📕𝘾𝙃6:(🐛𝙏𝙃𝙀15 𝙑Æ𝙇𝙐𝘼𝙉𝙇𝙀 𝙇𝘼𝙒 𝙤𝙛

I believe at some point during every person’s lifetime, there comes a need to change environments in order to grow. That may seem obvious in the case of someone like Johnnetta McSwain, whom I wrote about in the Law of the Mirror chapter[CH3]. She grew up in a terrible situation and suffered horrible abuse. But I also believe it’s true even for people who grow up in positive, nurturing environments. If we want to grow to reach our potential, we must be in the right environment. That usually requires us to make changes in our life. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 I grew up in a great home environment. I had two loving parents. My father led our family proactively, helping each of us three kids find our purpose and develop our talents. My mother loved us unconditionally (and believe me, there were days when I know I was a challenge, because I didn’t like rules and was always pushing the boundaries). I had lots of friends. I received a good education. I headed off to a career I loved after marrying my high school sweetheart. What could be better? But less than ten years into my career, I realized that the environment I was in wasn’t conducive to reaching my full potential. In my late twenties, I was already being considered to lead the premier church in the denomination. I wanted to learn a lot more, and by their grooming me for that position so early in my career, I felt like they were saying that I was at the top of the class. What’s the problem with that? If you’re always at the head of the class, then you’re in the wrong class. The best place to learn is always where others are ahead of you.💡 ᴵᶠ ʸᵒᵘ’ʳᵉ ᵃˡʷᵃʸˢ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵉᵃᵈ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜˡᵃˢˢ, ᵗʰᵉⁿ ʸᵒᵘ’ʳᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʷʳᵒⁿᵍ ᶜˡᵃˢˢ· Just to set the record straight, so you don’t think I’m bragging, I need to tell you that I was a medium-sized fish in a very small pond. I wasn’t as good as they were giving me credit for. The people in my denomination were good people. I admired the character and integrity of many of their leaders. So that wasn’t the problem. I just knew I needed more room to grow. To do that, I would have to change environments. I went to my father, a lifelong pastor in that organization, who had been a college president and an executive in the denomination’s leadership, and talked with him about the issue. He agreed that I needed to move on into a larger pond so I could grow more easily. That took understanding and courage on his part, because after I left, he would remain in the organization, and he would endure a lot of criticism from others in the organization for my move. But he did it with grace, and he always supported my decision. And I feel certain that had I remained where I was, I would not have grown the way I have, nor would I have come as far.💡 [ᴾ²]

[ᴾ³]𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 You’ve probably seen the phrase growth = change. It’s possible to change without growing, but it’s impossible to grow without changing. One of the keys to making the right changes that allow us to grow is knowing the difference between a problem or challenge, which I can change, and a fact of life, which I cannot. For example, one day as a teenager I looked into the mirror and came to a sudden realization. I was not a handsome guy. It was a fact of life. I couldn’t change my face. What was I going to do? I made a decision. I would change my attitude about it. I would smile. Did it change my face? No, not really. But it helped me to look better. Like me, you must deal with many facts of life. You cannot change where and when you were born. You cannot change who your parents are. You cannot change your height or your DNA. But you can change your attitude about them. You must do your best to live with them.“ᵂʰᵉᵗʰᵉʳ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃʳᵉ ᵃ ˢᵘᶜᶜᵉˢˢ ᵒʳ ᶠᵃⁱˡᵘʳᵉ ⁱⁿ ˡⁱᶠᵉ ʰᵃˢ ˡⁱᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵈᵒ ʷⁱᵗʰ ʸᵒᵘʳᶜⁱʳᶜᵘᵐˢᵗᵃⁿᶜᵉˢ; ⁱᵗ ʰᵃˢ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵈᵒ ʷⁱᵗʰ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᶜʰᵒⁱᶜᵉˢ·” —ᴺⁱᵈᵒ ǫᵘᵇᵉⁱⁿ.[ᴾ³]

[ᴾ⁴]A problem is different. A problem is something you can do something about. It’s something you can grow through. How? Ironically, it begins with a similar first step: a change in attitude. When you change your attitude regarding a problem, you open up many opportunities for growth. Businessman, author, and speaker Nido Qubein asserted, “Whether you are a success or failure in life has little to do with your circumstances; it has much more to do with your choices.” What choices do you need to make so you are in conducive surroundings where you will thrive and grow? When it comes to environment, I believe we need to make the following six choices to put ourselves in a better place for growth: 𝟏. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝟐. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝟑. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡. 𝟒. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝟓. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝟔. 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦.

