Growth is personal
How are you growing as a person? Are you the same person today that you were 10 years ago? In what ways are you different, and in what ways are you the same?
When I think of my own life, 10, 20, even 50 years ago, I see both threads. I see aspects of myself I’ve always had, and still have, and I see clear changes in who I’ve become over time. The way I describe this is that I haven’t become a different person, I’ve become increasingly more of who I truly am. I am becoming who I’m meant to become. If I’m lucky, I will continue becoming more of myself until the day I die.
Sometimes this growth is pleasant and joyful, but much of the time it’s painful. I’ve had experiences that filled me with awe, and I’ve had experiences that I thought would break me. All of it has shaped me, but only because I am paying attention and being intentional.
These are the two ideas I want to highlight in this post: paying attention and being intentional.
Pay Attention
The thing to pay attention to, first and foremost, is your impact. You are always having impact on the world and the world is always having impact on you. The only question is whether you notice the impact and make sense of it. Think of it as the dance of life, or the game of life. You are in relationship with the world … your inner world, your behavior, the other humans around you, the teams you are a part of, the institutions you are a part of, even the planet you inhabit.
You create impact on the world through your actions, your words, and your way of being. The world makes an impact on you in the way you respond to it. The world is always acting upon you, from the behavior of others to the weather outside. The impact it creates in you comes from how you respond. Pay attention to how you are responding.
Be Intentional
Paying attention will help you become more aware of the intentions you carry. Most of the time we’re carrying our intentions unconsciously, driven by fear and desire. We fear things and we want things. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense, but for the modern world we live in, it can limit us.
If we don’t get under the surface of the fears and desires that drive us, our personal growth will stall. Getting under the surface empowers you to make more conscious choices about how you live your life, and how you experience your life. You can live your entire life without transcending the basic patterns established in childhood, or you can spend the rest of your life uncovering your patterns and intentionally growing beyond them.
I am motivated by the belief that I get just one life on this earth. I want to experience my life fully, in every moment that I can. No matter what I am experiencing, I can pay attention and intentionally grow from the experience.
Now, ask yourself, who are you becoming?
Mike Caracalas
Professional Executive Coach
michael.caracalas@utsouthwestern.edu
About the Author
Before becoming a professional coach with his own Leadership Coaching firm, Mike Caracalas worked for Sun Microsystems and YUM! Brands in training, HR, and leadership development. He holds a B.A. in psychology, M.A. in organizational psychology, CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach), and PCC (Professional Certified Coach).