The Invaluable Laws of Growth
Live Them and Reach Your
Potential
The first word as stated in the
introduction of the book is “Potential” which is one of the most
wonderful words in any language. Potential as defined by the Advanced Learners
Dictionary as someone’s ability to develop, achieve or succeed. Reaching your
maximum potential implies fulfillment and not reaching your potential is
like dying with the music still inside of you. Following the Invaluable
Laws of Growth by John Maxwell will help you grow and reach that desired
potential.
These 15 laws are important for
an effective next generation leader who is committed to self development. These
laws serve as a blue print for your growth.
1. The Law of Intentionality
In all your dreams, goals, or
aspirations, you need to grow to achieve them. Growth can be accidentally or
intentionally. Accidental growth comes with your experience in life and hope
that you learn what you need along the way. The following growth gap comes with
accidental growth;
The Assumption Gap – I assumed that I will automatically grow.
The Knowledge Gap – I don’t know how to grow.
The Timing Gap – It is not the right time to begin.
The Mistake Gap – I am afraid of making mistakes.
The Perfection Gap – I have to find the best way before I start.
The Inspiration Gap – I don’t feel like doing it.
The Comparison Gap – Other are better than I.
The Expectation Gap – I
thought it would be easier than this.
Growth doesn’t just happen;
it begins with a process (planning) and ends up with what most people call
luck.
The formula that most
successful people use to create their own luck is;
Preparation (growth) + Attitude + Opportunity + Action
(doing something about it) = Luck
To attract this “Luck” to your
life; you need to create and implement strategies for intentional growth. Write
a specific plan for your strategy and take the first step of the plan today.
2. The Law of Awareness
To reach your potential, you
must know where you want to go and where you currently are. To grow, you must
know yourself; your strength and weakness, your interest and opportunities.
The gist of this law is given
in a single quote – You have to know who you are to grow your potential.
But you have to grow in order to know who you are.
3. The Law of Mirror
Question: Why do many people
fail to grow and reach their potential?
Answer: Low self-esteem.
Self-esteem is the single most significant key to a person’s behavior.
Your self-esteem place a lid on how far you will be able to achieve your
potential. According to the law of mirror, we can do very few things in a
positive way if we feel negative about ourselves and Zig Ziglar agreed with
this by saying “It is impossible to consistently behave in a manner
inconsistent with how we see ourselves”.
A few advices mentioned on ways
to improve your self-esteem are:
Guard your self-talk by speaking positive words of encouragement to yourself.
Stop comparing yourself to others.
Move beyond your limiting beliefs.
Take responsibility for your life.
4. The Law of Reflection
Everyone must established a
time and place to pause. Reflection turns experience into insight and allows
you to put your experience into perspective and plan for the future.
A quote from Henri Arnold
states that “The wise man questions himself, the fool other”
5. The Law of Consistency
Definition:
Consistency – When someone always behaves in a similar way.
Question: What brings about consistency?
Answer: Discipline.
Everyone wants to be
encouraged and enjoys being inspired but motivation and encouragement gets you
going but discipline keeps you growing.
It doesn’t matter how talented
you are, it doesn’t matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to
grow, consistency is key.
6. The Law of Environment
There comes a point in the life
of every one that a change of environment is needed in order to grow. If you
want to grow and reach your potential, you must be in the right environment and
that usually requires us to make changes in our life.
When it comes to environment,
the following choices need to be considered in order to put you in a better
place for growth.
Assess your current environment.
Change yourself and your environment.
Change who you spend your time with.
Challenge yourself in your
new environment.
Focus on the movement.
Move forward despite
criticism.
To have a faster and more
successful growth, change your environment and yourself.
7. The Law of Design
To maximize growth, develop
strategies to see the big picture.
“If you don’t design your
own life plan, chances are you will fall into someone else’s plan. And guess
what they may have planned for you? Not much” – Jim Rohn
8. The Law of Pain
According to John McDonnell,
“Every problem introduces a person to himself”.