[ᴾ⁵]𝟭. 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙀𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. Professor and preacher Ernest Campbell tells a story about a lonely woman who purchased a parrot from a pet store. After only one day of having it, she returned to the store and told the storekeeper how disappointed she was with it. “That parrot hasn’t said a word yet!” she lamented. “Does it have a mirror?” asked the storekeeper. . “Parrots like to be able to look at themselves in the mirror.” So the lady bought a mirror and returned home. The next day she was back again, reporting that the bird still wasn’t speaking. “What about a ladder?” the storekeeper asked. “Parrots enjoy walking up and down a ladder.” So the parrot owner bought a ladder and returned home. On the third day, she was back again with the same complaint. “Does the parrot have a swing?” was the shopkeeper’s solution. “Birds enjoy relaxing on a swing.” She bought the swing and went home. The next day she returned to the store and announced that the bird had died. “I’m terribly sorry to hear that,” said the storekeeper. “Did the bird ever say anything before it died?” “Yes,” said the lady. “It said, ‘Don’t they sell any food down there?’ ” What’s the moral of this silly story? Change just for the sake of change is not going to help you. If you are going to make changes, you must make sure they’re the right ones. How do you do that? Start by assessing where you are now and why you want to change. When I was considering making the transition from one professional environment to another, I spent a good amount of time examining why I wanted to change. For me, there were three main reasons to make the transition: ● I had gone to the top too fast. ● I did not feel challenged enough. ● There was nowhere else I wanted to go in the organization. Those factors were enough to make me look at the uncomfortable truth of needing to make changes to where I was and what I was doing. One of the ways to judge whether you’re growing and in a conducive growth environment is to discern whether you’re looking forward to what you’re doing or looking back at what you’ve done. If the future looks dull, routine, or confining, you may need to start looking to make changes. Like me, you may be able to intuitively sense if you are not in the kind of environment that is going to promote your growth. However, if you find it difficult to make that judgment about your situation, then you can approach it from another direction. You can ask yourself questions to help you understand who and what nurtures you personally, and then figure out whether or not you’re getting those things. Here’s a list of questions to help you get started: ☆ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏɴɢꜱ ʟɪꜰᴛ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇꜱ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇꜱ ʀᴇᴊᴜᴠᴇɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴇɴᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ʀᴇᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴏɴ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇꜱ ʀᴇᴠɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ꜱᴏᴜʟ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴘɪʀɪᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴇxᴇʀᴄɪꜱᴇꜱ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜᴇɴ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ʜᴏᴘᴇꜱ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍꜱ ɪɴꜱᴘɪʀᴇ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ʜᴏᴍᴇ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ɢɪꜰᴛᴇᴅɴᴇꜱꜱ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʙʟᴇꜱꜱɪɴɢꜱ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴇ? ☆ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇ? ☆ ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱ—ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɪ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ? You get the idea. I’m sure you will be able to add other categories and questions to help you understand what encourages you to grow. The main idea is to know yourself and to assess whether you’re getting what you need in your current environment. If you are, celebrate. If you’re not, prepare yourself to make some hard choices.💡 [ᴾ⁵]

