Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Appendix A

About the Author

Notes

How to Create a Plan for Personal Growth

The proven strategy to remove your growth gaps with a customized growth TRAC

Stephen Blandino

How to Create a Plan for Personal Growth

Copyright © 2013 by Stephen Blandino

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without prior written permission from the author.

Content from this book is derived from GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution by Stephen Blandino.

Cover design by Carl A. Earl

Editing by Brannon Golden and Trisha Heddlesten

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Introduction

“Happy New Year!” When you hear someone say those words, what comes to your mind? Chances are, besides picturing silly hats, noisemakers, people in heavy coats, glitter and confetti, you also think of resolutions. Many of us look to the final days of a year as an excuse to binge (even if it’s only a little) confident that in that first day of the New Year, we’ll make our fresh start.

New Year’s resolutions are common around the world. In fact, most “top ten lists” for New Year’s resolutions look a lot like this:

· Lose weight

· Stick to a budget

· Reduce debt

· Spend more time with family and friends

· Quit smoking

· Fall in love

· Enjoy life more

· Learn something new

· Volunteer or help others

· Get organized

If you’re in the ritual of setting New Year’s resolutions—or any kind of personal growth goal—there’s a good chance at least one of these ten made your list. So how’s it goin’? Have you made any progress? Did you start strong but now you’re wallowing in defeat? If so, don’t feel bad. You’re certainly not alone. In fact, only 8% of Americans say they always achieve their New Year’s resolutions…and three out of four almost never succeed.[1]

But is “setting goals” really the problem? The only thing a New Year’s resolution, or any kind of growth goal, is really good for is a destination. But that’s not enough. You also need a track you can run on.

That’s what this book is all about. In the pages that follow, I’ll show you how to become a lifelong learner, how to identify your personal growth gaps, and, most importantly, how to create a plan—what a call a TRAC—for personal growth.

The best part is that the Growth TRAC model I present is completely customizable. It’s not somebody else’s plan. It’s a growth-planning model that you design based on your personal growth needs.

The content from this e-book is derived from my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. If you want to learn more about the Growth TRAC model, or how to leverage the five levels of personal growth, GO! will help you dive deeper.

Chapter 1

Becoming a Lifelong Learner

God is telling a grand story—in fact, He has been telling that story ever since the creation. His story is filled with the beauty of Eden, the tragedy of Egyptian slavery, the awe of the parting of the Red Sea, and the glory of the Promised Land. His story drips with the blood of the cross and soars with the triumph of the resurrection. His story is good news.

The story God is writing features prostitutes, tax collectors, shepherds, kings, priests, fishermen, murderers, liars, and adulterers. It includes inventors, mechanics, builders, poets, and politicians. It has executives, engineers, nurses, musicians, athletes, and teachers. It features moms, dads, sons, and daughters. God’s story includes…you.

God’s story continues, and we each have a role. You could be an understudy or a headliner, but most of us settle for being extras or even worse, scenery. The Apostle Paul understood the importance of taking your place in God’s story when he wrote, “I, Paul, have been sent on special assignment by Christ as part of God’s master plan.”[2] He recognized that God has a master plan and that He’s invited us to play a part in it.

So what does God’s story have to do with being a lifelong learner? All learning has a driver, and what drives your learning profoundly shapes the person you become in God’s story.

What’s Driving Your Learning?

Everybody would agree that learning is essential to life. But lifelong learning is a different story. How many times have you learned for the sake of getting by rather than getting better? Between these two mentalities is the war zone where you’ll either win or lose your battle for lifelong learning. When you learn enough to get by—graduating school, getting a job, no longer leeching off mom and dad—it’s easy to start thinking, “That’s enough, I don’t need to get any better.” That approach to learning is ultimately driven by mediocrity—an attitude of mental laziness that blocks the road to your personal growth.

Mediocrity-driven learning carries with it an unintended consequence—irrelevance. American social writer Eric Hoffer observed, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

When mediocrity drives your learning, the focus is always on reaching a single goal. Once you’ve achieved the goal, you conveniently stop learning and start coasting on the momentum of your prior experience. You may not decide to start growing again until you find yourself outdated, and experiencing firsthand the pain of irrelevance. When that happens, your commitment to learning is reactive—you only do it when your environment demands that you grow and change to survive.

But there’s a much better type of learning…one driven by your missional potential. Missional potential is that sweet spot where your potential intersects God’s mission in the world. Your missional potential makes you sensitive to the story God is telling, and helps you proactively seek out learning opportunities that will help you better play your part in His story. When your learning is driven by your missional potential—rather than mediocrity—you’ll discover a purpose for your growth that is much bigger than yourself. Suddenly growth takes on eternal significance rather than being centered on selfish ambitions.

Mediocrity is a reactive form of learning that’s focused on survival or personal ambitions. It has a short-term nature with a goal to simply get by. But learning driven by our missional potential is proactive. It focuses on long-term growth and a continual contribution to God’s mission in the world.

The Apostle Paul chose his missional potential as his personal growth driver. He embraced his special assignment and walked in step with God’s master plan. This wasn’t a feel-good decision made in a moment of euphoria. It was a decision that Paul took to heart right up to the end of his life.

In his second letter to Timothy, as he was nearing death, Paul celebrated the fact that he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.[3] Then he made a special request: “Bring the winter coat I left in Troas with Carpus; also the books and parchment notebooks.”[4] When most people near the end of life, their final requests ease their regrets, restore their relationships, or comfort their weakening bodies. But not Paul! He refused to toss learning in the backseat just because his days were numbered. His books were among his final requests. Lifelong learning, driven by his missional potential, didn’t relinquish the driver’s seat until Paul drew his last breath.

Don’t let excuses paralyze you; refuse to be a reactive learner. Don’t wait for your life and circumstances to force you to grow. Too much is at stake—the very work God wants to do inside and around you—to let mediocrity dictate your learning. Proactive learning is an internal and intentional decision—one that requires you to draw a line in the sand and boldly grow.

Learning is the foundation of personal growth. It’s your starting point. It’s the skill that precedes all others. So how do you develop this skill in your life? It begins with three things: A decision to grow, a direction for growth, and a diet for growth.

