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By Dan Sullivan
The most successful individuals in today's world of
continual change are those who can grow throughout their lives. "Lifetime
growth" itself obviously requires intelligence, but that is just
the start. Many highly intelligent people stop growing in terms of their
enthusiasm, alertness, receptivity, flexibility and adaptability long
before they are physically old. What’s missing from their lives is
a set of basic attitudes and habits that keeps them fresh and innovative
in their responses to the world around them. The following are seven "laws"
for experiencing continual growth, based on observing the behavior of
individuals who are still motivated, learning, changing and succeeding
at an advanced age.
1. Always make your future bigger than your past.
A bigger future is essential for lifetime growth. The past has two main
uses: It is rich with experiences that are worth thinking about in new
ways--and all of these valuable experiences can become raw material for
creating an even bigger future. Approach your past with this attitude,
and you will have an insatiable desire for even better, more enjoyable
experiences. Use your past to continually create a bigger future, and
you will separate yourself from situations, relationships and activities
that can trap you in the past. Continually use your past only as a foundation
for what lies ahead, and ensure that your future is always bigger than
your past.
2. Always make your contribution bigger than your reward.
Increased contribution to others is essential for lifetime growth. As
you become more successful, numerous rewards will come your way: increased
income, praise, recognition, reputation, status, capabilities, resources
and opportunities. These are all desirable things, but they can be growth-stoppers.
They may tempt you to become fixated on just the rewards, rather than
on making still greater contributions. The one sure guarantee that rewards
will continually increase is not to think too much about them. Instead,
continue making an even greater contribution--by helping others eliminate
their dangers, capture their opportunities and maximize their strengths.
Greater rewards will automatically result from this. Always focus on creating
new kinds of value for larger numbers of people, and ensure that your
contribution is always greater than your reward.
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Continually use your past only as a foundation for what lies ahead, and ensure that your future is always bigger than your past.
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3. Always make your learning greater than your experience.
Continual learning is essential for lifetime growth. You can have a great
deal of experience and be no smarter for all of the things you've done,
seen and heard. Experience alone is no guarantee of intellectual growth.
But continually transform your experiences into new lessons, and you will
make each day of your life a source of growth. The smartest people are
those who can transform the smallest event or situation into breakthroughs
in thinking and action. Look at all of life as a school and every experience
as a lesson, and your learning will always be greater than your experience.
4. Always make your performance greater than your applause.
Increased performance is essential for lifetime growth. If you become
more skillful and useful, you will receive greater applause from an expanded
audience. This can be intoxicating, and the temptation will be to start
organizing your life around other people's recognition and praise. You'll
keep repeating what got you the applause in the first place--rather than
moving on to something new, better and different. The applause will become
more important to you than your improved performance. The greatest performers
in all fields are those who always strive to get better. No matter how
much acclaim they receive they keep working to improve their performance.
Continually work to surpass everything you've done so far, and your performance
will always be greater than your applause.
5. Always make your gratitude greater than your success.
Increased gratitude is essential to lifetime growth. Only a small number
of people in life are continually successful over the long run. The reason?
They recognize that every success comes from the assistance of many other
people--and they are continually grateful for this support. Conversely,
the people whose success stops at some point are those who cut themselves
off from everyone who has helped them. They see themselves as the sole
cause of their own achievements. As they become more self-centered and
isolated, they lose their creativity and ability to succeed. Continually
acknowledge others' contributions, however, and you will automatically
create room in your brain and in the world for much greater success. You
will continually be motivated to achieve even more for those who have
helped you. Focus on appreciating and thanking others, and the conditions
will always grow for your increased success.
6. Always make your enjoyment greater than your effort.
Increased enjoyment is essential for lifetime growth. Some high achievers
continually brag about how hard they work, about how much they've sacrificed
to be successful. They use this as a psychological weapon to prove their
superiority over people who don't put in an equal amount of effort. But
this arrogant attitude regarding hard work quickly makes them boring to
themselves and others--preventing them from being more creative and useful
in the world. To grow continually requires increasing enjoyment from your
work. Creativity in all fields of activity is intimately linked to playfulness--the
constant desire to do new things just for the fun of it. Approach everything
you do with this sense of play, and you will always ensure that your enjoyment
is greater than your effort.
7. Always make your confidence greater than your comfort.
Increased confidence is crucial for lifetime growth. Many successful people
start off life as dreamers and risk-takers, but the moment they become
successful, they start seeking greater security and comfort as their main
goal. This attitude puts them to sleep motivationally, and they lose the
confidence that made them so successful. Security and comfort are desirable
by-products of goal achievement, but when they become the goal itself,
they quickly stop lifetime growth. Treat any increase of comfort in your
life as only a temporary stage for establishing bigger goals. Continually
strive for higher goals and achievement, and your confidence will always
be greater than your comfort.
TM & ©2002. The Strategic Coach Inc. All rights reserved. Used
with permission.
Dan Sullivan is co-founder and president of The
Strategic Coach. He will be the keynote speaker for NAIFA's
2002 Convention
and Career Conference.
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