I have been thinking a lot lately about success and growth. I think many of us aspire to success and there are different versions of how that may manifest in our lives. For some, success shows up in the accumulation of wealth, degrees, notoriety or accomplishing simple life goals. Personally, I believe that each of us deposited into this realm of existence came with a specific assignment to benefit the earth and that success will be measured by how well we have lived out our specific assignment.
(My Photo: Community Workshop facilitation)
Whatever success looks like to you, you will have to agree that success does not happen by osmosis or luck. Success begins with a paradigm shift. I call it the cultivation of the growth mindset. One ways of thinking that we have to cultivate in this growth mindset towards success is that we must become comfortable with being uncomfortable. We underestimate and undervalue the profitability of challenge, opposition and discomfort in developing intellectual, emotional and psychological elasticity and fortitude. In other words, like yuh granny wudda seh, “trials come to mek yuh stronger.” It is not as cliche as it sounds. Jean Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development will help you understand how opposition or challenge presents you with new opportunities for engaging reality and building upon old knowledge and add knew knowledge. If we do not embrace challenges we are not growing and therefore cannot experience the success we desire in our lives.
In my new book, “Grab You Some Lemons”, I talk about embracing those difficult moments in life and about the value those moments add to who you become and what you give to the world. Comfort is highly overrated. Take on tasks and ventures and do them scared if you have to. Everything around you might dictate that you are biting off more than you can chew or that you are undeserving of that opportunity which you seek because of where you are coming from but do it anyway. You are worthy and you can. DO IT SCARED. Nothing is above you or bigger than you. Discomfort stretches you and in stretching you, it extends your intellectual and emotional elasiticity. I invite you to think about that thing you have always wanted to do but you have chosen to look at the limitations – reason why you cannot – instead of going bravely for what you want. Now think about what it is that you NEED to do to achieve it. The first small step you take in this direction is the beginning of you overcoming challenges for success.
Life has taught me that success is not a destination. It is a journey and that I must celebrate every small step I take in the direction of success because considering where I am coming from, every small step is a revolutionary act of courage and victory. Take that first step and clap yourself!!!
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2 Responses
Trials DO indeed make you stronger, even if that is a bit of a cliche (and some young people I know don't believe it is necessary to go through trials). You have to at least get outside your comfort zone – this has been a learning process for me, and learning is a feature of personal growth obviously . As Eleanor Roosevelt said: "Do one thing every day that scares you."
I like that quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. I believe that if we get to romantic with comfort we will achieve things but not necessarily grow. As usual you have added a precious nugget with your perspective.