A Decision to Grow

When I was in high school I made the wrong choice—I only learned when I had to, and just enough to get by. The only thing I went out of my way to learn was shortcuts. I didn’t cheat, but I also didn’t apply myself. I was typically content with Bs and Cs (even the occasional D or F). I rarely put in the time or effort to do better. One reason was that I hated reading. It didn’t matter what kind of reading—novel, history book, short story—reading was not my thing. Unlike my wife, who grew up with a steady diet of books, I restricted my reading to TV Guide. Reading drained me. And most of what I read was boring.

College could have opened my eyes to reading, but no way I was going to let that happen. Throughout most of college, I only cracked half of my textbooks. Nothing like spending dad’s money to buy books you never read. It wasn’t that I couldn’t read—I just didn’t like to. Turns out, I wasn’t alone. Only 45% of Americans over the age of 13 read a book in the course of a year.

After graduating college with all the answers, it took me a couple of years to realize just how little I actually knew. In fact, those first two years of ministry were…how should I say this?…an experiment in stupidity. I alienated people, made dumb decisions, had a negative attitude, and was extremely naïve. Once my pastor tried to buy me a book on attitude. Ironically, I was offended. As if all those things weren’t enough, I burned a hole in a church pew with a flash pot gone bad—less than 12 months after we remodeled the auditorium.

When I finally realized how well prepared I was for irrelevance, that newfound humility forced me into a learning mode. In the years that followed—mostly out of necessity—I developed a habit of reading. At first it was slow and inconsistent. I’d pick up a book here or there and occasionally read a magazine article. I can still remember reading John Maxwell’s early leadership book, Developing the Leader Within You, and thinking, “This is the best leadership book I’ve ever read.” Suddenly it occurred to me: “This is the only leadership book I’ve ever read.”

But that book, along with others, was a spark that ignited personal growth in my professional life. A subtle, but powerful, revolution had begun. I made a decision to grow. I took to heart the words of Mark Twain: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” And I discovered a simple truth—with every page I read, my appetite for personal growth grew.

Today I’m an avid reader, but more importantly, I’m a lifelong learner. I made a decision to grow, and then I followed that decision with baby growth steps. What about you? Would the people who know you well describe you as a lifelong learner? If not, that can change. But you must be intentional.

As simple as it sounds, many people never make that decision. It won’t happen if you just wait for life and your circumstances to demand that you grow—like I did when I started in ministry. Mediocrity is tempting, because it’s easy to just take a seat in someone else’s ride and let your potential lie dormant inside of you. But if you choose to cruise through life in the passenger seat, learning only when you have to, then your growth won’t be on your terms.

The true test of whether your decision sticks will be the behavior that follows it. But you won’t start until you first make a clear-cut, uncompromised decision. Your life today is the sum total of all your decisions. That means that your decision about personal growth today will greatly determine what your life looks like tomorrow.

Don’t take this decision lightly. And once you’ve made it, you’ll still have to manage it daily. Growth is a posture, not just a phase you go through. A phase lasts for a season and then it’s over. But a posture is an attitude. Your decision to be a lifelong learner is more than a single act of growth—it’s a frame of mind and a lifestyle of continual improvement. Don’t just flirt with the decision—marry it!

A Direction for Growth

Once you’ve settled the decision, you need to set a course. Not surprisingly, the direction you choose for your journey is your compass. Author and Harvard Business School professor John Kotter once observed, “Most people don’t lead their own lives—they accept their lives.” Leading your life always begins when you determine where you want to go with your life. In other words, where do you want to lead your life to? Or better yet, what direction does God want to lead your life in?

So how do you find direction for your growth? It’s simple: who you desire to become and what you desire to do gives direction to where and how you need to grow. The gap that exists between the current you and the future you holds the direction for your growth.

I was out of school for 15 years when I chose a growth course to pursue a master’s degree. Many people don’t return to school because they say, “It’s too late,” “What’s the point?” or “It’ll take too long.” But as a friend of mine once said, “Stephen, you can be 42 years old with a master’s degree or 42 years old without a master’s degree. Either way, one day you’ll be 42 years old.”

Going back to school was one of many growth courses I’ve chosen based on my understanding of my growth gaps and my missional potential. I came to realize that there’s no such thing as “too late” or “too long” when you’re a lifelong learner. And if you think you’re too old to learn something new, consider the story of Jim Henry from Connecticut. Jim’s father pulled him out of school as a young boy so he could help support his family. As a result, he was illiterate most of his life…until his mid-nineties when he finally learned how to read. He was so excited by his learning journey that he wrote and published a book when he was 98 years old. It’s never too late to explore new territory and choose a new direction in your learning journey.

A Diet for Growth

If making your decision to grow is the key to the car, and if choosing a direction to grow is your compass, then figuring out your diet for growth is the gas you put in your tank. If you don’t know how to fill your tank and keep it topped off, you’re in for a short trip. Your journey will be limited by the person you are today. Learning happens when the fuel you put in your growth tank works together with the decision you make and the direction you choose. What you have in your tank—and how often you refuel—determines how far you can go.

One day you’ll look back over your life and see just how far you’ve come. That moment will be the first time you can fully realize the true capacity God created within you. Unfortunately, some people won’t get to experience the joy of reflecting on a lifetime of learning. Instead, they’ll reach the end of a life of lazy living, wondering “what could have been” as they reflect into a rearview mirror filled with regrets. The problem wasn’t their God-given capacity, it was their lack of discipline to grow intentionally (and daily) by selecting the right growth diet. So what do you put in your growth tank? We’ll answer that question in chapter three, but first we need to face our growth gaps head on.

Chapter 2

Facing Your Growth Gaps

Growing up, all Jennifer ever wanted was to be a wife and stay-at-home mom. Her earliest memories of being five years old, rocking her baby sister in a rocking chair and imagining when she would one day have her own baby, stayed with her into adulthood. While her high school friends were choosing colleges because of their great pre-med programs and strong business schools, Jennifer looked for a school with a great elementary education program. Why? It wasn’t because she wanted to teach. Jennifer chose to get her teacher certification because if she ever HAD to work, at least she could keep the same schedule as her kids.

