Yesterday, my FB popped up a memory reminder with a quote that I posted two years ago. The words still bring great reminders:
"Japanese Koi fish has unlimited growth potential. When the Koi fish is put into a small fish bowl, it will only grow two or three inches in length. But when it is put into a large tank or even small pond, it will grow six to ten inches. If placed in an even bigger pond, it will grow to one and one half feet. Finally, if it is put into a large lake where it can really stretch out, it will grow to three feet. The size of the fish is proportional to the size of its environment." - - Harvey Mackay
If you take an honest assessment in the environment you are in, are you in the right pond size that matches your growth potential? Or are you merely swimming in the pond busily but have somewhat lost that sense of excitement that naturally come with stretching? Wanna offer an ABC principle of growth to encourage you.
1. Accountability Partners: As you see these words, you were probably thinking that it's very hard to find one in today's busy life style. Who would have time to care for what you are going through and sit down with you to evaluate regularly? But if we think closer, may be there will be someone in your lives who you naturally get the chance to meet up. For me, the most natural accountability partners are my kids. They are in the age that understand what I am trying to achieve. If you give your kids the permission to check on you, you would be amazed how good your kids are in keeping you accountable. It would be a very meaningful exercise for them to witness your discipline and tenacity too. As a matter of fact, I invited my kids to help me brainstorm the ABC of growth in today's blog. I need three words that start with A,B,C with the right meaning that matches this topic. They offered their thoughts before they headed out the door. When they come home today, I will share with them the final post and it creates a great sense of "togetherness" as if this is not just my goal, but our's.
2. Bite-Size Goal: For most people, once we stepped out of the campus life, growth doesn't seem to come naturally. We no longer have a big chuck of time to learn. But if we break things into bite size, we may be amazed with the return we can reap through small and consistent steps. The key is "balanced." Don't take a big bite occasionally, keep it small and with the rhythm that is manageable. For me, I am trying to grow my writing skills, and so, I am setting up a daily 30 minutes free write exercise. I literally set my timer in order to safeguard the time to prevent myself from spending too much time on a single blog, a luxury that I don't have at the moment. As I am typing these words, I glanced over to my timer, and it's at 13 minute marks. I still have one more paragraph to go.
3. Courage: Often time the reason for us to stay within a pond that we have outgrown already is not the attractiveness of the current pond, but rather, the lack of courage to leap over to another bigger tank. After all, there are life obligations to fulfill, bills to pay and the cozy feeling that comes with familiarity. Yes, we may not be overly excited with where we are, but we know the path and we can travel with ease. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Yes, journeying on an untraveled path takes courage. However, in order "to step toward your destiny, you might have to step away from your security . . . Sometimes the best decision you can make is to go, even when it would easier just to stay where you are." (Craig Groeshcel).
Okay, my 30 minutes is almost up, gonna go. I am trusting God to put these daily reflections into the right readers at the right time to make an impact. I may never become an official writer in my life time with my own book, but I am taking a leap of faith jumping into a bigger pond, seeking for growth and breakthrough. May my daily 30 minutes carry me to a higher ground, a wider pond, and deeper sea. One thing for sure, my vacabulary bank will grow . . . May God bless your quest as well.