How do we go from growth to contribution on the continuum of our personal and professional development in life?
One of the things we have to do is something that you probably value and spend a lot of time on—the idea of growth. If you’re like me, you invest a lot of energy, time, effort and money into making sure you’re always growing, learning, developing and advancing.
It’s critical that each day and each experience is somehow incrementally better than what came before.
If we’re not growing, we’re dying—there is no middle.
There’s not a lot that is static or that stays at stasis for long in this world. Look at any plants or living organisms or anything out there in the universe. It’s either headed in the direction of up and growth, or down and decay.
I started to think about this a lot as I’ve spent the last five or six years rebuilding my life. This has taken an insane amount of focus, dedication and hard work to get to where I am today.
I’ve done that by being diligent in building the skills and knowledge that are required to be successful in my career and in my personal life—on the terms that I define as success.
I’m grateful to have gotten to this position now where I’ve made this a way of life, but I’ll always remain teachable and humble and eager to grow.
I’m not saying that I have arrived at my destination in any sense, because I think the destination is never truly achieved in life. We are always moving the goalposts and creating a new level or floor of success and growth from which we can build.
We need to cherish, be grateful and embrace the process, not simply the goal or destination where we want to ultimately be.
I think we all get to a point where I am starting to arrive now, where we realize that it’s not just about growing ourselves. It’s not just about the selfish focus on being the best that we can be. We must shift to contribution if we are to reach the next level in our evolution as individuals.
You might ask what exactly do I mean by contribution?
Contribution is about helping others grow, learn and become better by teaching, leading and sharing the experience and the philosophy that we’ve gained through all of our efforts and growth.
Contribution is about putting yourself out there and helping others achieve something greater for themselves and their families.
It can come from helping a childhood friend overcome a really difficult time in life through a relationship, job firing or any other obstacle or adversity that they might encounter.
It can come from volunteering in helping build your community, neighborhood or society by sharing your talent, skills and strengths with others.
I am transitioning to starting a new chapter in life based on contribution.
Paying it forward. Put it out into the world and focus more on serving and building others, not just myself and my family.
So are you ready to move from growth to contribution in your professional and personal life?
How can you do more to serve, contribute and help others today?
Start small. It’s the small acts over time that build to really meaningful results and impacts.
Today, find a new way to contribute and help others through sharing experiences, insights, knowledge and enthusiasm.
Do it with no expectation of getting anything in return—and see what happens.
Let’s GO!
Power Quote
“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” —Les Brown
Key Insight
Contribution is about putting yourself out there and helping others achieve something greater for themselves and their families.
Tactical Tip
How can you serve people around you today? What do you have that can be used to lift others up? Think about ways to help others and pay attention to the feeling afterwards.
Day Check
How did you lift someone up today, without thinking of what you got out of it? How did it feel?