Jennifer eventually had three children, and loved staying home with them during their early years. For more than ten years she spent everyday caring for her home, taking her children on adventures, and being a companion to her husband. But something in Jennifer changed as the kids grew older and developed more independence. Jennifer said she “had no life outside of them,” and no idea what to do with herself now that they didn’t need her constant attention.

Her growing uneasiness was compounded when she attended a class I was teaching on the subject of life purpose. I prodded Jennifer with questions about her dreams, desires, and purpose, and what she was doing to develop them. Her curiosity was so engaged that she took the class twice. Jennifer said, “What I learned was perhaps the scariest idea that has ever occurred to me. I had NO idea what I wanted, where I was headed, or what I even liked. I had been so devoted to the growth of my family that I had completely neglected my own.”

The Year of Jennifer

Jennifer’s personal growth road map was so entirely blank that she felt desperate measures were in order. So she sat down with her husband and children, looked them in the eyes with bold resolve, and declared, “This is The Year of Jennifer!” Jennifer carefully explained that she was going to put herself first for one year and focus on developing herself personally. She was going to cook what she liked, watch and read whatever interested her, make spontaneous trips to get coffee or meet a friend, and take time to learn what her passions were. Jennifer wanted to discover her God-given potential and how to use her strengths beyond being a wife and mother. Though being a devoted wife and mother was one of her callings, it was not her only calling.

Jennifer admitted that for the first few months she felt extremely guilty and selfish. She had spent years putting everyone else first, and caring for her own needs and wants didn’t come easily. Declaring “The Year of Jennifer” might sound like the height of self-centered egotism, but Jennifer is truly a selfless person. She has a deeply compassionate spirit. She cares about her friends and expresses genuine love for her family.

Several times Jennifer came close to calling it quits, but she couldn’t shake the nagging questions in the back of her mind about her future. Derek, her husband, provided constant encouragement and accountability to keep her from abandoning her mission. And when my wife Karen and I spent time with Derek and Jennifer over dinner, the conversation inevitably turned to personal growth.

As the “Year of Jennifer” progressed, Jennifer caught glimpses of who she could become. To keep focused, she created a poster filled with magazine clippings that represented the life she wanted. She chose words, phrases, and pictures that had an emotional attraction to her and hung the poster in a spot where she would see it daily. She surrounded herself with books about finding personal strengths, callings, destiny, and “sweet spots.”

In daily living situations she often asked herself, “Does this take me closer to where I want my life to be or further from it?” And if Jennifer couldn’t answer, she recalled the images on her poster to remind her of where she was headed. Although it seemed elementary at times, it worked powerfully in her life.

As the year drew to a close, Jennifer actually felt a little sad that the “Year of Jennifer” was ending. She recalled, “What had started as an exercise in guilt actually ended in a wonderful new relationship…with myself. For the first time in my adult life I knew what I liked, what I wanted, and the beginnings of where I wanted my life to go. Above all, I realized that there shouldn’t be any sadness about my year coming to an end. I have before me the ‘Life of Jennifer’ and it is mine for the taking.”

Maybe you can relate to how Jennifer felt. Perhaps you’re staring at your own “blank personal growth slate” wondering what on earth your life is becoming. Maybe years have flown by and the only thing that has changed is the number of wrinkles on your forehead, the number of emotional scars in your soul, or the number of times a movie of dashed dreams has played over and over in your mind. Like Jennifer, you might be scratching your head in bewilderment as your eyes lock on the gap that exists between where you are now and where you ultimately want to be.

All of us have growth gaps. My friend Steve Moore refers to these gaps as our “capacity challenge.” The capacity challenge is the gap between the person you are today and the person you must become to reach your dreams. The following diagram best illustrates your ultimate God-given capacity, how much of your potential is being reached, and the remaining gap between the two.

Capacity defines what a person can contain. It is the total of your God-given potential. In the same way a milk carton has the capacity to hold a gallon of milk, God created every one of us with a specific capacity. In some areas of life, your capacity is like a gallon, in others it’s like a quart, and in still others it’s like a pint. Put simply, your strengths are greater in some areas than others. The more you understand your greatest strengths (how God uniquely designed you), the more you will understand where you have the largest capacity for personal growth. Let me give you some personal examples.

My capacity for leadership is greater than my capacity for basketball. My capacity for teaching is far greater than my capacity for music. My capacity for writing exceeds my capacity for counseling. No matter how hard I work to grow the low-capacity areas of my life, my performance in these areas will only marginally improve. In areas of weakness, I am limited by a very low capacity ceiling. It’s not a matter of effort or desire. It’s completely a matter of capacity.

If I acquired leadership coaching, my leadership abilities could grow by say, 20 percent. However, no matter how many basketball camps I diligently participate in, I will never excel on the basketball court. Simply stated, my capacity for growth in leadership, teaching, and writing will always outperform my capacity for basketball, music, and counseling. The same is true for you: the gifts and passions God builds in to you define the areas where you have the greatest capacity and aptitude for growth.

Your Present State

Your growth gap is like the half-full cup in the diagram above. The size of your gap is felt the most when you understand your present state…that is, how much of your potential you’re currently reaching. The cup might have the capacity to hold twelve ounces, but your present state may show you reaching only 40 percent of your potential. This is a crucial point to understand: just because your life has capacity for growth doesn’t mean it will automatically be filled to capacity.

Many people go through life with the capacity to do far more than they’re currently even trying. They’re only realizing half of their potential because they haven’t developed the other half. Only by developing ALL of our potential can we reach our full God-given capacity and, ultimately, fulfill the mission He created us for. When you grow consistently, you’re closing the gap between being half-full and being filled to the brim.

This gap is what Jennifer came face-to-face with and resolved to do something about. She had to acknowledge her present state, capture a dream for her life, look squarely at the gap between the two, and then take action to close that gap. And that’s exactly what she did. One year after the “Year of Jennifer” came to an end, Jennifer completed her first full-time semester of grad school. Her satisfaction level, sense of purpose, and understanding of God’s plan for her life is clearer than ever.

