#1 - The Law of Intentionality

The Law of Intentionality, the first of 15 laws of personal growth in John Maxwell's book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, is pretty straight forward...if you want to grow you have to be intentional, growth doesn't just happen.  John Maxwell begins this chapter by asking the question "Do you have a plan for your personal growth?"  My guess is that 97% of the population would say "no", if they are honest.  People plan vacations, they plan the menu for the football tailgate on Saturday, they might even plan their week, but most of us have NO plan for our personal and therefore professional growth.  We hope we will do well, we hope we will get recognized for a job well done, we hope we will get a promotion...but "hope" is not a strategy.  Working hard does not guarantee success.  Like most things in life, if we want a guarantee of success we need a plan and we need to be deliberate. 

I have been teaching project managers for 15 years now.  Many of them want to get certified as Project Management Professionals (PMPs).  Some of them do get certified and some never will.  I hear all the time, I will study for the exam when I get some time.  When I hear those words I know that person will very likely never get certified.  We don't "get" time, we "make" time.  To grow as a project manager one must make time to study, put a plan in place and follow the plan.  They must be deliberate and intentional about learning and growing as a project manager. 

In this chapter, John Maxwell talks about the Growth Gap Traps:

1. The Assumption Gap - This assumes that by living we will grow...that only happens to children who grow stronger and taller and more capable during their "growth years."  As adults if we want to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritual we must take ownership of the growth process.

2. The Knowledge Gap - This is thinking we do not know how to grow or that someone else will teach us how to grow.  Sure we learn lessons as we go through life but that can be difficult and random.  Instead it is better to have a plan where WE decide in the areas WE want to grow, what WE want to learn, and WE set the pace. 

3. The Timing Gap - "Nows not the time, too busy, I'll study for my PMP exam when I have more time."  I like to ask my project management students when they plan to take the exam after completing the PMP Exam Prep class.  I know that the ones who push the date out the furthest are least likely to ever take the exam and get certified.  "The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it."

4. The Mistake Gap - This "gap trap" is about the fear of failure.  Anyone who has ever succeeded has failed.  I told a friend of mine not long ago that her biggest failure would be the failure to do nothing.  She was afraid of making a mistake and therefore paralyzed and was doing nothing to move forward with her dream.  After my statement...about the failure to do nothing being the biggest failure, she booked a flight to Latvia and began moving forward and has since impacted the lives of many forgotten and neglected orphans.

5. The Perfection Gap -  This is where we think we have to have all the answers before getting started.  Like any large project I have ever worked on, it is important to start with a vision but each and every activity can not be fully defined.  As we move forward steps will become clearer.  In the project management world this is called progressive planning.  If we wait until we know everything we will never get started. 

6. The Inspiration Gap - "I'll started when I get inspired...I just can't seem to get motivated." As John Maxwell would say, "forget motivation --just do it."  I know if I am ever going to lose 40 pounds I have to just do it and stop waiting for motivation.  The same thing applies with growth. 

7. The Comparison Gap - Personal growth is not about catching up to someone else or being better than someone else.  Learing from others, seeking guidance from others, being mentored by others can help us meet our growth goals, but comparing ourselves to others will do little to help us move forward. After all, it's not about being better than them, it's about YOU being better tomorrow than YOU are today!

8. The Expectation Gap - Growth does not come easy; it requires work, it requires time, it requires perserverance.  "You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight." (Jim Rohn)  The expectation that growth will happen overnight is unrealistic...not going to happen.  However, you can make a choice overnight to be deliberate and intentional in your personal growth.

Do it now, do it now, do it now...make a plan for personal growth.  Perfection not required.  Not motivated...make a choice and just do it!  Five important components to a growth plan include:  attitude, goals, discipline, measurement, and consistency.  All five are subjects for future discussion. 

From a Bruce Springsteen song the following lyrics are a good summary for the Law of Intentionality...
"A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be."