Carl Jung said “The greatest tragedy of the family is the unlived lives of the parents.”  Stop and read that again.  I believe that this is true not just for parents but for everyone.

Living a fulfilled, meaningful life requires growth.  One of my focus points as a coach, trainer, speaker and author is growth.  Whenever I address the subject of growth, I always bring up the two components required for growth.  Intentionality and Accountability.

The first two Pillars of my 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership are Awareness and Environment.  Both of these are critical to our growth.  Once we realize where we are and where we want to be and how that journey will be impacted by the environment we find ourselves in, we are ready to grow.

But as I said, growth only comes through Intentionality and Accountability.  Certainly there are many other factors that will determine how you grow and the rate in which you do it, but the first step is always intentionality.

Every time I use the word “try” when speaking with one of my coaches or mentors, I hear the silence on the other end of line.  I love this quote from one of the greatest visionaries in history, Yoda.  “Do or do not, there is no try.”  Trying get’s you to the line of intention, but accomplishes nothing.  Like Yoda said, “do or do not.”
We have to have the try to get headed in the right direction, but growth comes from actually doing it.  Doing it comes through accountability.

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.”  –  Benjamin Franklin

It doesn’t matter how you define success, you have to be a life long learner to continue to achieve that success.  When you stop growing, you put a cap on your potential and I believe that when you stop moving forward you are moving backward.

Growing means stretching outside of your comfort zone.  It means doing things you have not done before.  It means facing the failure of not succeeding the first time you attempt something new.  Many people have a tendency to quit when the going get’s tough.

PERSONAL GROWTH requires SACRIFICE, SELF-CONTROL, DISCIPLINE and PERSEVERANCE.  Your ATTITUDE is really a reflection of your CHARACTER.

Your INTEGRITY will create CONSISTENCY and CREDIBILITY.  Understanding your PRIORITIES will allow you to maximize your PERFORMANCE.

COMMITMENT to EDUCATION will help you overcome ADVERSITY and positve ACTION will help build SELF-CONFIDENCE and EMPOWER you in the FULFILLMENT of your GOALS.

If you want to do more, achieve more and become more, you need to grow more.  So my question today is simple, “How far are you willing to grow?”

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On May 23rd, at 8:00 pm ET, I will be hosting a free call introducing “The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership” Coaching Program.

This will be a content filled call that will not only teach you about influential leadership but also about leading an intentional and successful life.  The words in capitals above are topics within Pillar #3 – GROWTH.

This is the third of five posts related to the 5 Pillars that will go out prior to the call on the 23rd.

For more information and to register for the free call CLICK HERE.

To see the first video on Pillar #1 – AWARENESS click here

To see the second video on Pillar #2 – ENVIRONMENT click here

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Barry Smith    5/17/13   photo by author   © Building What Matters 2013