This gap is what I came face-to-face with during my early years of leadership. It wasn’t until I made a conscious decision to grow, chose a direction for my growth, and secured a diet for growth that I actually began to close my growth gaps. I still have plenty of gaps today, but I’ve closed many gaps through years of consistent personal growth.

The gap is a reality in all of our lives. Nobody is immune to the gap, but how people respond to it is as diverse as the gap itself. Some people don’t even recognize that a gap exists. They struggle with nearsightedness, walking obliviously past every opportunity to grow. Others acknowledge the gap in some areas of their life but ignore it in others. They grow cafeteria style, thinking, “I’ll take a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” Still, others take their growth gaps seriously, choosing to grow on purpose in strategic areas of their life.

Having the Courage to Face Your Growth Gaps

None of us truly know our full potential. But as we grow, so does our understanding of the capacity God created in us. Today’s growth usually reveals tomorrow’s potential. And tomorrow’s potential gives us glimpses of our ultimate capacity. Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, says that one key to creating personal spiritual momentum is to “do today what I can do, to enable me to do tomorrow what I can’t do today.”[5] That same principle applies to every area of your life.

My wife discovered this principle in her own life. After high school, Karen graduated with a two-year college degree and then immediately moved into full-time employment. After serving in a variety of jobs for several years, she went to work for a major airline. As a part of her orientation, she had to complete six weeks of intensive training. To her surprise, she aced the training. Karen later told me that her success in those training sessions gave her the confidence to go back to school and finish her four-year degree. Until then, she couldn’t see herself in college again.

Yesterday’s growth helped Karen see tomorrow’s potential. And tomorrow’s potential gave her glimpses of her capacity. On the day she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree, something rose up inside of her as she watched Master’s students cross the stage to receive their diplomas. In her heart she said, “One day that will be me.” And one day it was. At the end of 2009, Karen graduated with a Master’s and is now serving full-time as a counselor in a public elementary school. When you grow on purpose, what seemed impossible yesterday looks possible today.

I want to challenge you to muster the courage to face your growth gaps head on. Don’t let your gaps be your permanent reality. Face them, close them, and become the person God is calling you to become. In the next chapter, I’ll show you how.

Chapter 3

Creating a Personal Growth TRAC

“You make me feel underappreciated and you push for too much progress.” That was the message Jeff heard loud and clear from his administrative assistant. Jeff is a focused, strategic, high-capacity leader, and a high-achiever who can never be accused of taking it easy at work. So when Allison confronted him about his hard-charging leadership style, it revealed a growth gap, and in Jeff’s words, “it surfaced a pretty big lack of awareness in me about the way I interacted with people that I was leading on a team.” From Jeff’s point of view, he was setting Allison up to succeed and feel empowered. But from Allison’s point of view, Jeff was pulling the plug on her emotional gas tank.

Many leaders in Jeff’s shoes would power up and tell their assistant to toughen up, take initiative, and get on board. But that’s exactly the kind of behavior that causes the problem in the first place. So Jeff took a different route. He created a personal growth plan to help him develop his emotional intelligence—an essential leadership competency in today’s work environment.

Initially his plan was pretty basic: Read a book on emotional intelligence and put the principles in the book to work. So Jeff plunged into the material and put together a practical roadmap. Step-by-step, he made progress. But his growth wasn’t enough. The gap needed more attention. So, two years later, Jeff refocused on his growth goal, beefed up his growth plan, and upped the ante on his accountability. He read another book on emotional intelligence, found a mentor to help him accelerate his progress, and drafted a one-page emotional intelligence leadership plan to help him stay focused on the right things. Even after seeing measurable progress, Jeff was still eager to grow. So he pushed himself even further by taking an intensive training course on emotional intelligence.

Today, Jeff’s growth is producing remarkable results. He regularly receives positive feedback. In fact, his last two 360-degree evaluations at work revealed that making others feel empowered, encouraged, and supported are among his strongest traits. Reflecting on his growth, Jeff says, “What I learned was that my strengths of drive, focus, and achieving just overpowered the other stuff. So now I’m able to temper those strengths because I’m very self aware about them. I’ve learned to solicit a lot of feedback about how I’m coming across. I also had to learn a few simple habits to get into my routine.” Because Jeff kept learning and growing, today he’s certified to administer an assessment and provide helpful coaching to others who want to grow in their emotional intelligence too.

Jeff’s growth process began when he became aware of his growth gap. Unfortunately that’s where too many people end their growth journey. But Jeff didn’t. He took the next step and created a growth plan that included resources, a mentoring and accountability relationship, practical application ideas, and intensive training. As a result, Jeff experienced the power of personal growth to transform his performance at work. He successfully avoided “the resolution ritual” that so many people experience at the start of a new year.

How to Create a Personal Growth TRAC

For years, organizations have tried to tell their employees “how” to grow so they could accelerate their job performance. Schools have adopted one-size-fits-all academic tracks to get students to achieve the degrees the school wants them to have. Churches have aggressively expanded their programs (rather than actually developing people). All of these approaches eat up funding and staffing, and yet may not even help the people they’re trying to reach.

Emerging generations, advances in technology, and the realization that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t fit everyone, after all, are changing the dynamics of personal growth. The truth is, the most effective learning is self-directed. To reach your full potential, you need a customized Growth TRAC that takes into account the unique identity God placed within you.

A Growth TRAC is how you create, implement, and then monitor your own plan for personal growth. Your Growth TRAC gives you the structure you need to measure your progress so you can actually “see” your goals and dreams approaching as you get closer to them. So, what does a Growth TRAC look like? You need four essential components for an airtight, personalized TRAC. Each component answers an important growth question:[6]

Target: What are my growth goals?

A healthy Growth TRAC begins by figuring out in which areas you need to grow. Assessing your growth areas will help you set goals, or targets. These targets are your “true north” as you lay out the rest of your Growth TRAC. Now, setting a target may seem really straightforward and obvious, but in my experience, most people misunderstand this task.

