A few years ago, I received an alarming phone call from my sister, she said: “You need to come, mom has been taken to the hospital, she’s in emergency.” I asked, what happened? “She lost her memory, she can’t remember anything” she replied. By the time I arrived, the doctors had diagnosed my mother with a condition known as, trans global amnesia, a condition of sudden memory loss in which recent events simply vanish. With TGA you do remember who you are, and recognize the people you know well. What you can’t do is remember where you are or how you got there. So, about every three minutes my mother would ask, where am I? How did I get here? The good news is that TGA usually goes away within 24 hours. But for those few hours, you don’t know where you are, how you got there, or even where you want to go.

An important aspect of growing is having self-awareness, you must know your strengths and weaknesses, your talents and abilities. You must know where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going. To grow intentionally you’ll have to chart a course. But it’s impossible to do so, if you don’t know where you are and more importantly where you’re going.

When it comes to charting a course for growth there are usually three types of people:

1. Those who are not aware of what they’d like to do. – They live their lives without a fixed direction, they’re like an unanchored boat drifting at sea. They can’t grow because they have nothing to aim for.
2. Those who are aware of what they’re supposed to do but don’t do it. – These types of people are usually annoyed and critical of others. They’re annoyed by the awareness of where they are and where they want to be and are critical of those who are growing because they’re not growing. They can’t grow because knowing where you want to go is not enough, you must set your sails and begin moving in the right direction.
3. Those who are aware of what they want to do and do it. – These people know themselves and are committed to growing. They live purposeful lives, full of passion and motivation. Because they’re continually seeking to grow, that will lead them closer and closer to their destiny.