It's Time to Grow

The times I have made the biggest strides in my life and work have always come when I put an intense focus on my personal growth and development.  

I am always reading and studying something - most of the time because I enjoy it and it keeps me learning new things, but there is a difference between passively learning something and being intently focused with a goal.

I have found that when I set a goal to learn a subject to use the information to generate true results in an area of my life; I learn it better, I use it better, and I retain it better.

And the periods I have been able to do this best are when I have slower times or downtime in my life.  Times when I don't have as many distractions and obligations taking my time and I can focus better.  For example, when I am working on a product launch over a 6-8 week period and am reiterating with my teams and working late hours seemingly up to the last second to get it right; it is not a great time to set a focused personal growth goal. 

But, when the launch is over and we've celebrated our success and things calm down - I find it a great time to immerse myself into learning a new skill or subject.

One thing that the Coronavirus has done for most people, is slow things down.  It has given many people a great opportunity to focus on personal growth in their lives.  In fact, now is one of the best opportunities in years to focus on learning new skills and subjects, not just because we have, but also because there are so many great resources available to us.  

If what I just shared makes sense to you and you want to make a commitment to your personal growth, here is my advice to you.

• Don't do it halfway or piecemeal.  Pick your subject, set a goal, and immerse yourself.  
• Make sure to set a deadline to complete your learning of the subject to hold you accountable.
• Work on it daily - or better yet, if you can, immerse yourself for a week into it and get it done.
• Ask lots of questions as you learn - make yourself think.  Share what you are learning with others and any breakthroughs or epiphanies you are having- and see what they say or if they offer insights you hadn't thought of.
• If you can bring someone along on the learning journey, you can collaborate in discussion and it will make it even more fun.  (I recently did this on a subject with my father where we learned it and discussed it together and it was great).
• If you are looking to learn a skill, there are great resources for courses like Udemy.com, theGreatCourses.com, Masterclass.com,  Youtube.com and Skillshare.com - even Linkedin Learning is a great, free resource for you.  There is no excuse not to be able to access anything you are looking to learn.

I can go on and on, but this is some great advice to get you going. 

​Now is the THE time to grow in your life.  Don't waste it!