It’s easy to look at our growth gaps (particularly our weaknesses) and say, “That’s where I need to grow.” In fact, we often tend to think about our personal growth as a way to mitigate or overcome our weaknesses. For example, when you receive a performance review at work, it typically highlights your shortcomings. You and your boss then use those weaknesses as the baseline to identify which things you should focus on improving. However, comprehensive research has strongly suggested—perhaps counter-intuitively—that your greatest potential for growth is actually in your areas of greatest strength, not in your weaknesses.[7] Your best strategy is one that builds on your strengths, manages your weaknesses, and addresses your liabilities.

Strengths are the areas where you demonstrate gifting, natural talent, passion, and successfully learned skills. It’s through your strengths that you will make your greatest contribution to your job, community, and society at large. Your strengths are what God will most consistently use to serve His mission in the world. That’s precisely why you should grow your strengths to the highest levels possible.

Weaknesses, on the other hand, are those areas where God did not gift you, perhaps at all. For me “the short list” includes things like music, sports, mechanics, carpentry, science, math, and counseling (although I could go on pretty much indefinitely). I am miserably bad at all of these things. But there’s a reason God didn’t gift me with these abilities: He didn’t need me to have them! The slice of God’s mission where He called me to serve doesn’t require that I excel in these areas. The appropriate response to weaknesses is to manage the ones that are most necessary in everyday life. For example, although you might not be good at finances, you still need to acquire enough knowledge about managing your money so that you don’t wind up buried under a mountain of debt.

Liabilities are any behaviors, attitudes, or personality traits that cause (or could lead to) neglect in key areas of your life, prevent the fulfillment of God’s purpose for your life, or sabotage your character, integrity, or relationships. These are more than weaknesses—they’re inherent disadvantages that have the potential to derail your life. You cannot ignore character flaws, your family and friends, a relationship with God, your physical, emotional, and financial health, or any other area necessary for you to fulfill your potential. Your liabilities are diabolical enemies. Ignoring them will result in certain disappointment and devastation. Compensating for them will keep you in the game.

You’ll need to set the targets of your Growth TRAC on both extremes: building on your strengths while at the same time addressing (at least some of) your liabilities. The key is not to give your weaknesses undue attention. You should manage them at a basic level—just enough to keep them from hurting your life or hindering your potential.

So what kind of targets should you include in your Growth TRAC? Luke 2:52 offers us a pretty good template to start from: “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Jesus set focused, intentional, and balanced growth targets for himself. You need to do that, too. Here are some key areas that your TRAC should target:

· Spiritual Growth. Address your relationship with God, spiritual disciplines, and your character formation.

· Mental Growth. Address your gifts, abilities, skills, passions, emotions, responsibilities, and life purpose.

· Relational Growth. Address your relationships with friends, family, neighbors, co‑workers, Christ-followers, and those exploring spirituality.

· Physical Growth. Address areas of nutrition, fitness, and health.

These four broad categories provide language for your growth gaps and will help you pinpoint the targets for your Growth TRAC. You may have strengths or liabilities within each of these areas. As you identify your growth targets, strike a balance between your strengths and your liabilities. Furthermore, limit how many growth goals you tackle at once. Don’t pursue more than 3-6 growth targets during any 6-12 month period of time. You have a lifetime to grow…don’t try to squeeze it all into one year.

Roadmap: How Do I Plan to Grow?

Identifying your targets is only the first step of your Growth TRAC. Your targets will give you a destination and point you in the right direction. Your next step is to create a unique roadmap, one that will specifically lead you to each of your targets. As you develop your roadmap for each of your target areas, include these four strategies to help you grow: training, resources, relationships, and experiences.

Training means any kind of education you can get, whether classes, schooling, conferences, seminars, workshops, or other instructional opportunities. In-depth training can be extremely valuable in your ongoing growth process. I’ve seen people make major changes in their behavior (and even habits) after participating in a training course that required outside personal study or homework. Look for courses that pair inspirational content with teaching that shows you how to meaningfully apply that inspiration directly into your daily life.

You’ll find many events designed to improve performance; however, be aware that change does not happen at large training events. Events inspire change. Process creates change. Habits sustain change. An event can give you a lot of useful ideas. But following the event, you’ll still need to leverage the other three strategies—resources, relationships, and experiences—to help you grow.

Resources include books, magazines, DVDs, assessments, podcasts, blogs, web-based tools, and any other media that transports new ideas for life change into your mind. The idea of accessing resources to stimulate growth is nothing new. Author Zig Ziglar used to talk about “the automobile university” for years. While serving as a visiting scholar at the University of Southern California for two years, Ziglar learned of a study indicating the growth potential you can realize while driving. USC discovered that people living in a metropolitan area who drive a minimum of 12,000 miles per year could acquire the equivalent of two years of college education in just three years, simply by turning their car into an educational environment.

Ziglar once offered his executive assistant as a perfect example. She only finished the tenth grade, but was the best assistant Ziglar ever had. Every day on her way to and from the office, she listened to personal growth resources in her car. Besides that, she became a prolific reader and was always on the lookout for opportunities to grow. After having herself evaluated, she tested at a level slightly above a Master’s degree. How did she get there? She made a deep commitment to learning and acquired the resources she needed to grow.[8]

How are you leveraging your daily commute for personal growth? A Gallup survey[9] revealed that the average American worker spends 46 minutes per day commuting round trip to work. Do the math. That’s an average of 230 minutes per week, over 15 hours per month, and nearly 200 hours per year. Rather than just using that time to get yourself from point A to point B, why not use it to get your mind from point A to point B by listening to podcasts, teachings, interviews, and books?

Relationships are the third strategy to include in your roadmap. While you’ll need to stop at all four stations on your roadmap to fill up along the way, relationships hold arguably the most potential bang for your buck. Relationships include discipling, coaching, mentoring, counseling, and personal friendships. Take coaching for example. We’re all familiar with the idea of coaching in sports, but often we overlook it in other areas of our lives.

A coach helps you maximize your potential by asking questions to assess your aspirations and obstacles, drawing out breakthrough insights that will help you grow, and helping you translate these insights into practical action steps. Coaches also stand on the sidelines to cheer you on, motivating and encouraging you on your journey.

