9/04/2007

Are You GROWING or DYING?

Are You GROWING or DYING?
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Do you ever think about the activities that you do on a daily basis? What do they include? Are they activities that are benefiting you and bringing you closer to your goals, or are they taking you farther and farther away from your intended path? If the latter is true, what are you doing to get back on the right track to achieve what it is that you want?

I learned a long time ago that no matter where we are in our life, or what age we are, we are either growing as a person or dying as a person. Now we know we are all going to die, but when I talk about "dying" in regards to this post, I mean "Doing things that are not advancing us forward as an individual, and for that matter keeping us in the same place day in and day out emotionally, physically mentally and spiritually."

When it comes to this principle of "Growing or Dying" there is no inbetween...or gray area for that matter. The things you are doing are either growing you from the inside out as a person, or are keeping you sedentary making you piss your life away with your feet in cement.

We all are going to die sooner or later, but from what I found, those that live the most fulfilling lives were the ones that made a conscious effort to grow themselves each and every day. They stayed consistent at it, and before they knew it they became and still are someone that they never thought they would become. By growing themselves from the inside out, they were able to not only accomplish what it is they were seeking, but for that matter feel like a million bucks each and every day.

You may be sitting there wondering? How do I grow myself? What activities can I do to help me grow from the inside out as a person? Is there something that I don't know about that I should be doing?

Well I am going to say that you should only do something if you really want to do it. There are no "shoulds" in life because we have an unlimited amount of choices to choose from. There is no pigeonholed "One Size Fits All" box you can put someone into marked with the phrase "Things you should do in life." Instead it would be best to first focus on what it is that you truly want by first educating yourself to what is out there, and then finding the people that have what you want, learn everything you can from them, and then take action.

When it comes to taking action on helping yourself grow to something you never thought you could become you can do a myriad of things.

1) Make a dreamboard of the goals that you want to achieve in life. Look at it each day and think about how awesome it is going to feel when you have achieved what is on the board.

2) Write out a vision for yourself. What does your life look like? How does it feel to have achieved what it is that you want? How are you making a difference in this world and in your communities?

3) Read self-growth books. This is by far one of the most important steps to growing yourself. I would highly recommend the following books: "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill...That should get you started

4) Hang around people that have what you want, and who you share the same interests with. As they say, your net worth is the average of your 5 closest friends? Who are your 5 closest friends and do they have what you want? Do you need to make new friends?

5) Realize that your income and value to others is limited by how much you have grown yourself as a person, because if you have grown a lot, you can help and benefit more people realize their dreams and their aspirations.

6) Do some sort of physical activity each and every day. The better shape you keep yourself in, the longer and healthier life you will live.

7) Always keep learning, and going over the stuff you have already learned...Try to learn something new each and every day! By continuing to engage your mind it allows it to stretch beyond the monotonous day to day activities we are all used to. If you stop using your brain, and stop thinking…it will shut down on you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that 90 year old people who stay active physically as well as mentally are still very well capable to keep up with their 40 and 50 year old counterparts. I love meeting these people because it gives me the reassurance that if I stay on the path that I am...the chances that I will end up in a nursing home will be very slim.

Personally, after reading the book Rich Dad Poor Dad my sophomore year in high school, my life has been one awesome ride thus far, and I look forward to my ever blossoming future. Currently, right now to help grow myself, I am reading Richard Branson's Autobiography "Losing My Virginity," and it is really sucking me in. I am 54 pages in and am having trouble putting the book down. His story is so inspiring and has the little bits and pieces that I can relate to my own life.

By reading books like these it continues to reaffirm to me that I am on the right track to where I want to go. Do you feel you are on the right track?

Whatever you do...do something each day to grow yourself! You won't regret it!

I want to hear from you...If you actively take the steps needed to grow yourself what is it that you do on a consistent basis? What changes have you seen in your life since you made the decision to start growing yourself?

I am looking forward to your comments!

Have an awesome day!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another fantastic post Scott!

As always, I look forward to more.

Admin said...

Sean,

I really appreciate that.
I am just continuing to give those I care about beneficial content that will help them along their life journey!

Keep up the great work!

Unknown said...

Well said Scott, I have read all the books you mention and can vouch for the difference they make.

Some people will disagree and say that there is a gray area, they are neither advancing themselves or going backward, just sitting still.

Well the World is moving forward so if you are sitting still, you are going backward by getting passed by.

#4, friends, needs to be qualified - keep friends who not only share the same goal or have what you want, but also share the same ETHICS you have. Not everyone makes money or achieves wealth ethically.

Lastly, I have found it helpful to visualize myself in 10 years or at a specific age and work backwards to figure out how I can achieve that, then measure my progress.

Keep up the great work.

Admin said...

A.O.C,

You took the words right out of my mouth regarding sitting still. As I was writing it I was trying to figure out a way to say that, but couldn't articulate it.

Thanks for addressing that.

I like the whole visualization method you use! That is awesome!

Keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

Since I have made the decision to grwo everyday. I have had a problem with being consistent with it, but in general I am a lot happier.

Admin said...

Lis,

I hear you loud and clear. I have been in the same situation as well when it comes to being consistent with it.

My next post which I will be doing on Thursday morning will address the issue of staying consistent with self growth activities.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you about how reading is so important for personal development. I have read all of the books you suggested. There are so many great books out there. Books are also great conversation starters.