[ᴾ⁶]𝟮. 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙀𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 If you know that you need to make a major change to your environment, then there’s something you must keep in mind: You must also determine to change yourself at the same time. Here’s why: If you try to… ♤ 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵—𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵; ♤ 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧—𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵; ♤ 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧—𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭. By putting both together at the same time, you increase and accelerate your chances for success. When I first realized I needed to grow—after the encounter with Curt Kampmeier that I recounted in the Law of Intentionality—I found it difficult to actually do. Few people shared my enthusiasm for growth. I had few models. Most of the people around me in my little world were content to work hard and merely make a living. I wanted more than that. I wanted to make an impact. During that time I remember sitting down and thinking about what a growth environment would look like. Over the course of many weeks, I penned what I call “My Growth Environment.” It has helped to guide my decision making concerning personal growth since I wrote it in 1973. It says, in a growth environment… ◇ 𝖮𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝖾. ◇ 𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗎𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅.. ◇ 𝖬𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝖼𝗎𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅. ◇ 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗍𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗉𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝑨𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 . ◇ 𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝗈𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝗒 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒁𝒐𝒏𝒆.. ◇ 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗎𝗉 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅.. ◇ 𝖥𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗆𝗒 𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚.. ◇ 𝖮𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈. ◇ 𝖯𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆. ◇ 𝖦𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗌 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅. When my intuition was telling me that my environment wasn’t conducive to personal growth, I went back to that list and found that most of those statements did not apply to my current situation. So I determined to change myself and change my environment. If you read that list and you sensed that most of those statements did not apply to your life, then you may need to do the same thing. I learned a lot about changing myself in 1975 when I attended a conference in Waterloo, Iowa. At that conference I saw Charles “Tremendous” Jones for the first time. It was there that I also met an author whose books I admired: Elmer Towns. I was surprised but delighted when he invited me to sit next to him on a flight to Chicago on our way home so we could talk. During our conversation, he taught me the Hot Poker Principle. “Do you know how to get a poker hot?” Elmer asked me. “Put it next to the fire.” He then went on to explain that we’re like the metal in a poker. If our environment is cold, we’re cold. If it’s hot, we’re hot. “If you want to grow,” he said, “then spend time with great people; visit great places; attend great events; read great books, listen to great tapes.” Those words sent me on my quest to meet with leaders around the country who were ahead of me professionally. It changed my life. As you consider changing yourself and your environment, think about the elements that the right kind of growth environment provide: ♧ 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝒔𝒐𝒊𝒍 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗇: 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗌 𝗆𝖾? 𝖦𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗍𝗁. ♧ 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗇: 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗌 𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾? 𝖯𝗎𝗋𝗉𝗈𝗌𝖾. ♧ 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗇: 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝗆𝖾? 𝖯𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾. They say that if you put a pumpkin in a jug when it’s the size of a walnut, it will grow to the size and shape of the jug and never get bigger. That can happen to a person’s thinking. Don’t allow that to happen to you. [ᴾ⁶]

[ᴾ⁷]𝟯. 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 Early in my life I learned the importance of a right environment and who I spent my time with. My parents were very wise in this area. Though my parents never had a lot of money when we were growing up, they created the kind of home environment where all of our friends wanted to come and spend time. My dad made a basketball court by pouring a concrete pad and putting up a basketball hoop. They fitted out our basement as a kid’s paradise, complete with a pool table, Ping-Pong table, and chemistry set. We had few reasons to hang out anywhere but home, and our friends had every reason to come over. And my mother was always around, getting to know all the kids. She influenced all the friends she could, and warned us about the behavior of those who might lead us into trouble. She and my dad understood that birds of a feather flock together. And their efforts paid off. Kids flowed to our house. Even today—more than five decades later—whenever I see any of the people I grew up with, they still talk about coming over to my house as a kid and hanging out in our “basement canteen.” It was a destination. According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McClelland of Harvard, the people with whom you habitually associate are called your “reference group,” and these people determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life. Many people have given their take on this truth. King Solomon of Israel wrote, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Charles “Tremendous” Jones is well known for saying, “You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.” And Jim Rohn asserted that we become the combined average of the five people we hang around the most. Rohn would say we could tell the quality of our health, attitude, and income by looking at the people around us. He believed that we start to eat what they eat, talk like they talk, read what they read, think like they think, watch what they watch, and dress like they dress. I like the way Sue Enquist sees the issue. Enquist has been called the John Wooden of women’s softball. She played for UCLA from 1975 to 1978, returned in 1980 as an assistant coach, and then served as head coach from 1989 to 2006. As player and coach, she helped win a total of eleven NCAA softball titles. She retired with a career coaching record of 887-175-1—an .835 winning percentage that puts her among the top five NCAA coaches of all time. Enquist has espoused the 33 Percent Rule. She says you can divide people in school, on your team, at work, or anywhere else into the bottom, middle, and top thirds, and they always have the same characteristics: The bottom third suck the life out of you because nothing is ever good enough for them. They take energy and motivation out of an environment. The middle third are happy and positive when things are going well, but down in times of adversity. Circumstances dictate their attitude. The top third maintains a positive attitude even in tough times. They are leaders, influencers, and game-changers. Those are the kind of people we should try to be and those are the kind of people we should spend our time with. It is not always comfortable, but it is always profitable to associate with people larger than ourselves. As the Italian proverb says, “Keep company with good men and you will increase their number.” What kinds of “larger” people should we spend our time with? People with integrity. People who are positive. People who are ahead of us professionally. People who lift us up instead of knocking us down. People who take the high road, never the low. And above all, people who are growing. They should be like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, whose question for each other whenever they met was, “What have your learned since we last met?” I highly recommend that you also find an accountability partner to take the growth journey with you. That person will help you to stick with your right decisions and help you avoid making wrong ones. A good accountability partner should: ° 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗎𝗇𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒. ° 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗎𝖼𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌. ° 𝖡𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾. ° 𝖠𝗌𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾𝖽-𝗎𝗉𝗈𝗇 𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌. ° 𝖧𝖾𝗅𝗉 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉. You cannot take the growth journey alone, not if you want to reach your potential. The most significant factor in any person’s environment is the people. If you change nothing else in your life for the better than that, you will have increased your chances of success tenfold. So think long and hard about who you’re spending the most time with, for wherever they are headed, so are you.