The coaches in your life help you see both sides of the learning coin. Mark Batterson, pastor of the multi-site National Community Church in Washington, D.C., put it simply: “Half of learning is learning. The other half of learning is unlearning.”[10] Coaches help you accomplish both—unlearning bad thinking and learning best practices. Tom Landry, the highly respected legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys, once observed, “A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear and has you see what you don’t want to see, so that you can be who you’ve always known you could be.”

Several years ago, I asked a wise coworker if he would coach me through writing a life mission statement for myself. Thankfully, he agreed. The process was exhilarating. He helped me reflect on my strengths, pinpoint my passions, and uncover the seeds of destiny that God had already been planting in me throughout my life. What emerged was a single, focused, powerfully motivating sentence that helps me stay focused on my mission in life:

My mission is to lead, coach, and equip leaders and churches to engage in the process of personal growth, develop their full leadership capacity, and produce effective, kingdom-advancing ministry.

Without his patient coaching, there’s no way I would have been able to articulate my purpose with such clarity.

Connect with people who can help you strategically move forward in the growth areas you’ve targeted. Some will be personal friends or close family members. Others will be professional coaches or counselors. Some might be spiritual leaders or excellent co-workers. Ask yourself, “Who do I already know who can help me grow?” If you honestly can’t think of anybody, then ask yourself, “What do I need to do to start connecting with the right people, people who can help me meet my growth needs?”

Experiences are the last essential ingredient to include in the roadmap of your Growth TRAC. Experiences include any opportunities, activities, or assignments that directly stimulate your growth. For example, if you need to get in better physical health, you first identify that as a growth target, then add an activity to your roadmap: “Join a health club” or “Schedule a physical with my doctor.” If you want to further your education, add an assignment to your roadmap: “Research local school programs” or “Register for X courses,” where X is the topic you’d like to learn more about. If you want your roadmap to lead you into a deeper relationship with God, then add something like: “Schedule spiritual retreat,” “Volunteer for Y community service project,” or “Sign up for Z mission trip.” All of these—activities, assignments, and opportunities—qualify as experiences.

Training, resources, relationships, and experiences are an integral part of the highway system that makes up countless personal growth roadmaps. Take George Washington, for example. His roadmap included training in military history and economics, a library collection of 734 books, mentors who helped him refine his skills in surveying, math, and geography, and experiences such as keeping a diary—a habit he started when he was 16 and continued for the rest of his life. (Today, this amazing compilation of history occupies 163 linear feet of shelving in the Library of Congress.)

Washington’s roadmap for growth shaped his leadership as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and, of course, as the first President of the United States. Clearly, a roadmap is an important part of your Growth TRAC.

Accountability: Who Will Hold Me Accountable for my Growth?

Accountability is perhaps the most emotional, most intense part of a Growth TRAC. We all need it, but few of us want it. Accountability can be automated or customized.

Automated accountability is just that—automatic. You don’t get a say, and the expectations on you are clear. When you were a kid, your parents probably gave you certain chores around the house. You didn’t get a vote. They were your chores and your responsibility, period. If Mondays and Thursdays were trash days, you were expected to take out the trash. If you didn’t, you’d face certain, probably specific, consequences. Accountability was automatic. When you get a new job, HR typically doesn’t ask you if you want taxes taken out of your payroll. Instead, they just ask, “How much do you want taken out?” Paying taxes is required, and the IRS holds you accountable if you don’t pay. Again, the accountability is automatic—you have no choice in the matter.

Customized accountability is different. While everybody is subject to automatic accountability, very few of us pursue customized accountability. Customized accountability means actively seeking out accountability partners for each target you’ve set in your Growth TRAC. Customized accountability is difficult because it’s personal. When, in an effort to cultivate purity in your life, you ask someone to hold you accountable for the websites you view online, you’ve just given them permission to get into your personal space. You’re not just taking the trash out on Mondays and Thursdays; now you’re giving someone permission to see what’s inside your trash bags.

Customized accountability also exposes the real you. It’s easy to put on a mask that covers the dark closets of your mind, but the fundamental foundation of accountability is truthfulness and transparency. If you can’t be honest about who you really are, then you can’t grow into the person God has called you to become. Transparency means you can’t candy-coat your answers to an accountability partner’s tough questions. Genuine transparency gets to know the truth—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This entire accountability process takes a deep level of trust. Sharing your struggles is tough. It’s a blow to your pride. Finding the right person to share them with is even tougher. Typically, you should select an accountability partner who “matches” a specific type of growth goal you’ve set for yourself. For example, for a spiritual growth target, you might ask a pastor, mentor, or prayer partner to hold you accountable. If you’ve set a physical growth goal, get a workout partner (a tough one, preferably one who’s already achieved what you’re aiming for). If your target is to grow mentally, ask a teacher, counselor, co-worker, or advisor to be an accountability partner. If you set a relational growth goal, your spouse, a close friend, or a relative might be willing to help you.

Draw from your current pool of relationships, and let your growth target tell you who your accountability partner should be. Once you’ve established accountability, create standing appointments with each partner. Whether you meet every Thursday morning over coffee or every first Monday of the month for lunch, intentionally make accountability a regular part of your routine. I easily neglect my own accountability unless I’m diligent to schedule it as appointments. I have to make myself meet regularly with an accountability partner, or I’ll simply never “get around to it.” I build it into my schedule. I’ve found that’s the only way I can stay on track with my growth targets. Do what you have to do to make these happen.

Check-Ups: When and How Will I Evaluate My Growth Progress?

The fourth component of your Growth TRAC is one that you’ll revisit multiple times during the process. Remember when we talked about New Year’s resolutions? Have you ever set a growth goal at the beginning of the year, only to be sorely disappointed in yourself at the end of the year (when you finally remembered it again)? In January, you were excited to choose your growth target and draft your roadmap. But by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, you realized you were defeated. “How can I possibly reach this goal in the last 30 days of the year? I give up!” Typically, the problem is not with your growth goal; it’s that you didn’t build check-ups into your growth cycle. If you don’t check your growth weekly, monthly, or quarterly, you won’t keep your priorities set, and your growth targets will slip.

