Different Types of Growth
Not all growth looks the same. Some growth happens because life pushes us. Other growth happens because we choose it.
Both are important, come from different places, and lead to different outcomes.
Let's take a closer look.
Unintentional Growth
Sometimes, you grow because you have to.
Maybe you take on more responsibility. Maybe something unexpected happens. Maybe you're just getting older and facing different challenges.
Think about it this way:
The challenges you had in high school were different from the ones in college.
The ones you had in college were different from adult life.
With every new season, the challenges change, and you adapt.
That's one kind of growth. It's unintentional. You didn't plan it. Life showed up, and you figured it out.
This is where people say, "I learned a lot through that experience." And they usually did.
Growth by circumstance is real.
There's another kind worth paying attention to.
Intentional Growth
Intentional growth is different. It's not about what life throws at you. It's about what you choose to pursue.
This is where you:
Read books that stretch how you think.
Meditate to train your attention.
Take on challenges that aren't required and are meaningful.
Learn new skills. Build new habits. Step into discomfort.
I call this injecting intentional chaos into your life.
Not to overwhelm yourself. It's to prepare for the chaos that life will throw at you eventually.
Intentional growth is proactive. You decide how and where to grow so you're not caught off guard when things get hard.
Growth vs. Strategy
Here's where things get a little more nuanced.
Sometimes, what looks like growth is just a better strategy.
Let me explain.
Let's say someone is living in financial chaos. They don't have a plan. Bills are behind. They're stressed.
Then, they find a strategy. They follow the steps. They get out of debt. They budget. They save.
That's great. Their life improves. Was that growth, though?
Maybe. Or maybe it was just the first time they had a strategy.
Any order is better than absolute chaos. So even a basic system can change your life if you didn't have one before. Changing a system isn't the same as changing who you are.
If you only needed better tools or information, that was a strategy issue, not a growth issue.
Expanding What You're Capable Of
When I talk about growth, I'm not just talking about strategies or habits. I'm talking about raising your internal ceiling.
That means:
Letting go of emotional baggage.
Releasing limiting beliefs.
Aligning your values with what you actually want.
Shifting from avoidance to approach-based strategies.
Building a new identity that supports your future, not just your past.
This is where real, sustainable growth happens—on the inside.
Let's say someone wants to grow their business and hit $150k a year. They read a book, follow a framework, and do it.
Awesome. That means they had the belief system in place. What they needed was the strategy.
Someone else might read that same book, follow the steps, and still not take action.
Why?
Because their beliefs don't support it.
They don't believe they're capable. They doubt themselves. They're afraid of success or failure or what people will think.
It’s very challenging to out-strategize a belief system that's working against you.
That's where the deeper work comes in.
This Is the Work I Do
With my clients, we don't just talk about goals or to-do lists. We work on what's under the surface.
That includes using Mental and Emotional Release®, Hypnosis, and NLP techniques.
These are practical, effective tools that work quickly.
Growth isn't just about trying harder.
It's about expanding what's possible.
And once you do that, strategy becomes even more powerful because it's built on a foundation that can support it.
You will grow, whether you plan for it or not. Life guarantees that.
You get to decide if you want to take ownership of your growth or react to whatever comes your way.
You can wait for life to push you, or you can create the conditions for growth on your own.
And when you start working at the level of beliefs, values, and identity, you stop just getting through life and start shaping it.
That's the difference.
Enjoyed this post? Like, share, or leave a comment below!