When we look at growth it really comes down to two things.
When I say growth, I mean development or getting better at anything.
That could be improving your fitness and nutrition, but it could also mean improving your business or career, strengthening your relationships or family, or just trying to become a better human being.
The two areas are...
Open-mindedness (ego) and blind spots.
If you think about it, everything comes down to those two things.
Let's start with open-mindedness.
We have to always remember we don't know what we don't know.
We have to leave our ego at the door.
One of the largest skill sets we need to develop is the ability to see the other side or our "ego barrier."
We have a subliminal defense mechanism that makes it hard for us to accept mistakes and weaknesses.
You have to believe that you might not know the best possible path to success.
For example, nutrition is the easiest scenario.
When you ask someone how they eat almost everybody says...
"I eat pretty healthy."
The word "pretty" is key there.
If we all ate "pretty" healthy then 70% of us wouldn't be overweight.
We need to be openminded that maybe we're not actually eating healthy and there's a better way to do it.
Being open to taking advice from others, and see things through another lens.
Being openminded to change.
Remember...old ways won't open new doors.
An example outside of fitness would be in relationships.
If we're deeply honest with ourselves, most of us are pretty selfish when it comes to certain things.
Most arguments with a spouse or family member are typically caused by your need (and theirs) to be right.
Whether you are or not, you need to be open-minded to see where the other person is coming from.
If you are too proud of what you know or of how you are at something you will learn less, make inferior decisions, and fall short of your potential.
The second barrier is your blind spots.
In addition to your ego and the lack of being open-minded, we all have blind spots.
These are areas where our way of thinking prevents us from seeing things accurately.
We each see things in our way.
For example, some people see the details, some people see the big picture.
People can't appreciate what they can't see.
We have no clue how other people see things and aren't good at seeking to understand what they are thinking because we're too preoccupied with telling them what we think is correct.
Again, I'm talking personal growth here, but you could pull examples from any facet of life.
In fitness, a blind spot may be solutions to losing weight.
We think we have our own answers.
The failure to benefit from others thinking doesn't just occur in disagreements, it also occurs when people are trying to solve problems, like trying to lose weight.
When trying to figure things out, most people spin in their own heads.
As a result, they continually run towards what they see and keep crashing into what they are blind to.
For example, if all you know to lose weight is steady state cardio (running on a treadmill, sitting on a bike) you may be blind to the other possibilities out there.
Being open-minded for change and seeing advice may lead you to learn that there are other ways to get cardio in and lose weight that doesn't involve sitting on a machine or running like a hamster on a wheel while staring at a TV :)
Whether you're trying to grow (strengthen) in fitness or nutrition, or you're trying to grow your career or family life, these two principles always remain.
Openmindedness (ego) and blindspots.
Practice.
That's what it takes.
Recognize that you have blind spots.
Recognize when you're not being open-minded.
Practice.
Be self-aware.
I know this was pretty deep for a Friday but it's what was top of mind.
Have a great weekend.
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling