The Mental Growth Spurt

Do you remember growing up and hitting growth spurts? You know, those days you’d wake up and it seems like you’ve grown 5 inches overnight?

There’d be adverse affects. Suddenly your shoes would be too small. Your pants looked like you’d be ready for a flood. The times weren’t fun.

photo by Steve Lyon (creative commons)

I think we undergo growth spurts as adults too. Just not in our physical bodies.

The growth spurts we experience are mental growth spurts. And these mental growth spurts can be just as awkward and frustrating as the physical growth spurts we experienced growing up.

The Mental Growth Spurt

This happens when we begin to expand our knowledge and take in information rapidly. Sometimes too rapidly.

We consume the information. Books. Audio programs. Conferences. All jam-packed with great information.

We’re told how to improve our marriages. How to be more productive. Ways to improve our friendships.

The only problem is we don’t have the time to implement the strategies. Eventually they fall by the wayside and are a casualty of a lack of focus.

The Solution

I’ve come to the conclusion we must do something about the lack of implementation during our mental growth spurts. Luckily there’s something we can do to help us retain the information we gather.

The solution is a simple one that tends to go against the grain of many self-development and self-improvement gurus. They’ll tell you to keep consuming information. Read more books. Take more courses. Get more knowledge.

Let’s try something different. How about we go against the grain?

Instead of filling our minds with more knowledge, let’s develop a plan to implement the knowledge we just consumed before moving onto the next book or seminar?

My solution: When you come upon a piece of information you feel could change your life, focus on it.

1. Put the book down.
2. Write your thoughts on how you could implement this idea into your life.
3. Take steps to act on the new information.
4. Begin implementing it into your life.

Don’t move onto the next book or even the next chapter. Begin acting on the idea right away.

If you don’t, your great insight will most likely slip away.

Sure, you might not read 100 books this year. Or attend 52 conferences.

But something great will begin to happen. You’ll begin to see actual change happen in your life.

The ideas and concepts you’re reading and hearing about will begin to take root in your mind. You’ll find yourself actually doing what’s required of you to move forward. You’ll finally see the progress you’ve longed for.

Question: How can you begin implementing the concepts you’re learning about?

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