4 Ways We Sabotage Our Own Growth

VUCA is a popular term that gets tossed around modern-day corporate settings.  It is used as an acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity when describing the external business environment. Really though, its just jargon for “shit happens”.

2020 was a tough year to navigate for many of us and rather than talk about what is happening outside, I wanted to take a little time to talk about those things that are within our control. 

Below is a list of the 4 most common ways I observe people (including myself) sabotage their growth.

1.      Waiting for the Optimal Conditions

In an early episode of “The Simpsons”, Principal Skinner filling in for the recently laid off Otto the bus driver, quickly finds that if he continues to wait for traffic conditions to be perfect (external conditions), he will never be able to merge on to the highway.  I am often guilty of the same thing when it comes to undertaking a change in my life. Whether it be starting a new habit (I will cut back on alcohol after my birthday) or going for a run (the optimal humidity level is 20% and if its less or more, why run?) or bringing up a difficult topic with a loved one (the mood just wasn’t right and I didn’t want to risk it), we can always imagine a more optimal time.

The earlier we learn to accept that conditions will never be perfect, the sooner we can begin to change.

2.      Living in a Closed Loop

You ever sit there and have a friend tell you something they learned, except, while you listen, you realize that you already knew it because you listen to the same podcasts, or consume the same news?

Consuming the same media content day after day or never ordering anything different off the menu is going to atrophy our growth muscles.  While these items will make us comfortable, they will prevent us from having new experiences and hearing new perspectives.

Don’t listen to Elon Musk, closed loops aren’t the future.

3.      Giving Ourselves an Out

Death, taxes, and the ability to manufacture an excuse are three certainties in life.  Connected to #1, even when we are faced with what we have preconceived as the optimal time and conditions, we can still amazingly make the list of requirements longer.

No matter the circumstances, we will always be able to blame, justify or explain away the reason something didn’t happen.  The worst manifestation I see of this, is often individuals convincing themselves it wasn’t that important anyway. 

Lying to ourselves about what we really want is a sure fire way to stymie our growth.

4.      Thinking Growth is a Straight Line

We can quickly become frustrated when we aren’t witnessing our own steady progress.  Unfortunately, growth is anything, but steady.  When you were going through puberty did your body grow in the same way day after day?  Of course not, and it would be silly to think that our emotional, physical and intellectual selves, no matter our age, are any different.

Some days it can feel like we are growing by leaps and bounds yet others it can feel like our skills are actually receding. Play the long game, progress isn’t linear.

___

The world is a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous place, but don’t start there when thinking about your own growth. Take inventory, be honest with yourself and assess what you can do today to become more prepared to grow tomorrow. Don’t waste too much time thinking about things outside of your control, because if 2020 proved anything, shit happens.

 ***Note:  In a few weeks I will be launching a video series that tackles how to deal with each of these common obstacles to growth.