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Achieve:

Growth

Personal Development and Mastery

academy

Answers: What am I becoming?

Moving forward personally or professionally. This is about feeling like you’re getting better, progressing as an individual, building competency and capabilities, and being motivated by that growth. It’s being happy about the person you’re becoming.

Lesson 1

INTRODUCTION

course objectives

Outline the five forms of growth.

Contrast the typical model of linear/straight line growth with the more organic model of growth.

Examine “tethers” in your life that have been the product of your own experience with “learned helplessness.”

Become intentional about your own growth strategies.

Learning Objectives

Discovering strengths and realizing personal growth is an essential part of your Journey to Purpose.

Growth enables us to move forward… to move past challenges, to discover new strengths, to turn inward and expand our sense of self, and to evolve and grow outward.

reflection activity

Growth Pre-Assessment

To chart whether you are growing as an individual, you can use the framework found in the Renewal Element that describes five key areas of being, including: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual, and Social.

Explore how you are growing in the activity below.

Activity: Growth Pre-Assessment

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In one or more of the areas below, identify how you are growing or improving. Don’t worry about having something in every category, or whether you’re growing in big or little ways. Try to find at least one category where you are intentionally seeking to grow.

PHYSICAL:

MENTAL:

EMOTIONAL:

SPIRITUAL:

SOCIAL:

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Lesson 2

Growth and Nature

The Secret River

Sometimes our growth is self-initiated and sometimes it comes from our environment. As we learn to navigate life’s obstacles, we will grow in ways we may not anticipate.

Lesson 3

Tethers

Learned Helplessness

Have past experiences in your life taught you to stop fighting or to stop trying? We often make the mistake of assuming our future is cemented in the experiences of the past.

reflection activity

What are Your Tethers?

A tether is something holding you back. Tethers may reside in you—fear, laziness, exhaustion, a lack of knowledge; or they may be positioned outside of or around you—certain environments, people, ideas, unreasonable rules or norms.

Explore your tethers in the activity below.

Activity: What are Your Tethers?

Lesson 4

The Wisdom of Trees

Rainforest

Trees in the rainforest have mastered the art of growth. We too must learn to grow despite challenges, competition, and the environment around us.

reflection activity

Tree Exercise

Trees reach their potential through the partnership of roots, trunk, branches, and leaves all working in concert. How about you?

Explore your resources in the activity below.

Activity: Tree Exercise

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Use the analogy of the tree to consider the various resources in your life that you can draw upon to contribute to your growth.

THE ROOTS. How can you become more attached to basic principles, ideas, and practices that are essential for your growth and success?

THE TRUNK. Describe the ways in which you’re developing your “core strength” and becoming strong enough to handle life’s inevitable storms.

THE BRANCHES. How are you spreading out and building relationships, attaching yourself to new resources, or seeking areas of support to sustain and empower your growth?

THE LEAVES. Express how you’re bringing in light and energy to fuel your energy and motivation to grow.

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Lesson 5

Two Strategies

Bend or Break

Observing nature can reveal important patterns about growth. Growth requires adaptation to our surroundings and sometimes a little help from those around us.

reflection activity

Two Strategies Exercise

There are two Growth Strategies to consider: “Bend or Break” and “Find Shelter.” Depending on the aspect of your growth you are considering, both may be applicable to you in some way.

The “Bend or Break” approach to growth, or Wu Wei, is the Buddhist art of knowing when to bend so that the weight of life doesn’t break you. Sometimes we think we can endure or bear anything. Maybe it’s not always a good idea to fight against things all the time—maybe some flexibility would be a better path.

The “Find Shelter” approach to growth accounts for times when you want to stand on “your own two feet.” The Elder Oak, person, group, or role model who shares many of life’s experiences can help you endure life’s early or unexpected storms if you’re willing to shelter with them for a while. Remember, Elder Oaks started out as little oaks at one time in their lives.

Consider your approach to the obstacles you are facing in the activity below.

Activity: Two Strategies Exercise

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Consider the two growth strategies, “Bend vs Break” and “Find Shelter,” as you answer the following questions.

How can you bend instead of break?

Consider an obstacle in your personal or professional life that seems overwhelming. Is there a “wu wei” strategy that might allow you to bend and adapt instead of facing it head on?

Who is your Elder Oak?

Is there someone in your personal or professional life you can lean into to benefit from their wisdom and experience? Who are they and why might they serve as the “Elder Oak” in your life?

Are you the Elder Oak?

Name someone with whom you have a good life or work relationship. Think of an area they have shared with you where they are trying to grow. Pick one thing, right now, that you could offer to them to aid in their growth. Set a goal with a deadline to make that offer. Every bit as powerful as experiencing your own growth is experiencing the joy of helping another person who wants your help to grow themselves.

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Lesson 6

Conclusion

Intentional Growth

What can you learn about growth from nature? As we are intentional about the ways we grow, we can develop and connect to both who we are and who we want to become.

We care deeply about helping you live your best life.

So much so, that I want to give you a free copy of my most recent book, Spiritual Resonance, to help you fully discover yourself and live authentically.

We’ve also created an assessment to help you discover your Identity, and have trained AI to understand and talk to you about your specific results!

Rusty Lindquist

Author, Founder, CEO Life Engineering

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