Our lives are marked by successive stages of growth.

“The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows - how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the ear, then the mature corn in the ear. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

Everything that is alive grows, and growth is a sign of life. When we stop growing, we start dying. If we do not keep ourselves open to learning new things and making fresh discoveries, we will isolate ourselves and life will begin to lose its purpose. The following tips are a bit of advice that can help us stay positioned for growth in any dimension of life.

Spend time with people who will challenge you to a higher place. “Friends in low places” will only keep you down and hold you back. As uncomfortable as it may seem, intentionally allow yourself to be in the presence of people who will provoke you to come up higher.

Align yourself with people who already have the value system that you will need in the place that you want to go. Don’t erroneously think that your life will change by itself. For every movement there are internal adjustments that must be made first. You will never get “there” until “there” gets in you first. A paradigm adjustment that results from a reprioritizing of values that has to be initiated. Find someone who is already thriving in the place that you want to go and adopt their value system.

Maintain relationship with people who love you enough to tell you the truth. Give them permission to be objective about you. Chances are they see things about you that you cannot see about yourself. What we want to hear is not always what we need to hear. A good mentor or trusted friend has the capacity to see you beyond where you are and the courage to confront things that are hindering you from getting there.

Separate yourself from parasites that only want to suck you dry. Not everyone in your life is concerned about your forward movement. Some people just want to be around you because they are needy and selfish and their only intention is to take. They are easy to identify because they are a continuous drain on your emotions and wallet. Set strong boundaries so that they don’t continue to deplete you of the energy you need to grow.

For more advice, see “Four Mental Preparations for Growth.”

Bookmark It