A Season of Personal Growth
A few words about December
This time of year is particularly busy. You may already be seeing the signs: bright lights on the outside of houses, glossed-over eyes on the people shopping.
It happens every year in December, the season of being too busy. But does it have to be? What if this December you decided to find ways to work smarter, not harder?
I once heard a good story that illustrates this point.
Clearing the view
One day a lady who was walking her dog came upon a man working feverishly to saw down a tree in his yard. His cheeks were red from the cold. Snow covered his lawn.
Offering a smile, the lady asked the man, “What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see?” he answered, wiping sweat from his brow. “I’m sawing down this tree. It blocks the view when I back out of my driveway.”
“You look tired!" she said. "How long have you been at it?”
“Over two hours … and I am exhausted! This is hard work.”
Although she did not want to upset the man, she couldn't help but ask. “Why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen your saw? I’m sure the job will go faster with a sharp saw.”
“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man declared. “I’m too busy sawing!”
Fine-tuning your skills
Have you ever behaved like the person with the saw? It's easy to get so busy trying to accomplish important goals that you don't take the time to consider the tools you're using.
Just as people's lives often become busier in December, businesses also cycle through seasons. Especially when things are a little frantic, it's important to stop for a moment and fine tune your skills.
That is how we find ways to work smarter and it all begins with knowing yourself.
How well do you know yourself?
We all have talents and skills—think of them as your tools. When is the last time you deliberately considered the unique gifts you bring to the world? Do you understand your strengths? Can you recognize areas of improvement?
Without a careful exploration of who you are, you cannot develop a meaningful plan for personal growth.
What's your plan for growth?
Once you have a plan, you can deliberately seek out opportunities that help you grow. Researchers say that in our present world, the volume of human knowledge doubles about every 13 months. This rapid increase of knowledge has a huge impact on our personal and professional lives. An under-graduate or post-graduate degree becomes largely outdated within two years. And the pace of improvements is only going to continue to increase.
To survive in this age of knowledge, we must develop our ability to think, adapt, communicate and work collaboratively. It’s the only way we can continue to be productive and competitive.
If we are to keep pace, we must not wait for government, educational systems, or even our employers to develop training programs for us. It is up to each of us to accept responsibility for our own personal knowledge, skills and ability to adapt.
Practical tips for nurturing self-growth
Here are some practical steps we can all take to nurture our own growth:
- Read intentionally. To grow, focus on reading books and magazines that will help you grow in your profession, in your area of strength, and as a leader in your various leadership roles.
- Attend personal and leadership development workshops.
- Watch and listen to personal development training available through webinars and podcasts.
- Hang around smart people. (I've heard it said that if you are the smartest person in your group, get a new group.)
The UpCloseTeam is here to support you. Check out our Know Yourself Grow Yourself program, specifically designed to help you reach your full potential.
As Henry David Thoreau said, “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
Call to action:
- Update your personal development plan. Include self-discovery, learning, leadership development and networking.
- Communicate your plan to your employer, mentor, coach, accountability group or spouse. Remember, “Accountability breeds response-ability.” – Stephen R. Covey
Your Friends,
The UpCloseTeam