[ᴾ⁸]𝟰. 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙀𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 I once heard a story about a Japanese artist who painted a picture on a large canvas. Down in one corner was a tree and on the limbs of the tree were some birds. The rest of the canvas was bare. When he was asked if he was going to paint something more to fill the rest of the canvas, he said, “Oh no, I have to leave room for the birds to fly.” One of the most positive things about being in a growth environment is that it gives you room to fly, but you must be intentional about finding and creating those growth opportunities. You must develop the habit and discipline of challenging yourself. One of the first ways that I challenged myself was by making my goals public. Few things push a person like a deadline and an audience. That didn’t mean that I always reached my goals. But I found that if I told others about what I intended to do, I worked harder, and I worked in such a way that I wouldn’t be ashamed of my efforts even if everyone was watching them. Another way I’ve challenged myself—both when I started and still today—is to look for one major growth opportunity every week, follow through on it, and learn from it. Whether it’s a meeting with friends, a learning lunch with a mentor, a conference I’m attending, or a speaking event where I might get time with high-profile leaders, I always prepare the same way—by asking five questions before the learning time. I ask: ● 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗍𝗁𝗌? 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖨’𝗅𝗅 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍. ● 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗇𝗈𝗐? 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝖨 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖼𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇. ● 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖽𝗈 𝖨 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗇𝗈𝗐? 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉𝗌 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖨 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝗒 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇. ● 𝖶𝗁𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗆𝖾𝗍, 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽, 𝗈𝗋 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖽𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆? 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉𝗌 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝖽𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗍𝗁 𝗈𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌. ● 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝖨 𝖺𝗌𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖨 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾? 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖾𝗇𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗌 𝖨 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾. A better growth environment won’t help you much if you don’t do everything in your power to make the most of it. It’s like an entrepreneur being given money for new opportunities and never using it. You must seize the growth opportunities you have and make the most of them by challenging yourself.

[ᴾ⁹]𝟱. 𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 The changes we want to make in our lives come only in the present. What we do now controls who we become and where we are in the future. We live and work in the present. As Harvey Firestone Jr. said, “Today is when everything that’s going to happen from now on begins.” If you need to make changes in yourself and your environment, don’t worry about your past. I read that former movie star and diplomat Shirley Temple Black learned about the power of living in the moment from her mother-in-law. Evidently when her husband, Charles, was a boy, he asked his mother, “What was the happiest moment of your life?” “This moment, right now,” she responded. “But what about all the other happy moments in your life? What about when you were married?” he asked. She laughed and said, “My happiest moment then was then. My happiest moment now is now. You can only really live in the moment you’re in. So to me that’s always the happiest moment.” Mother Teresa observed, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” If you need to make changes in yourself and your environment, don’t dwell on your past. You can’t change it. Don’t worry about your future. You can’t control it. Focus on the current moment and what you can do now. [ᴾ⁹]

[ᴾ¹⁰]𝟲. 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙢 In his classic The Science of Getting Rich, author Wallace D. Wattles writes, “Do not wait for a change of environment before you act. Cause a change of environment through action. You can act upon your present environment so as to cause yourself to be transferred to a better environment.” Growth always comes from taking action, and taking action almost always brings criticism. Move forward anyway. To reach your potential, you must do not only what others believe you cannot do, but what even you believe you cannot do. Most people underestimate themselves. They shoot for what they know they can reach. Instead they should reach for what’s beyond their grasp. If you don’t try to create the future you want, you must endure the future you get. As you take action to change yourself and your environment, you will almost certainly be criticized for it. Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a plan of action and follow it to the end requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men to win them.” “𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐.”—𝚁𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑 𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚍𝚘 𝙴𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 [ᴾ¹⁰]

