From objects to humans, cultures, societies, and civilizations, one evident learning is to keep growing and moving forward.

Even something as simple as your money, if not invested, will cease to beat the inflation. No growth equals negative growth.

India was the most developed country, accounting for most of the international trade until 1750. Today, it is a developing country as some of the other countries grew faster than India making them global leaders.

Various countries in the world with abundant resources stop focusing on developing human capital, innovation, and industry. They are likely to become obsolete once the resources deplete.

A few decades ago, Bihar and UP states were flourishing hubs for education. Once they became complacent, they were left behind.

So, whether the growth is cultural, financial, or related to your career, you must remember that life is like a treadmill. If you cannot keep up, you will fall.

Certain times people from the same college join the same organization. While one of them becomes the CEO, some others find new opportunities, and a few of them are still working in middle management. At times, people outgrow the position and become expensive for the organization. They are ultimately laid off.

In such a scenario, you have no other option but to grow. Being static while others are going up implies you are going down.

In the corporate world, there is a leading global company that strives for excellence. It has a direct up or out policy. Maximum tenure for any position is fixed, if you fail to get promoted, you are out. Most of the other companies may have an unstated policy.

Companies at some point realize that some people are expensive and are overvalued for the job. Someone ten years younger could do the same job for half the money.

So, how do we, as an individual, focus on continuous growth?

1. Set high aspirations: Unlike Gen X who set objectives for twenty years, Gen Z wants to think about 2 years at a time. The aspirations can be short-term or long-term. Both are equally good. Short-term aspirations are more likely to be achieved.
2. Create a plan (even if it is for a short-term objective) to achieve these aspirations
3. Assess present capabilities and those required to succeed in executing the plan. Identify gaps and develop capabilities to bridge the gaps. The programmers in the 1990s were working on Cobol. To stay relevant, they had to keep learning new software languages. As the strategy consulting market went down in the 2000s consultants had to unlearn and learn operational effectiveness, talent management, leadership development, digital business, etc.
4. Find an opportunity. That is not easy as that is dependent on others. However, one could create an opportunity for opportunities to knock their doors. How can one do that?
5. Excel in your field
6. Deliver unparalleled success.
7. Create stories that people can narrate
8. Work hard once you get an opportunity. Don’t waste the opportunity. Make sure to create another success story.

Growth and success are all about the mindset. People don’t just work for the opportunity they have, but also for the opportunities they want to create. Before leaving, please remember:

The real is not something static; the real is always in a state of becoming. – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

How do you keep up with the latest developments in your industry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!