Nothing can be more rewarding in life than to reach your fullest potential. Potential is the ability that God has placed in you to look forward and work towards a better and more optimistic future. On the other hand, few things can be more disappointing than to wake up one day and realize that your life is full of unfulfilled potential, that it’s not what it could and should have been. So, the question is, how does a person reach their fullest potential? The answer is simple; they must dedicate themselves to growing.

Growth is both natural and intentional. Some growth is simply part of life, it comes naturally. I think of natural growth as a gift from God. I see natural growth as the God-given potential to look forward with the optimism that we can build a better future and become the person we could and should be. Now, intentional growth is the purposeful use and development of your God-given potential to create a successful future. Intentional growth is the courage to accept your distinctiveness and yet work towards who you could and should be without losing your uniqueness. But intentional growth is more than your individuality it’s also the journey to discovering your purpose, the reason for which God placed potential in you in the first place.

Even though the goals of intentional growth change from person to person, the principles to achieve growth are always the same. If you want to advance your career, you’ll need to grow your skills. If you want to reach your financial ambitions, you’ll need to grow in your knowledge about how money works.  If you want to discover your purpose, you’ll need to grow in self-awareness. If you want to become a better person, you’ll need to grow in integrity. To be a better spouse, parent, family member or friend you’ll need to grow in relationships. And if you want to enrich your soul, you’ll need to grow spiritually. You can’t reach your full potential without growing.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit … – Proverbs 21:5 NIV

The first step towards growth is to create a plan. You may not be able to change your present situation today but by creating a plan you can definitely change your direction. Creating a growth plan begins by asking yourself the following questions.

Where do I want to go in life?

What changes in direction do I need to make?

What’s the farthest I can imagine going?