The Power of Intentional Choices: Your Path to Continuous Growth

The Crossroads

Sue stood at her office window, watching the sunset paint the city skyline in hues of orange and gold. Her promotion letter sat on her desk—the culmination of five years of dedicated work. Yet something felt missing.

"What's next?" she whispered to herself.

That day, her mentor asked a simple question: "What's your personal growth plan?" It left her speechless." Sue, like many of us, focused on climbing the career ladder. She didn’t think much about her growth as a leader or as a person.

That evening, Sue made a decision that would transform her life. She chose to grow intentionally. This growth was not just professional; it included her whole life. She started with small steps. First, she read for fifteen minutes each morning. Then, she wrote weekly reflection journals. Also, she had conversations with people who challenged her ideas.

Six months later, her colleagues noticed the difference. Her decisions were more thoughtful, her leadership more inspiring, and her presence more grounded. She wasn't just doing a different job—she was becoming a different person.

5 Key Takeaways

• Growth requires intentionality – It doesn't happen automatically while we focus elsewhere.

• Daily habits lead to big changes. So, your growth plan should be simple enough to follow regularly.

• Self-awareness precedes self-improvement – Understanding your strengths, requirements, and passions is essential.

• Environment shapes development – Surround yourself with growth-minded people who are ahead of you.

• Comfort zones hold you back. You grow when you step outside what you know.

The Choice to Grow

We make decisions that shape our future, then spend the rest of our lives managing the consequences of those choices.

When I was in my twenties and someone asked about my growth plan, I stood silent. Not because I was being difficult, but because I genuinely didn't know I needed one. Like many of you, I assumed growth would happen naturally as I gained experience.

I've discovered a powerful truth since then:

Growth is not automatic—it requires intentionality.

John Maxwell captures this beautifully in his "15 Laws of Personal Growth." The first law—the Law of Intentionality—reminds us that growth doesn't just happen while we're busy with other things. We must choose to grow on purpose.

Think about that for a moment. We don't automatically get better. We don't automatically develop stronger leadership skills or deeper self-awareness. The only automatic process in life is aging, and aging alone doesn't guarantee wisdom.

As John Wooden wisely noted, "There's a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that the choice you make, makes you."

Building Your Growth Foundation

The Law of Intentionality

Most of us want everything around us to change, yet remain unchanged ourselves. However, here's the truth that transformed my leadership journey: Everything improves when we improve.

Leadership development isn't a microwave process—it's more like a crockpot. Slow, intentional, and requiring daily attention. The secret to growing intentionally isn't found in occasional workshops or annual retreats. It's in your daily agenda.

Your growth plan must be:

• Simple

• Basic

• Practical

• Applicable

Why? So you can engage with it every single day.

Remember this: Your greatest investment will always be in yourself. If you wouldn't bet on yourself, why should anyone else?

The Law of Awareness

To grow effectively, you must have a deep understanding of yourself. I've found three powerful questions that guide this self-awareness:

1. What is required of me? Understand your responsibilities, expectations, and non-negotiables. Clarity here provides focus for your growth efforts.

2. What gives me the greatest return? Identify your strengths—those activities where you excel naturally. Focus on your strengths for growth, not your weaknesses.

When you invest heavily in weaknesses, you may achieve average performance with considerable effort. But when you invest in your strengths, you can achieve excellence. You become the best version of yourself by developing what you naturally do well.

3. What is rewarding to me? Discover what brings you joy and fulfillment. When you find alignment between your capabilities and your passions, you tap into a sustainable source of energy.

When these three elements converge—requirements, returns, and rewards—you discover your passion. And passionate people have boundless energy that inspires everyone around them.

The Law of Environment

Your growth thrives or struggles based on your surroundings. Many of us aren't positioned in environments conducive to our development.

What makes a growth environment? Here are the elements I've found essential:

• A place where others are ahead of you - If you're always the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.

• A place of continuous challenge - Comfort breeds complacency; challenges spark growth.

• A forward-focused culture - Yesterday ended last night. Your growth depends on where you're heading, not where you've been.

• An affirming atmosphere - Surround yourself with like-minded, growth-oriented people who encourage progress.

• Regular opportunities outside your comfort zone - You want to stretch beyond what feels safe, while still operating within your strengths. A place that energizes you daily - Growth should bring anticipation, not dread.

• An environment that embraces failure as learning - Expect mishaps and missteps. Learn to fail forward.

• A community where others are growing - Growth is contagious. Surround yourself with people on similar journeys.

• A culture that desires positive change - Static environments resist the very improvements you're seeking to make.

• A setting where growth is both modeled and expected - See examples of what continuous development looks like in practice.

Your Invitation

Today, I invite you to make a choice that will shape everything else in your life—the choice to grow intentionally.

Start small. Choose one area for development. Create a simple, daily practice. Find environments and people that challenge and support you.

Remember, the person you'll be one year from now is determined by the choices you make today. Choose growth.

What's your first step toward intentional growth? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.