Growth Doesn’t Just Happen
We’re only a third of the way through summer. September is far enough away that I still feel I have time to enjoy the warm, lazy days. But it’s still close enough to make me feel a sense of urgency that keeps me from neglecting my lesson planning. One of the many hats I wear is teaching classical literature at my kids’ homeschooling co-op, and this year there are quite a few things to plan. As I work to structure my class into a new schedule and write lessons I’m reminded of the Law of Intentionality from John Maxwell’s book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.
The Law of Intentionality states that “growth doesn’t just happen.” How often do we assume that as we age and our children grow that acquiring knowledge, understanding, and wisdom will simply be part of the process? I know I thought for years that adults were smarter than me for no other reason than age. When I became an adult, I realized that age alone rarely brings a good amount of intelligence with it. As homeschooling moms we can be guilty of setting our own learning and growth aside to focus on our children’s. But this is a mistake. We need to remember our learning and growth is just as important, and for it to be effective we need to be intentional.
There are so many excuses to keep us from growing and developing ourselves: it’s not the best time (perfection), not enough energy (inspiration), not sure how to do it (knowledge), others are further ahead (comparison). But the sooner we set aside our fears and accept that we’re all better moms when we’re feeding our minds and soul, the better things will start to be. Growth has this amazing ability to compound. When we begin to prioritize our personal development growth begins to compound and accelerate in our lives. We have more to share with our kids in lesson time, we have more to think about when we’re alone, and more interesting things to talk about with others. In short, homeschooling moms who are intentional about personal growth have more confidence in their abilities to teach their older students and aren’t as intimidated by the new and unknown.
I’ve seen this compounding work in my own life. More than 6 years ago I looked ahead to the books my kids were going to be assigned in high school and was scared to death of the 12th grade list. I was completely out of my league. After thinking it through and having just read a great book about compounding growth, I came up with a plan. I started a book club with the purpose of reading through the book lists starting with easy 7th grade stories and working our way up month by month to the intimidating tomes of the 12th grade. The list was long and it was easily going to take us 5-6 years (50+ books). I set as my goal to be able to read The Aeneid since that was the scariest one to me and I knew nothing about it.
The book club began reading, and it was wonderful. Slowly and faithfully we consumed each book. Over time our group changed and so did the book lists. Occasionally we backed up and read easier books and other times we took more months to read the harder ones. With each book the reading became easier and easier, and the hard books didn’t feel like such a struggle. In September of 2019 I accomplished my goal of reading The Aeneid. It had only taken me four years and I was so proud of myself. This year I get to teach The Aeneid (for the 3rd time) to two different co-op grades. I’m so excited to share great literature with these students. But more exciting than reading a challenging book was the fact that I spent 4 years growing alongside friends. The books paled in comparison to the relationships that were gained. But even those relationships wouldn’t have happened without intentionality.
How are you doing in the area of intentional growth? Compounding only needs a little-bitty change to work so it’s very easy to begin. Consider where you want to be, or what you want to do in the future. Then ask yourself what small changes you need to make now to get there. Do you know someone who can keep you accountable? Is there a friend who wants to grow with you? Write down your goal and make a plan.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”
Reading the great books is a small investment way to start growing. Don’t believe me? Check out this fantastic article from the classical minds at Memoria Press: Why Read Literature? I hope you enjoy it, and I also hope in some way you’ve been inspired to take control of your growth journey.