PofE 033: Book Review – The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth – John Maxwell

 Premise: 

The premise of "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth" by John Maxwell is that focusing on growth is more important than focusing on goals. Obtaining a goal will help you accomplish a task or dream but personal and professional growth will change who you are.

What I learned:

• You need to be intentional about growth. You have to be focused on growth and you have to desire to want to grow and develop a plan for growth. You need to identify where you currently are and where you would like to be over a period of time and then establish a program that will take you there. Take the time and map out how you are going to accomplish your growth goals. What are you going to learn, read, and study to develop your skills and knowledge in your area of interest.

• You must know yourself to grow yourself. You have to know where you're starting from, so completing a Myers-Briggs analysis or other personality test will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a key aspect of  developing a growth plan. Knowing your current skill level and your current capabilities are critically important to developing a growth plan.
• You must see value in yourself to add value to yourself. You will take care of yourself if you think you are worth taking care of. You know this is true when you see someone who's not willing to put in the time to develop themselves. It's because of how they see themselves. It boils down to how you see yourself. Are you someone worth the effort no matter what the cost, are you willing to pay the cost to develop yourself?
• When you learn to pause you allow your thinking to catch-up.  To grow you must take time to think. In John's book, I learned that you have to take time to evaluate your thinking on a weekly basis. Take time to meditate on what you're learning and reading. When you find a great book, don't go right to the next one, but take some time in between good books and reflect. Listen to the audio version of the book, listening and looking at it from different angles, write notes to yourself about what you are learning and reflect. Some books you have to allow to cook slowly like a great stew in a crockpot.
• Motivation gets you going but discipline keeps you growing. This is so true. Think about the first of the year when everyone decides to go to the gym, read a book or develop a new skill. 
• Character growth determines the height of your personal growth. This is a challenging concept because it means you have to focus on growing in your character. Growing your character doesn't require IQ, it requires EQ.  Emotional quotient helps you stick to it when life gets tough and difficult. By growing perseverance, integrity, honesty and discipline, you will grow in your capability to grow personally.

Conclusion:

You have to apply these laws of growth to understand the impact of their value. I have covered only a few of the laws in John's book. It's an incredible read. If you desire to grow personally, you must be prepared to grow intentionally. You have to desire to grow and one way to create an environment of grow is to surround yourself with others who want to grow. Build relationships with people who want to grow and see the need to have them in your life.  

Write down your goals. Writing down your goals will imprint them in your mind and help you achieve them faster than you would believe possible.

Principles of Execution Key Concepts:

• 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth
• Professional Growth
• Personal Development