The Law of Unending Growth

Our potential is only as strong as our investment in self. We should constantly strive to become better than the person that we were yesterday because we are our own biggest competition. And when we stop focusing on our personal and professional development, our potential stops growing. This concept is referred to as the Law of Unending Growth.

I recently read the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, and the premise of the story is that the “cheese” represents a person’s success and happiness. When we reach our cheese, we cannot stop our search for new cheese because eventually our supply will run out. In business, when we finally achieve success, we don’t just stop working because that’s not sustainable. We have to continue in our efforts, look for new opportunities, and collaborate with others to get the best possible outcome.

As leaders, we can uphold the Law of Unending Growth by investing time and energy into preparing our people for the next step in business before they get there. People grow incrementally. We must educate our people, demonstrate their responsibilities, and be available to them as they begin to master their role. We would not expect a child to begin walking the first time they try to take a step. We must not put unrealistic expectations on our people in business either. Development takes time and commitment, and we cannot give up so easily on our people. We must guide them in the right direction and encourage them to take initiative in their own growth and development.

The Law of Unending Growth is not something to fear in business. It suggests that as we progress throughout life, our potential grows with us. Although the target we are trying to reach continuously moves, our success builds, and we begin to achieve more than we thought possible before. When we find ourselves becoming too comfortable with where we’re at and what we’re doing, we need to take a moment and consider what we want out of life. Are we taking the necessary steps to become the best version of ourselves? Or do we need to look for new ways to grow?

-Meghan Slaughter