20 Sep Top Eight Personal Growth Tips #4 – Learning and Growing: A Few Thoughts From Our President, Jeff Russell

Coming in at the number four spot on my list for personal growth is learning and growing every day. 

When I got out of high school, I was convinced that I wasn’t a good reader. But a bartender friend encouraged me to read Flight of the Intruder. It was a fiction novel (not the typical stuff I really enjoyed then), but I was hooked (thank you, Joy!) 

After I finished this book, I realized I wasn’t a bad reader; I just didn’t really enjoy reading. So, when I started reading self-help books, I moved through them at a slow pace, but I got through them. 

Then, I discovered books on tape (yes, massively huge cassette tapes!). And, that was unicorns and rainbows for me! I would keep them in the back of the car, although that wasn’t the greatest idea since they would melt.  

Then, the CD arrived. They scratched but didn’t melt. Scott and I would swap and trade with each other constantly. And, boy, it was even more unicorns and rainbows for me. 

This evolution of ways to read continued. Next was being able to listen to them online. That was cool. And, then, the most amazing invention (okay, maybe not most amazing, but in the top three) came along… Audible! I could listen to books anywhere and at whatever speed I preferred. I tend to lean towards 2x the normal speed, which drives Dori and Cambri nuts! 

You might be wondering if this post is about the history of books or the idea of learning and growing every day. It’s the latter. If I had stopped reading after high school, I would have never had the opportunity to read all of the thousands of books I’ve read to date. I credit books to so much of my personal growth and professional success that I am sure I wouldn’t be who (or where) I am today without those books. 

To change your life, make more money, be a better spouse, get in better shape, or {insert any other goal here}, find a book. I am confident that no matter what your goal is, a great book has already been written that you could learn from. 

Learning and growing are crucial to personal growth. If you were like me and have said to yourself, “I just hate reading,” or “I suck at reading,” try a different approach. Listen to books. If you’ve tried that and it’s not your jam, ask someone who knows more about the topic than you do to share some knowledge. If you don’t want to do that, maybe your goals aren’t goals; they are just desires. 

There is so much to learn in life, but that can only happen if you make a choice and take action to do it. 

I am here if you want to borrow a book or talk. Life is good. – Jeff