how to grow

What’s Your Challenge??

July 26, 2021 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

Are you up for a challenge?

In the last episode of my podcast, I discussed how to hold on when life is tough. That’s when life is challenging you.

But what about when life isn’t so challenging… where life is copacetic? Just cruising.

It’s my observation that we work hard to keep life flat. We work hard to keep things smooth. Cold out? Turn on the heater. Hot out? Turn on the A/C. Keep things even… even-keeled. Flat.

We spend LOTS of energy to save the energy of dealing witb challenges, big or small.

But does that help (or harm) us? Does it keep us safe or make us fragile?

What if taking on small challenges actually gets us better prepared for bigger challenges? What if making choices to expand into life helps us deal with life encroaching upon us?

One of my “things” is to find little challenges for myself… new things to try, new activities to do, new tastes or sounds to take in, and new ways to try life.

How about you? What challenges are you taking on right now?

Listen to this episode of the Thriveology Podcast to discover the power of a challenge.

RELATED RESOURCES
Learning and Life
Ways to Expand
Growth Mindset
Lessons in Jiu Jitsu
Book: Thrive Principles

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You are Built for Purpose

October 19, 2020 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

So many of us feel despair. It is not as much a loss of hope as loss of purpose. There is no hope without a sense of purpose. It is in your basic design.

Humans are meaning-makers. We find meaning in what happens (or doesn’t happen) around us and to us. We can find meaning in random numbers and events, in an attempt to make sense of the world.

But meaning, alone, is not enough. We also need a sense of purpose. We need to feel that we are moving toward something worthwhile… something significant.

You have a purpose. Whether you are moving toward it or not, it is within you. Waiting.

It is your purpose imprint. Finding it is not enough. But achieving it isn’t what marks success. It is in the movement toward your purpose.

In this week’s Thriveology Podcast, I discuss how we are primed for purpose, need a sense of purpose. And I cover what happens when you don’t have that purpose. And we discuss how to move toward that purpose.

RELATED RESOURCES
MPI Triad
Meaning Matters
Thrive Principles Book
All of My Books

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The Power of a Challenge

October 7, 2019 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

Are you up for a challenge?

In the last episode of my podcast, I discussed how to hold on when life is tough. That’s when life is challenging you.

But what about when life isn’t so challenging… where life is copacetic? Just cruising.

It’s my observation that we work hard to keep life flat. We work hard to keep things smooth. Cold out? Turn on the heater. Hot out? Turn on the A/C. Keep things even… even-keeled. Flat.

We spend LOTS of energy to save the energy of dealing witb challenges, big or small.

But does that help (or harm) us? Does it keep us safe or make us fragile?

What if taking on small challenges actually gets us better prepared for bigger challenges? What if making choices to expand into life helps us deal with life encroaching upon us?

One of my “things” is to find little challenges for myself… new things to try, new activities to do, new tastes or sounds to take in, and new ways to try life.

How about you? What challenges are you taking on right now?

Listen to this episode of the Thriveology Podcast to discover the power of a challenge.

RELATED RESOURCES
Learning and Life
Ways to Expand
Growth Mindset
Lessons in Jiu Jitsu
Book: Thrive Principles

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Embracing Discomfort

December 10, 2018 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

EmbraceDiscomfort Have you noticed how we all like to keep things in a narrow band of comfort? We keep our houses not-too-warm, not-too-cool. Most homes, all year long, stay in a very narrow band of temperature.

Most of us go to the same restaurants, listen to the same music, hang out with the same friends, and do the same activities. Every now and then, something new. And then, back to the comfortable.

But not much growth happens in comfort.

If you want to improve in yoga, you have to stretch a little bit further, hold the position a little bit longer… be uncomfortable.

Discomfort accompanies growth. Sure, you can be uncomfortable, and it just be that — discomfort. But if you are growing… if you are changing… there will be discomfort.

If we simply avoid discomfort, we also avoid growth.

Or, we could embrace discomfort. See it as a sign of growth. Use it as a potential sign that we are growing. And accept that when we grow, we will be uncomfortable.

I discuss Embracing Discomfort in this podcast episode.

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How To Accept AND Excel

May 29, 2017 by Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

In my latest book, Thrive Principles, one of my strategies is Accepting What Is. Which has caused some readers to wonder how that fits into my ideas about constantly growing and changing.

They are not mutually opposed. Accepting What Is creates a beginning point, a starting line. From there, you can move toward who you want to be. You can build a life of meaning and purpose.

Many people struggle with where they are. But where we are is just that, our current spot. Not a permanent place, but a starting point.

This week, I discuss how to both Accept What Is AND plot a growth course to become the person you want to be. Make your impact with both sides of the equation.

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