Growth - The Delta we Seek.

This Article is in the making, pls give it some time

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Sparked by Curiosity

Curiosity is the best guide. Your curiosity never lies, and it knows more than you do about what's worth paying attention to (...) you can nurture it and let it drive you.
- P. Graham

The things we like to achieve.

The psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) is interesting to me for two things: he was one of the first to focus on the positive aspects of human nature (like self-actualization) and - of course - his pyramid of needs.

Growth comes in many different colors and shapes. Personally, with my life progressing and my experiences accumulating, so did the velocity of growth potential increase. I'd argue that the higher up on the hierarchy of needs you try to make a dent, the higher the complexity.

So, the growth pyramid would be an inverse of our needs: Image of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Source: simplypsychology.org

The more we get used to caring for our physiological and safety needs, the quicker we find solutions. Once we take care of our basic needs sufficiently well they fade from our perception of important things to do.
This shows why our vitality - our health and fitness - is so fundamental: it literally will carry all the rest.
So, we move on to higher needs - also called growth needs - and that's where at least I need more time and dedication to grow into the person I wish to be, the people who surround me, the way I am perceived.
And, when looking at the top of the pyramid, it is clear that the desire for self-actualization will never really end, the need to further grow might even intensify once you apply it to all areas of your life.

Grow best from a position of strength.

Growth proceeds from the basic the complex. It relies on your basic needs being fulfilled. Once our basic needs are met, we can then start to focus on our growth needs, such as self-esteem, self-actualization, and self-transcendence.

What delta can we actually seek?

There are many ways to make a difference. When it comes to growing ourselves into a more advantageous position, I can think of 7 sources of advantage that typically are in your control:

Curiosity
Hard work - Some people work harder.
Energy - Only an advantage when mixed with integrity.
Differentiation - Seeing the world differently. Doing something different. Reading different books. Interpreting the same information differently.
Partner - the right person at your side, not only in business but, in life. The right partner will 10x your life. The wrong one might hold you back.
Process / Discipline - Creating a process and following it. Working out every day is a great example.
Talent Collector - The ability to hire the best people and get the most out of them. Also means working with coaches
Patience - A lack of patience changes the outcome.
Ability to take pain - Are you willing to look like an idiot to get better? How much risk are you willing to take, AND, importantly, can you handle the losses?
Temperament - Keeping your head when everyone else is losing theirs.

...and two elements outside our circle of control:

Raw talent/intelligence - Some people are just naturally better / smarter.
Luck
Privilege

When it feels like we make no progress...

The trouble with (exponential) growth is that the curve feels rather flat in the beginning. It isn't; it's still a growing curve. But we can't grasp that intuitively, so we underrate exponential growth in its early stages and over-value its effects in the later stages.

Positioning and Consistency over Bursts and Outcome

Growth happens often slower than we'd like to see it. Once you zoom out, think about the past months, years, decades, it starts to show much clearer. What matters is to be aware in which direction of growth you position yourself and then consistently move on. This does not imply that every day will be 100% growth, but at least 1%.

Experiments for growth.

Experimental mindset

This section will talk about how I learned to think in experiments of 30 up to 90 days and how it helps me test, iterate and accept new things.

Think in Experiments.

Maslow said, "What a person can be, they must be." In order to grow, we need to challenge ourselves and step outside of our comfort zone. I nurture my experimentalist mindset, think in testing-periods of 30-90 days.

Invitations to grow

Sometimes, life begs you to change something. Like a ball pushed under water, it will be increasingly difficult to keep it below the surface. Where does life beg you to listen? Your health? Your insecurities on talking to others? Listen, and observe. Then define and act.

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