Hey friends,
This week's framework is dedicated to growth of any type (personal, business, relationships, etc.).
I wanted to understand the steps that lead to success. These are the ideas I distilled from personal experience and observation.
Use this cycle for new aspects of your life, or to work through old ones. Feel free to start anywhere on the circle!
🏃 Action
Action is going to be our defining step in this process. It is putting what you think you know, into practice and seeing what happens. If you are unsure where to begin, start here.
Keep this step simple. Determine what you want to do, and how you will do it. Then, move towards it immediately.
Disclaimer: Be careful not to overload yourself with too much action. If you focus only on action, you may lose sight of where you are headed.
🪞 Reflection
We are doomed to make the same mistakes if we are unable to reflect on the actions we take. The purpose of this step is to correct your direction if needed. Or - give confirmation that you are on the right path.
Take a step back.
Is what you are doing working? Can it be done better?
Is it moving you closer to achieving your goals, in a way that is beneficial to yourself and others?
I have found that the process of reflecting is best done in writing form. Being able to see your thoughts on paper provides clarity and allows you to revisit them at a later time.
📖 Learning
Reflection should help you identify what you need to learn.
- Where are there holes in your understanding?
Many others have already taken the steps of action & reflection. Their knowledge and experiences are available to you — take advantage of them. You don’t need to go through the whole process of trial and error if someone else has already done it.
You’ll go through a similar process, but you can avoid pitfalls by learning from the knowledge of others.
Where to learn:
- Media: books, youtube, courses & podcasts.
- People: mentors & peers (everyone knows something you don’t).
Learning is a form of action, but knowledge acquisition without any real-world application will leave us with a head full of knowledge and nothing to show for it (I have fallen victim to this trap!).
Full circle
Once you are equipped with the proper knowledge, circle back around to taking action.
Each aspect of the circle has its own time and place. If you neglect any part of the circle, you will experience lopsided growth.
Bias action and magnify the process with reflection and external learning.
📚Quotes of the week
“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” - Abraham Maslow
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” - Ernest Hemingway
Have a great weekend,
Rocky