Grow!

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Every once in a while, I am reminded of important pieces of information that have made a tremendous impact in my life. About 9 years ago now, I distinctly remember coming into contact with some information that has truly helped me to grow personally in my life. This growth has occurred on both a spiritual level and an intellectual level. I must admit though, these past nine years have merely been the first steps on a journey that will last for the rest of my life.

The first piece of information that I am referring to is an excerpt from a book by John Maxwell (Success- One Day at a Time Thomas Nelson Publishers 2000). Here is what I read, "You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine." The author went on to say, "To be successful, you don't need to be lucky or rich. But you need to know this:

You are what you do daily.
You first form your habits; then your habits form you.
It is just as easy to form habits of success as it is to form habits of failure.

        Every day you live, you are in the process of becoming. Whether you are becoming better or worse depends on what you give yourself to."- John Maxwell- Success: One Day at a Time

    I have read these words probably hundreds of time since back in 2001. I keep them on my desk as a reminder to live each day purposefully.

    Another piece of information that I remember encountering during this time was an explanation of the (3) stages of learning. I honestly cannot remember where I saw or heard this information though I am sure that it could be found in a variety of sources. The three levels of learning are as follows:

    Level 1- You don't know what you don't know.

-In other words, so many people consider themselves to be experts on life and yet that
     false sense of knowledge is based on their understanding of 5% of what there is to
    know. What they do not realize is that the remaining 95% of knowledge is out there
    and they are not even aware of it.

Level 2- You begin to grow and it shows

- This a stage that recognizes the fact that there is so much information that remains
    uncovered. By acknowledging that we do not know everything we can begin to
    understand how much we have yet to learn

Level 3- You don't realize how much you know.

-This level is achieved by very few. It is demonstrated in the lives of individuals who have
    experienced so much and have devoted so much of their lives to learning, about God
    and about the world in which they live, that they literally speak with such wisdom and
    they don't even realize how much depth they have to their knowledge. This wisdom
    is merely an overflow of the wisdom of God that has accumulated in their lives over
    time.

    Understanding these levels of learning has helped me to realize how shallow my own depth of understanding is and has helped me to develop an insatiable thirst for truth. My desire is that sharing this information may help someone else to embark upon a journey that I began about 9 years ago and hope to continue on for the remainder of my life. This journey is aimed at exploring and mining the depths of God's word and the world that He has created. In the New Testament we are even commanded to engage in this practice (II Timothy 2:15)"Study to shew thyself approved unto God..." My prayer is that by reading these words, you will be inspired to take part on this life long journey of growing in the knowledge of God.

Dean Stanley's Blog

Grow!