Which One
If I ask you how to define goals what would you say? What if I ask you to define growth? What if I ask you what the difference of goals vs growth is? If you can’t answer that’s ok. Someone who’s a lot smarter and more successful than me took care of that, John Maxwell. In one of John’s books he talks about growth, that’s the whole point of the book. This part he compares the two and gives examples.
- Goals – focuses on a destination, motivates you, seasonal, challenges you, stops when a goal is reached.
- Growth – focusses on the journey, matures you, lifelong, changes you, keeps you growing beyond the goal.
Growth over Goals
For me especially the last five years goals were all I was focused on. I figured if I want to be successful I need goals and big ones. If I want my dreams to come true then I need to set goals to help reach and accomplish those goals. Well, that last sentence is true. You still need goals to help push you and keep you focused. But what if I tell you that’s, not the only thing?
I would say the last year especially the last few months after reading this book. Growth and the journey seemed to catch my attention a lot more. Seeing where I was five-plus years ago to now is cool. Seeing what I have accomplished in the last five years, especially the last two. But overall the growth that I have seen is way sweeter than the goals.
Different Phases
Now, look at my past, or past blog posts. I have a handful of posts talking about goals. I’m not saying they are bad that’s far from it. All I’m saying is for me I thought it was an end goal and destination I have been searching for over the last few years. But if you ask me and what I have seen and learn over that same time, it’s the journey that was more memorable and better.
Seeing where I was freshman year to senior year in high school. From 18 years old to 21 years with very little change and growth. Just going through life and paving the way for what’s next. 22 years old to 24 going through a lot of hard times and struggling and searching and slowly and I mean slowly starting to change. 25 too present time right now, I’m a whole new person.
Part Of the Journey
Like always I don’t say all of this to brag and pat myself on the back. That’s far from what I’m trying to do. Like always I’m trying to give you a better example of what I was going through and use that example for your own life.
I have battled weaknesses, embraced the suck, trying to take in my accomplishments and enjoy the journey so far along the way. That my friends that’s what’s been the biggest thing I have learned so far. It’s not publishing multiple books and having a handful of speaking engagements and going on tv and everything else in between. That’s all part of the ride I was on every day to get me here.
Just Beginning
The biggest thing is I didn’t settle. I didn’t just pick something and ride it out and roll with it. I did what I had to do every day going through my life of course. But in the back of my mind, I knew there was something else out there. Something bigger and especially bigger than me.
I’m not done yet and I have said it before. I feel like my journey is only beginning if you ask me. But what I haven’t figured it out yet is if that’s a good thing or bad thing? I guess you could look at it either way. But if you ask me I think it’s a good thing because I already went through everything I went through to get me here. Now I know where I was and I don’t want to go back. I’ve learned and grew and battled with goals vs growth and now I know what I’m focused on.
It’s Been A Crazy Ride
My growth is way more important than the individual goals that I set for myself. I still have goals and am still pushing to accomplishing those goals and I always will set goals. But now what I’m starting to realize and see is it’s not just the goals in front of me and where I want to go. Its where I was and what I overcame and accomplished along the way to get me there.
Now I still struggle with taking in my accomplishments. I have published two books in a year. Read probably 95 books in about six years. I have written the first draft to four other books and have three other books in the back of my mind that I want to write down the road. One of my books hit #1 on Amazon’s new releases in three different categories. I was on tv with my beautiful wife and dog talking about that same book.
Keep Going
I have done a lot and my wife’s proud and happy and so is my family. But this is where I will get into trouble haha. I feel like I haven’t done that much, YET. Its because I’m hard on myself and my toughest critic, bad habit. I put these expectations on myself and pushing myself trying to improve and grow and get better that sometimes I get so focused on goals and not growth.
I know what you’re supposed to do but I fall for my own tricks sometimes. Now I’m trying to enjoy the last 30 years of my life and looking where I was and now where I am going. But especially the last eight years were the most special. Looking back the goals vs growth outlook helped get me to where I am today. These last eight years helped create the person I am today and I wouldn’t change, a thing.