The power to grow

Over the past few weeks I’ve had the chance to revisit a collaborative project I had worked on a while back, that will be launched soon as a book.

 

The project – of which I am extremely proud – charts the stories of six ordinary businesses in Donegal who just roll up their sleeves and get on with it.

 

As the fine tuning took place before the book went to print, I got a chance to remind myself just how fascinating each of the stories is – and just how determined each of these businesses has been to succeed.

 

It’s been quite a while since I have felt as enthused about stories I have listened to and then tried to capture in words, but these tales of resilience and persistence are truly inspirational.

 

As I thought about them over the past week I was reminded of a piece I had read once about the fish known as Koi or Japanese carp.

 

The story stood out for me because it explained that if you were to keep Koi in a small fish bowl, it would grow only to one or two inches in size.

 

In a larger tank or small pond it could reach up to ten inches, but found in a lake where it can really grow and stretch, it can reach sizes of up to three feet.

 

The story was used to emphasise how the size of the Koi is directly in relation to the size of the pond.

 

As people we can so easily allow ourselves to be like the Koi and our growth can well depend on the opportunities we expose ourselves to.

 

It would seem that quite a lot of people never realise that unless they expand who they are, they will always have what they’ve got.

 

That reminded me of another story from a while back when I had helped someone with some presentations for an interview they were preparing for.

 

A new role had come up in the organisation the person was working for and not only did the person I helped throw their hat into the ring, but they also caused quite a stir by landing the position.

 

There had been many applicants, including one who had been with the organisation for many years, and upset at the outcome, that person went to ask for feedback on why a relative newcomer had been given the position over somebody with 22 years of experience.

 

The answer given was that they did not have 22 years of experience – they had one year of experience, 22 times.

 

That can easily happen to any of us if we let it – life can become habitual rather than experiential, but if you really want to grow remember that the magic always happens outside the comfort zone.

Mark Twain summed it up as simply this – “Do something every day, that you don’t want to do.”

 

The six businesses featured in this soon to be published book, never sat a day on their hands waiting for things to happen.

 

They instead follow the philosophy of pushing themselves out as far as they can go, knowing that when they get that far, they’ll be able to see even further.

 

They have undying commitment to exceed themselves.

 

But the question to ask yourself now is – have you?