GROWTH ENVIRONMENT MASTERY

To create your own growth, you must master your environment first.

Key Concept #5: Elements for Growth

Grow and thrive with nutrients, water, sunlight, and CO₂.

In the previous lesson, we explored how we acquire various types of knowledge and how information about a subject or about ourselves can influence our future. Our main focus was on how curiosity serves as a tool for building either deep or wide roots.

We compared nutrients to general information, and we also discussed the knowledge about ourselves that includes the development of durable skills. In this lesson, we’ll explore the additional elements necessary for a seed, plant, or tree to grow and thrive.

**Water: Refreshment for Growth**

**While certain plants, like cacti, require less water than others, every plant needs water to survive and thrive. Moreover, water is essential for productivity.**
Water plays a crucial role in a plant’s ability to produce carbohydrates, which benefit other living things.
Similarly, to create a positive growth environment that enhances your productivity, it’s essential to incorporate water-like, refreshing activities into your schedule.
What activities refresh, energize, or nourish your soul? Is it hiking, playing or listening to music, lifting weights, doing yoga, painting, or surfing?
Engaging in activities that refresh, energize, and inspire you is vital for maintaining productivity and creating your optimal external growth environment.

**Sunlight: Infusing You with Confidence and Power**

**Energy from the sun is used to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates (sugars), which plants then use to grow.**
Extending this analogy, encouragement and praise can act like sunlight, infusing you with confidence and boosting your self-esteem—thereby empowering you to grow and positively impact others.
However, just like plants, individuals may require different amounts of praise and encouragement.
You have control over this aspect of your external growth environment. Limit the time you spend around negative or critical people, and build a circle of friends who are supportive, encouraging, and positive.

Much like carbon dioxide, often seen as waste produced by humans but repurposed by plants to convert energy and water into essential sugars, the words people say— including critiques and constructive criticism—can hold hidden potential. While these verbal expressions may seem negative on the surface, they offer an opportunity for growth. By taking a cue from nature, we can sift through seemingly adverse remarks, identify the valid points, and use them as a catalyst for positive change, just as plants harness carbon dioxide to fuel their growth.

While the ability to identify relevant points from seemingly adverse remarks falls within the realm of the internal growth environment, we include it here because, oftentimes, we can't escape external input, whether it comes from a teacher, parent, or boss—all of which are part of your external growth environment.

Carbon Dioxide: Turning a Negative into a Positive

Vital for Life: Get What You Need to Grow

Many people overlook the importance of examining their external growth environment, but it’s crucial that you assess yours. Take the time to determine whether the people, attitudes, culture, and mindsets you encounter daily are truly the best external growth environment for you.

It’s vital to ensure you have the necessary elements for growth: nutrients (knowledge), water and sunlight (refreshing activities and positive relationships), and CO₂ (input and feedback from others to aid improvement).

Metacognitive Goal

For this lesson, take note of the elements for growth that are present or missing in your external growth environment.

Do you allocate time for activities that bring you joy, reinvigorate you, or recharge your energy?
Are there individuals in your life who are consistently encouraging, positive, and willing to praise and compliment you? Or do you find that most of the people you associate with tend to be critical and discouraging?
Consider your response to constructive criticism. For instance, if someone were to point out that you interrupt people mid-sentence, would you become defensive, choose not to engage, or could you analyze the statement objectively to determine its validity and, if applicable, identify the cause and solution?