“Do you consider yourself green and growing or ripe and rotting?” This is a question that is attributed to the late Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds. It’s an intriguing question. Let’s be honest, most of us would like to believe that we continue to be green and growing. But are we? How do we know that we’re simply not ripe and beginning to rot on the vine?
Author Marlene Chism outlined the following 7 signs as evidence of growth in her recent blog:
- Your beliefs are still evolving.
Beliefs are formed from birth. As we evolve, gather additional information, reflect, our beliefs are changed subtly or, in some cases, substantially. If we are growing…we are still evolving…- You can see different points of view.
If we are growing we’re learning. The more we learn, the more curious we become. The more curious we become, the more likely we are to consider other points of view. That’s not to say that we agree with all different points of view, but that we can at least see “the opposite side of the coin.”
- You are willing to stop unproductive habits.
As we all know, the first sign of insanity is to do what we’ve always done and expect different results. If we are truly growing, we are constantly re-evaluating our effectiveness and stopping those habitual habits that prove to be unproductive. A sign of growth, according to the author, is the willingness to stop habits (even the enjoyable ones) that stunt growth.
- You consciously build productive habits.
Makes sense that if we’re identifying our nonproductive habits that we should consciously build productive ones. New habits require us to DO something, which may be very uncomfortable at first, but we know that it IS in our best interest. It becomes a habit when we no longer think about it, it becomes part of our routine.
- You grow thicker skin.
A sign of growth is that you no longer take things so personally. Instead of anger getting the best of you, you take a deep breath, ask clarifying questions and realize that debate, differences of opinion can be a healthy way to move forward. You realize that the whole world is NOT against you…
- You achieve more than you thought possible.
By definition, growing is becoming larger or greater over a period of time…to increase. A sign of continuous growth is looking back and seeing how far you’ve come…and a desire to keep moving forward.
- Your definition of success changes
I believe this is directly related to the first indicator. As our beliefs are honed, experiences gained, we no longer need to “keep up with the Joneses.” As we grow, we find that success isn’t measured by “things” but rather by our state of being, the kind of relationships built, the growth of those mentored under our watch. Someone once said, “Success is not measured in the amount of dollars you make, but the amount of lives you impact.”
So…are you green and growing or ripe and rotting? The choice is really up to you. I must admit, I’m in various stages of this growth chart and there are times I need to regroup in certain areas (I guess that’s a good thing to realize if I am going to continually grow.) However. as I read and re-read these 7 indicators of growth, they all seemed to revolve around LEARNING…hmmm…I guess if we’re not learning…we are indeed rotting…
Be good to yourself...
No comments:
Post a Comment