Progress in Life

“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.” Epictetus

I have a group of guys with whom I lead a retreat that are all either in upper leadership positions or own businesses. Each year, we come together to help invest in the rest of the group, bringing lessons from the previous year to help the others grow and advance in their own lives. One of the aspects of this retreat that has been so beneficial to me is that of striving consistently to have a lesson worth teaching.

Most of the truly successful people I have worked with over the years have a game plan for their personal growth and development. Whether that is daily reading, listening to books, attending seminars and training programs, or investing in an executive coach, they take action. This consistency in personal growth puts you leaps and bounds ahead of anyone you might compete with. It gives you the equivalent of a new college degree every 4 to 5 years when you read personal growth, leadership, or other developmental books for just 30–40 minutes per day.

If you are like most of us that go on our annual retreat, the accountability of like-minded individuals is incredible. We each work diligently to synthesize the lessons we learn throughout the year. I don’t want to let these guys down. More importantly, I don’t want to look in the mirror and know the man I could have been but chose not to become. Each day is a new opportunity to grow. For me, with every new book I read, I learn something else that will help me release more of the potential inside of me. I would challenge you to do the same. Look for the lessons that unlock more of who you can be.