GROWTH ENVIRONMENT MASTERY
Master Your Environment to Create Your Own Growth
Key concept #3: You Are a Work in Progress
The third key concept in mastering your external growth environment is accepting that you are a work in progress and always will be
Why? Many young people believe that the education they receive in high school and college (if they can afford to attend) is all they need to succeed as adults in the workplace and in life. As a result, their focus is on completing school and graduating, rather than cultivating or rekindling their innate desire to learn and developing the lasting skills they will need as adults.
There is much more to learn in order to function as a competent adult in the real world. This includes skills like filing taxes, renting or purchasing a home, budgeting for monthly expenses, establishing credit, and using debt financing intelligently.
In addition, there are essential qualities not specifically emphasized in school that are crucial for adult life. These include patience, effective communication, self-control, endurance, resilience, and the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges that arise in life. In short, you are a work in progress.
FACTS: BY THE NUMBERS
According to a survey by McGraw-Hill Education, only 40% of college seniors feel prepared to pursue a career after receiving their degree. – collegesofdistinction.com
High school students believe their education is preparing them for college, but they are less confident that their coursework is preparing them for the workforce. – www.edweek.org
One of the key takeaways from recent surveys published by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, MO, is that 81% of students felt that high school prepared them “very” or “somewhat” well for college, compared to just 52% who felt it prepared them for the workforce. – www.edweek.org
Based on research and statistics, many young people realize they’re not fully prepared for the real world after college.
Instead of rushing through school as if graduation is the finish line, mentally and emotionally accept that you are a work in progress. You will continue to learn throughout your life. Develop a thirst for learning, as this will set you up for success for the rest of your life.
Highly successful people attribute their achievements to continuous learning, development, and evolution. They never stop growing; it's a natural process for them.
Using our tree analogy, a seed doesn’t worry about what kind of tree it will become. It doesn’t concern itself with its size or feel dissatisfied with its place in the growth cycle. It simply grows—naturally and effortlessly.
Stay focused on where you are in your development cycle. Learn to love learning, and you will be set for life.
Focus On Now
In the cross-section of a tree, you'll see growth rings. These rings are visible indicators of the tree’s growth each year.
Growth rings tell the story of each year’s growth. Thicker rings suggest more growth, often due to favorable conditions like abundant rain. Thinner rings indicate less growth that year, perhaps due to a drought or an especially harsh winter that restricted the tree’s development.
Similarly, our personal growth may vary based on circumstances beyond our control. Some years, we may learn and grow more than others. Either way, it’s essential to recognize and track your growth. Unlike simply getting good grades, true growth involves applying knowledge and developing skills, traits, or qualities that will benefit you for life.
How do you track your growth and improvement? Write your answer down in your journal..
Rings of Growth
Mistakes Simply Mean Room for Growth
Embracing your work-in-progress status allows you to learn from mistakes and adjust your growth path. To navigate failures:
Be resilient. Bounce back by focusing on solutions, not the mistake. Identify ways to avoid repeating it, such as through better preparation or seeking help.
Compete with yourself. Avoid comparing your progress to others. Embrace your unique strengths and concentrate on personal improvement rather than external benchmarks.
Set small challenges. Gradual progress is key. Break down larger goals into achievable steps to foster steady advancement.
Be persistent. Self-improvement requires patience and endurance. Acknowledge the changes in yourself and stay consistent in your efforts.
Celebrate victories. Combat discouragement by appreciating every achievement, no matter how small. Recognize and celebrate each positive step toward becoming your best self.
Metacognitive Goal
Your metacognitive goal for today’s lesson is to reflect on your growth rings from the past. Can you remember specific school years or experiences when you made tremendous progress? Were there years, subjects, or teachers during which you experienced less growth than usual?
The goal is to recognize your growth as a person without using grades as the sole indicator of progress. For the years when you experienced greater growth, try to determine why. Did you enjoy the subjects or teachers more? Were you getting more rest, or was your schedule less hectic? Identify the factors that contributed to these periods of greater growth.
Write your findings in your journal.
You can be both a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time