Question: How do you usually
respond to bad experiences?
Answer: ??????????????????????????
Each time we encounter a
painful experience, we get to know ourselves a little better but what we do
with that experience define who we become.
How to turn your pain into
gain
Choose a positive stance
Embrace and Develop your creativity
Embrace the value of bad experiences
Make good changes after learning from bad experiences
Take responsibility of your
life
*It is one short step from
“why me” to “woe is me”.
9. The Law of the Ladder
Character growth determines the
height of your personal growth.
Simple put in an equation:
Character Growth = Personal
Growth = Personal Success
“Achievement to most people
is something you do…
to the high achiever, it is
something you are”. – Doug Firebaugh
Your character determines who
you are.
10. The Law of Rubber Band
Rubber Band has different uses
but whatever a rubber band is used for; it can only be useful when it is
stretched.
Unlike a rubber band most
people rarely apply their full ability to stretch thereby limiting them to
reach their full potential. Too many people are willing to settle for the
average life by not stretching fully (Category “C” People).
Indian statesman Mahatma
Gandhi stated, “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of
doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems”.
In school you have been taught
the virtues of meeting specific expectations, once you fully answer every
question the teacher asked, it is an A-plus performance. To get an A-plus
performance in business you have to expand the organization’s expectation of
you and the exceed them.
Improving yourself is the best
way to help your team. Successful people set themselves apart because they
initiate the improvement others need.
11. The Law of Trade-Offs
The dictionary meaning of
trade-off is “an exchange that occurs as a compromise”. The law of trade-offs
is exchanging something we have for something we don’t.
Everybody makes trades
throughout life, whether they know it or not. The question is whether you make
good ones or bad ones. The outcome of a trade will determine your level of
success.
Generally unsuccessful people
make bad trade-offs.
Average people make few
trade-offs
Successful people make good trade-offs.
You have to give up to grow
up.
12. The Law of Curiosity
Curiosity helps a person to
think and expand possibilities beyond the ordinary that leads to extraordinary
living. We grow by asking questions.
If you know all the answers,
you are not asking the right questions. Every day we should seek to learn
something new. The law of curiosity has task us to rethink the popular phrase “we
will cross the bridge when we get there”. This world is owned by people who
have crossed bridges in their imagination before anyone else has.
People with curiosity keep
asking questions and as a result they keep learning. To acquire knowledge, you
have to stop looking for a right answer and think outside the box.
13. The Law of Modeling
The most important personal
growth-phrase you will ever hear a good leader say to you is “follow me”.
We become like the people we
admire and the model we follow. For that reason, we should take care when
choosing a mentor. They must not only display professional excellence and
possess skill sets from which we learn, the must also demonstrate character
worthy of emulating.
Criteria
for choosing a mentor to follow:
A good mentor is a worthy example
A good mentor is available
A good mentor has proven experience
A good mentor possesses wisdom
A good mentor provide friendship and support
A good mentor is a coach who
makes a difference in people’s lives
“Self motivation is helpful,
but evaluation from someone else is essential”. – Andy Stanley
14. The Law of Expansion
The possibility of our
potential is only limited by our thought. In the world we live in today, “there
is no finish line”, there is always room for expansion but most people are
limited by their thought.
The following are ways to
increase our thinking capacity and push boundaries:
Stop thinking more work and start thinking what works?
Stop thinking can I? and start thinking how can I?
Stop thinking one door and
start thinking many doors.
The greatest challenge you will
ever face is that of expanding your mind.
15. The Law of Contribution
As we grow, we are enabled
to help others grow. We should think of ourselves as rivers, not reservoirs. We
should not just take in; we ought to give out.
By learning the laws and then
living them, you will be on your way to reaching your potential. If you keep
learning and growing every day over the course of many years, you will be
astounded by how far it will take you.
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