The other day our family headed to the pumpkin patch – where our kids could play, bounce in jump houses, take hay rides, and pick pumpkins. I'm pretty sure we've been doing this since my oldest (turning eight in a few weeks) was born.
But in all that time, I've never seen pumpkins that have exploded. And just as I was about to make some negative comment, my wife saved me by explaining to our kids that the explosions were just one more way that seeds would get dispersed.
I'm pretty sure I've told you before, but she's really the smart one in our family. I hadn't ever thought about seed dispersion, but it got me thinking.
Embracing Destruction
And it ties into my recent talk at Pressnomics, where I explained that high performing cultures are built not only by the positive element of guidance and coaching, but also by the destruction (of safety and comfort) that happens when you step into new spaces and adopt a learning posture all over again.
In many cases, seed dispersion is accomplished by a kind of destruction (of plant, fruit, etc) that leaves seeds in the dirt and sometimes even crushed. But this yields fruit and growth.
Here's what I know – if you want to keep growing, you have to be willing to step into a space where you don't know anything.
If you want to keep getting better, you can't rest on what you already know.
Embrace the destruction of the comfort you've already developed.
Daily Blogging & Content Marketing
A year ago I stepped back into blogging after years of ignoring the process. In the last year (today marks 13 months of daily blogging), I've learned a ton—mostly about things I didn't know at all.
Being good at one thing (new product development) meant absolutely nothing in the world of content marketing (which had already been growing as a discipline that I felt I should know a bit better). But more and more, I noticed product launches and community development were becoming tied together. And the link, in many cases, included better content marketing.
Rinse & Repeat
Now, to be clear, I'm not selling something on this site. But the growth, in pageviews, demonstrates the results of a new skill that didn't exist just a year ago. And guess what, just as I'm getting comfortable with this writing skill, I already know what's coming next.
The need to embrace the destruction of comfort once again. To learn something new. To grow.
But each time I embrace it, I know that the overall goal of growth and education results in taking me to a better place. And it's exactly what I wish for you too.