Growing or Growing Up

Armani is growing, but he's not yet growing up. Yhere's a lesson in that for all of us. Growing is easy. Growing up demands more.

We have a new dog at the house, Armani. He's a Catahoula Leopard mix, and an energetic, chewing machine.

He weighed less than 10 pounds when we got him at 6 weeks. He's now over 20 pounds at 12 weeks and you can see him growing every day.

The problem is he's not yet growing up.

There's a lesson here. (Of course there is, LOL!)

I've been teaching a series on generational diversity, examining the different demographics in today's workplace, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Each generation's view of relationships, health, wealth, and careers is distinctly different. It differs based on their life experience in the early, formative years of their lives.

A common theme is emerging, especially in the latter two demographics.

Like Armani, there are a lot of people in society today that have grown from childhood into adulthood. The problem is, like Armani, they have yet to grow up.

Every living thing grows. Trees start as a seedling. Adults start as infants. Dogs as puppies, cats as kittens, cows as calves, it's universal. But just because we are growing physically doesn't mean we are learning the important leadership and life skills necessary for us to foster opportunities, take decisive action, and develop our lives to their full potential.

We're growing, but we're NOT growing up.

So, what's the difference?

Growing is additive.

Armani has added 10 pounds, and will likely reach 65-70 pounds when he's fully grown. We've all added height and weight as we've grown from infancy to adulthood. We've added facts, figures, statistics, and emotional experiences to our memories as we've observed the world around us.

There is NO maturation in this. Only addition.

Growing up is multiplicative.

Armani has learned to use the Doggy Door to take himself outside when he has to relieve himself. He's learning how to be led on a leash. He's learning what he can and can't chew on around the house. In these areas, he's applying what he's learning and maturing in the process.

Generation X was also referred to as the "latchkey" generation. They often came home from school to an empty home and were forced to raise themselves. So, when they became parents themselves, they wanted their children to enjoy what they felt they missed out on.

Where older generations focused on providing what their children needed, Gen Xers focused on giving their children everything they wanted. They weren't taught the value of having a good work ethic as their parents financed their every whim and hovered over them so they wouldn't have to experience pain or loss.

Millennials are the "Participation Trophy" generation who were rewarded with a medal or a trophy, just for showing up. This generation grew into adulthood, but for many of them, they never truly grew up. The same can be said for a number of their Gen X parents, who want to relive their missed childhood vicariously through their children.

Growing is about learning information.

It's the accumulation of knowledge.

Growing up is learning how to apply what we've learned so we can become better at who we are and what we do.

It's the accumulation of wisdom.

America's educational system is good at teaching facts and figures, imparting knowledge. But it is woefully lacking in teaching students HOW to think and apply what they've learned. When students aren't taught to think for themselves, are not challenged, encouraged, and rewarded to strive for excellence, they never grow, mature, and step into the greatness of their calling.

We raise a generation who has grown into adulthood, but never truly grown up.

Leadership isn't taught in our schools, nor are essential life skills such as budgeting and financial literacy, yet we expect students to complete 12 years of learning, and perhaps 4 years of college, and be prepared and equipped to be successful in life? Really?

Knowledge is easy to obtain. My iPhone provides me instant access to virtually all the information available in the entire world.

But knowledge alone isn't enough.

Wisdom is the ability to take knowledge and apply it, shape it, and use it for the betterment of ourselves and those around us. It's what separates successful people from unsuccessful people.

This takes an intentional effort. It requires we be intentional about how we live our lives. It demands we live our lives ON purpose and FOR a purpose.

Anyone can gather knowledge. Successful people use wisdom to apply it.

Thomas Edison is a classic example. Edison took the knowledge available to him at the time and applied it to not only solve the problems of his day but to create inventions that improved the lives of others for generations to come.

This man, with an elementary school education, created the incandescent light bulb, phonograph, mimeograph (forerunner of today's copier), movie camera, motion pictures, microphone, and was a leader in the field of electric power generation.

He refused to accept the limitations society might want to place on him and chose instead to not only keep adding to his knowledge base, but continually examine how to use and apply this knowledge in new and innovative ways.

This is the difference between growing and growing up.

There are countless examples of this in the lives of other successful people who have chosen to look beyond their current situation and see the endless opportunities that are always before us - and then gather and apply all the available knowledge in the world to innovate, create, and become successful.

Ray Kroc (McDonalds), Truett Cathey (Chic-Fil-A), Henry Ford (Ford Motor Company), Jeffery Bezos (Amazon), Sir Richard Branson (Virgin), Elon Musk (Tesla), Oprah Winfrey (OWN), Jamie Kern Lima (IT Cosmetics), and countless others who chose to learn, apply, and prosper as a result.

So, what about you?

Are you content with growing, or are you focused on growing up?

Growth happens automatically, from birth. It requires no real effort. It just happens. It's easy. Anyone can do this.

All I have to do is feed Armani, and he keeps growing. For me to help him grow up, become an obedient dog, that requires an intentional action on my part, and his as well.

He's growing, but he's also growing up.

Can the same be said about you?

Growing up, maturing, discovering, developing, and deploying your unique Black Belt Leader Within, requires you be intentional. Maturing is a PURPOSEFUL process, as it requires we go beyond gaining knowledge but along with that the wisdom to use that knowledge the right way.

This is how we first improve ourselves, and then improve those around us. It's about learning to lead ourselves well, using wisdom and insight to make good choices, and then teaching others to do the same.

It's also how we equip and train ourselves to see the endless opportunities that are before us every day of our lives, and to seize them so we can prosper and experience success as a result.

The world needs each and every one of us to show up as the best version of ourselves. The world needs more Black Belt Leaders in Life who model Black Belt Excellence in all they do.

The world needs YOU to discover, develop, and deploy your own unique Black Belt Leader Within to make a difference at a time that needs a difference.

But, if all you're doing is growing, this is never going to happen.

It's time to stop growing, and start growing up.