Before you wrap up the details of your Growth TRAC, determine how and schedule when you’ll evaluate your progress. Begin by developing a clear timeline for every growth step in your Growth TRAC. Put your action steps from your roadmap directly into your daily schedule. John Maxwell says that your success is determined by your daily agenda. How you spend your time makes things happen (or not happen) and defines who you do (or don’t) become.

If you plan to read a book, set a start date and an end date. If you’re going to meet with a financial advisor, decide what date and time you’ll actually call to set the appointment. If you plan to go on a family vacation, write the dates when you’re going (and when you’ll have the money saved to pay for it).

Creating a timeline for each action step helps you pace yourself throughout the year. Your timeline helps you manage your tasks, so you won’t try to do too much at one time. Timelines also help you assess how long it will take you to complete each growth goal. When every step of your roadmap is on your schedule, your calendar automatically reminds you when it’s time to work on a step. This allows you to forget about your Growth TRAC…without forgetting to grow.

Once you’ve created a timeline for your Growth TRAC and posted each growth step on your calendar, schedule progress evaluation meetings with your accountability partners. While accountability is the “A” in your Growth TRAC, it also plays an important role in check-ups. Progress evaluations lean on accountability partners to reflect on an extended period of time (say 3-6 months) to look for measurable progress. These evaluations are good mid-course check-ups to help you gain perspective and make necessary adjustments.

You might look at the Growth TRAC model above and say to yourself, “I can’t do this! I’m not structured enough. I hate routine. I’m too spontaneous to follow a rigid growth plan. My personality just doesn’t have enough planner in it to follow a Growth TRAC.” Actually, that’s the beauty of this model. Any personality type can use the Growth TRAC because it’s built around a set of questions. Your personality will—and should—dictate how you answer those questions.

Gaining Traction

When you craft a solid Growth TRAC, you begin to gain traction toward your growth goals. You’ll discover deep fulfillment as you begin to notice positive changes spiritually, mentally, relationally, and physically.

Philosopher, author, and radio host Earl Nightingale once said, “If a person will spend one hour a day on the same subject for five years, that person will be an expert on that subject.” Further research suggests that it takes an average of 2.7 hours of practice per day (over a ten year period) to develop the highest levels of expertise in a subject. That’s roughly 10,000 hours of practice. But when you consistently engage the Growth TRACing process, that, and more, is possible.

If you want to learn more about personal growth, my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution will help you. It describes the five levels of personal growth and equips you with five practices to unlock your growth and inspire growth in others.

So what are you waiting for? Get started today! Create your own Growth TRAC. Appendix A provides some samples Growth TRACs as well as a helpful template to use in creating your own TRAC. Build your own TRAC to help you become who God called you to be. That’s what Jeff did when he faced his own emotional intelligence growth gap. He drafted a specific plan to grow and made the future he wanted into a reality. And so can you.

Go to Appendix A

Appendix A

Sample Growth TRAC & Template

On the following pages are samples of several Growth TRACs. Each Growth TRAC provides an example of what a personal growth plan might look like in various areas of your life. These are meant to be examples only. These samples will help you better understand how to craft a Growth TRAC that’s specific and measurable. In addition to the samples, you’ll find blank templates that you can use to create your own Growth TRAC.

If you feel overwhelmed, simply step back and narrow your focus. You might consider doing just one Growth TRAC to help you get started. Keep it simple. Don’t put too much in the Growth TRAC. And don’t let the examples below intimidate you. It’s better to have one or two TRACs that are clear, specific, and measurable than to have so many growth goals that you defeat yourself before you start. Remember, your Growth TRAC has to work for YOU.

GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution

By Stephen Blandino

Five Steps to Unlock Your Growth

and Inspire Growth in Others?

Do you want to close the gap between who you are and who you want to be? Do you want to help your friends, co-workers, or employees grow to their full potential. In GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution, Stephen Blandino guides you through the five levels of personal growth, and equips you with the practices to maximize growth within you and around you. No matter how you want to grow, GO! provides the inspiration and the roadmap to help you take your next step.

Available from Amazon.com, Kindle, BarnesandNoble.com, Booksamillion.com, and StephenBlandino.com

What others are saying about GO!

“Some books are written to inform, and others to inspire, still others to motivate you to action. In GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution author Stephen Blandino does all three. You will learn, grow and move forward. The concepts are real-life and the strategies, if followed, will actualize your full capacity potential.”

– DR. SAMUEL R. CHAND, Leadership Coach, Consultant, and Author of Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code (www.samchand.com)

“Anybody who wants to become all that God wants them to be has to read GO! Stephen hits the nail on the head on how we develop personally so that we can maximize our God given potential!”

– HERBERT COOPER, Lead Pastor, People’s Church, Oklahoma City

“In business I'm always looking for a competitive edge, and in GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution Stephen Blandino gives you that edge. Through the five levels of personal growth you create a pathway for personal growth both for yourself and the people you lead. This book is one you'll actually implement the wisdom it contains.”

– BILL BARNETT, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host and the Best Selling Author of Are You DUMB Enough to be RICH?

“The best growth plan is the one that works for you. I know the GO Practices you will discover in GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution work because I have watched Stephen Blandino practice them for years. Create your personalized Growth TRAC and get moving to the next level today. Then take someone with you tomorrow!”

– STEVE MOORE, President, Missio Nexus, and Author of Who Is My Neighbor? Being a Good Samaritan in a Connected World

“Stephen is onto a much needed step-by-step approach to personal growth. Packed with stories, GO! is a great read embedded with a number of life-changing practices. I came away with several practical next steps and I'm sure you will too!”

– MARK HOWELL, Small Group Ministry Consultant & Coach

“If personal growth and development seems mysterious to you, or if achieving sustained meaningful growth has eluded you, this book has the keys that can help you unlock your true growth potential! Five clear and powerful steps will put you on TRAC to live the life you have always wanted to live, realize your full potential and help others reach their full potential. Start your Growth Revolution today!”

– JERRY HURLEY, Team Development Leader, LifeChurch.tv

“God did not give you the potential to pursue great dreams only to see those dreams die in the desert”. With this work, Blandino presents a thoughtful, compelling and life-giving approach to personal growth that is both serious and inspirational. With the array of information provided the author has succeeded in constructing an extremely valuable and inspirational resource for all seeking to grow to their full capacity and helping others do the same. It will encourage and empower us to listen for and embody our innate callings in God.”

– DR. DORIS GOMEZ, Assistant Professor & Program Director, M.A. in Organizational Leadership, Regent University School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship

Creating Your Church’s Culture

By Stephen Blandino

How do you create a thriving culture in your church?

In Creating Your Church’s Culture, Stephen Blandino gives you a practical roadmap to create, or re-create, your church or non-profits organizational culture. With more than 20 years of leaderhsip experience in local church and non-profit environments, Stephen gives you the tools and strategies to move out of mediocrity into a healthy and energizing culture. In this easy-to-read resource you’ll learn how to:

·   Define your culture

·   Activate the Culture Equation

·   Hire staff that fit your culture

·   Infuse your values into your culture

·   Create a learning culture

·   Develop effective systems

·   Increase employee and volunteer engagement

·   Measure the health of your culture

·   Uproot bureaucracy

Available from Amazon.com, Kindle and StephenBlandino.com

What others are saying about Creating Your Church’s Culture

“Concise, strategic, and practical! Stephen Blandino gives you the roadmap you need to develop a healthy organizational culture with fully engaged team members.”

- Scott Wilson, Pastor of The Oaks Fellowship and author of Ready, Set, Grow: 3 Conversations that Will Bring Lasting Growth to Your Church

“Too often we make leading a church more complicated than it ought to be. Creating Your Church's Culture is an honest look at how to accomplish the mission of the church with more simplicity. Readable, practical, and insightful.”

- Jeff Galley, Team Leader for Life Groups and Missions, LifeChurch.tv

“Every church has a culture—some are toxic and some are life-giving. Life-giving cultures produce healthy, growing people. In Creating Your Church’s Culture, Stephen Blandino draws on his personal experience and research to produce a blueprint for developing a healthy culture. Easy to read, and filled with practical ideas, this book will help you implement the essential steps to create a healthy culture in your church.”

- Darius Johnston, Lead Pastor, Christ Church, Ft. Worth, TX

“I am very excited to recommend Creating Your Church’s Culture. The author, Stephen Blandino is an experienced consultant, coach, and ministry practitioner with extensive experience in multiple church ministry contexts. He has served as a church staff member, executive pastor, and now is serving as the Lead pastor of a church plant. I was able to read the book in two settings. It’s filled with practical information and “how to” knowledge. I recommend this book to every church planter and, for that matter, any leader that is working to move a church to the next level.”

- Dave McNaughton, Church Planting Catalyst and Coach and Team Leader for Church Multiplication Network

"Stephen speaks from a track record of not just church growth, but of church and personal health.  In his latest book, Creating Your Church's Culture, Stephen lays out a clear description and a compelling strategy for developing a healthy organizational and team culture."

- Ryan Motsinger, Associate Campus Pastor, LifeGroups and Missions, LifeChurch.tv

“Pastor Stephen has a way of organizing and simplifying complex leadership challenges into practical and manageable steps. In his book Creating Your Churches Culture, Stephen teaches Pastors and leaders how to be intentional about creating the cultures of their churches or organizations. As these simple principles are applied, the end result is health and growth.”

- Chad Benson, Pastor of Lifegate Church, Burleson, TX

“Whether you’re seeking wisdom on how to develop a thriving culture for a brand new organization or looking for ways to recreate the current culture of your organization, Stephen Blandino’s Creating Your Church’s Culture provides you with the necessary tools to build a healthy culture that will allow your organization to flourish.”

- Jessie Prince, Executive Pastor, Grace Outreach Center, Plano, TX

About the Author

STEPHEN BLANDINO is the lead pastor of 7 City Church, an author, blogger, and coach. With over 20 years of experience in local church and nonprofit leadership, Stephen is passionate about helping people engage in personal growth, develop their full leadership capacity, and produce effective, Kingdom-advancing ministry. He holds a Master’s in Organizational Leadership. Stephen lives in the Fort Worth, Texas area with his wife Karen and their daughter Ashley.

Contact Stephen Blandino

Stephen Blandino blogs regularly at stephenblandino.com and is available to speak on personal growth and leadership topics for keynote, half-day, and full day events. He also provides coaching opportunities and consulting. To learn more or to contact Stephen, connect with him at:

·       Blog: stephenblandino.com

·       Twitter: twitter.com/stephenblandino

·       Facebook: facebook.com/stephen.blandino

Notes

Introduction

[1] “Interesting New Year’s Resolution Statistics,” December 11, 2008, Retrieved January 2, 2012, from http://www.steveshapiro.com/2008/12/11/interesting-new-years-resolution-statistics/

Chapter 1

[2] Colossians 1:1 (The Message)

[3] 2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

[4] 2 Timothy 4:13 (The Message)

[5] Craig Groeschel, Creating Personal Spiritual Momentum, Catalyst One Day, p. 24, May 18, 2009, Dallas, Texas.

Chapter 3

[6] I was introduced to a detailed concept of growth planning by Steve Moore who articulates the four ingredients to a plan in his book, The Dream Cycle, Leveraging the Power of Personal Growth. For simplicity, I have presented these concepts as a Growth TRAC accompanied by four foundational growth questions.

[7] Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, The Strengths Revolution, Retrieved September 3, 2007, from http://gmj.gallup.com/content/547/The-Strengths-Revolution.aspx

[8] Maximum Impact Podcast, June 13, 2007, http://www.maximumimpact.com/podcast/faq.aspx retrieved September 3, 2007

[9] Joseph Carroll, “Workers’ Average Commute Round Trip is 46 Minutes in a Typical Day,” August 24, 2007, Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://www.gallup.com/poll/28504/workers-average-commute-roundtrip-minutes-typical-day.aspx

[10] Mark Batterson, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2006), 44.