August 18, 2025

Confidence comes from consistency, and consistency comes from high-level habits. – Trish Blackwell

In John Maxwell's book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, the Law of Design emphasizes the importance of having a strategy to maximize your growth. Here are four key considerations to keep in mind while developing your growth strategy.

• Set aside time to grow. Your daily agenda determines the secret to success. You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret to success is found in your daily routine. Be practical with growth – put it on your calendar. Never rely on enthusiasm to replace rigorous discipline and a detailed plan. To sustain growth, you need to schedule it.

• Identify your areas of growth.  Success comes when we identify our natural talents and then work diligently to develop them into extraordinary skills. Concentrate on fine-tuning your strengths, on climbing from above-average to excellent.

• Find resources in your area of growth. People keep a poker close to a fire so they can stir the coals and keep the fire hot. In the same way, stay close to passionate people who can stir up your curiosity. Associate with fellow learners who will challenge your thinking and inspire you to grow.

• Knowing where you’ve been determines where you’re going. Start keeping a detailed calendar every day to track how you spend your time. Then, annually, review it, looking at the time you’ve spent doing various activities. Add it up and determine whether you followed through on your priorities, if you allowed something to take over your time, or if you need to adjust and grow in any area. This system will help you determine what you should do less of, what you should do more of, and what you should eliminate.

Intentionally Own It! What personalized growth does this message encourage me to pursue, and why does it matter? When will I take action, and what value will it add to my life and the lives of others when I do?