[ᴾ¹¹]𝗔 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. As I grew in my career and began leading larger organizations, my growth challenge began to change. The need for me to grow was always there, and the need to find people who teach me never changed. However, as the leader of an organization, I came to recognize that it was my responsibility to create a positive growth environment for others. I did that by using the same list I created for myself in 1973 and applying it to help others. I strove to create a place where… • 𝖮𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆. • 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗎𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝖾𝖽. • 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝖼𝗎𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽. • 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗍𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗉𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝖿𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀. • 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝗓𝗈𝗇𝖾. • 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗎𝗉 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽. • 𝖥𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗆𝗒. • 𝖮𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗂𝗇𝗀. • 𝖯𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾. • 𝖦𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝖽𝖾𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖾𝖽. As the leader, it was my responsibility to take the initiative and create such an environment. It was hard work, but the effort was always worth it. Many people blossomed, grew, and became leaders as a result. When leaders match people to roles in the organization, it’s not enough for them to weigh what people have done in the past. They must also consider what people could do if the environment allowed them to flourish. Likewise, it’s a good idea to help people understand what will be missing for them when they leave a growth environment. I always tried to do that during exit interviews with people as they moved on from any of my organizations. I’d tell them, “You are leaving an environment where growth is a priority and people are encouraged and expected to develop. If you don’t go to a similar environment, you can’t expect to get the same results. And you’ll have to work extra hard to keep growing.” Some understood and met the challenges ahead of them. Others saw only what they hoped would be greener pastures and didn’t understand the importance of a good environment until they hit walls they’d never experienced before. Never forget the Law of Environment: Growth thrives in conducive surroundings. If you are in a positive growth environment, be grateful. Thank the people who have helped to create it, and reward them by striving to reach your potential. If you’re not, do what you must to change your environment and yourself. And if you are a leader, do everything in your power to grow yourself and create the right environment in which others can grow. It will be the best investment you ever made as a leader. [ᴾ¹¹]

[ᴾ¹²]𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 1. Assess your current environment when it comes to growth by answering true or false to each of the following ten statements: 1) Others are ahead of me. 2) I am continually challenged. 3) My focus is forward. 4) The atmosphere is affirming. 5) I am often out of my comfort zone. 6) I wake up excited. 7) Failure is not my enemy. 8) Others are growing. 9) People desire change. 10) Growth is modeled and expected. If you answer false to more than five of the statements, your current environment may be hampering your growth. You will need to determine whether you need to change or improve your environment in order to reach your potential. 2. Assess your personal-growth needs in the three main areas mentioned in the chapter: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐈𝐋 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐍: 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐄? 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐓𝐇. Use the following list from the chapter or create your own to assess what nurtures you: ¤ 𝖬𝗎𝗌𝗂𝖼—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝗍 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖳𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖤𝗑𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗌—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗃𝗎𝗏𝖾𝗇𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖥𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗋𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖱𝖾𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖲𝗈𝗎𝗅—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗅 𝖾𝗑𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗂𝗌𝖾𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖧𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗌—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖧𝗈𝗆𝖾—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖦𝗂𝖿𝗍𝖾𝖽𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖻𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗆𝖾? ¤ 𝖬𝖾𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗆𝖾 𝗌𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖾? ¤ 𝖡𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗌—𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾? 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍: 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐒 𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄? 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄. Review your answers to the questions at the end of the Law of Awareness and the Law of Consistency chapters. Use them to develop a purpose statement for your life. Don’t expect it to be perfect or permanent. It will probably continue to grow and change as you do, but it will give you a stronger sense of direction now. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍: 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐌𝐄? 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄. Make a list of the people who are currently most influential in your life: friends, family, colleagues, employers, mentors, and so on. Be sure to also include anyone you spend a substantial amount of time with. Then scan the list and determine who on the list is “larger” than you: more skilled or more talented, farther ahead professionally, more solid in character or in any other significant way. If the majority of people are not stretching you, you need to find additional people who will help you change and grow. 3. Significant growth will not occur in your life if you are not continually challenged in your environment. Set specific goals for yourself that are beyond your current capabilities. In addition, review your calendar for the upcoming month. Look for the best potential growth opportunity in each week and plan for it by asking yourself questions similar to the ones contained in the chapter. [ᴾ¹²]