinars – all of this is fantastic and creates insightful conversation around the braai (Here we go SA, here we go!) or the dinner table. However, unless we are completely open to change, open to being wrong, open to constructive criticism, we can read as many books as we like, but we will never really grow unless we implement.
How do I achieve personal growth?
Out of personal experience, constantly challenging myself to bring my A-game (small side note, some ADHD in there as well), I am also well aware that it can often be overwhelming. There is so much to learn, absorb, and gain that we also repeatedly need to take a breath and realise that the equation is actually quite simple and that Micro Equals Macro. If you do what you can every day and constantly challenge yourself, the result is inevitable.
I recently met up with an old friend whom I hadn’t seen for a good solid catch up in almost a year. It was reviving to have seen that despite having had a completely different journey the past year with completely different circumstances, how we had both grown and how we could share stories, bounce ideas, and talk collaborations into odd hours of the morning. We had both invested in our personal growth. We had both been completely open to change and exploring different views on diverse topics. However, despite the stimulating conversation and the great food, there was one thing that hit me hard, “My friend, I am so completely proud of you.”
This immediately caused me to tear up (and to those who know me, will know how rare this is) – there I sat on the kitchen counter, utterly speechless and at that point, I took a breath. In this constant, incredible journey of striving towards personal growth, we forget that Micro Equals Macro, we forget that by following this basic equation, the result is inevitable. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves (or have a friend, in my case) that we are doing perfectly fine, and as long as we keep pushing, keep striving, keep challenging ourselves, we are, in fact doing it right.
I recently met up with an old friend whom I hadn’t seen for a good solid catch up in almost a year. It was reviving to have seen that despite having had a completely different journey the past year with completely different circumstances, how we had both grown and how we could share stories, bounce ideas, and talk collaborations into odd hours of the morning. We had both invested in our personal growth. We had both been completely open to change and exploring different views on diverse topics. However, despite the stimulating conversation and the great food, there was one thing that hit me hard, “My friend, I am so completely proud of you.”
This immediately caused me to tear up (and to those who know me, will know how rare this is) – there I sat on the kitchen counter, utterly speechless and at that point, I took a breath. In this constant, incredible journey of striving towards personal growth, we forget that Micro Equals Macro, we forget that by following this basic equation, the result is inevitable. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves (or have a friend, in my case) that we are doing perfectly fine, and as long as we keep pushing, keep striving, keep challenging ourselves, we are, in fact doing it right.
