What’s your legacy going to be? Will you be an original version of yourself? I encourage you to discover your personal strengths and unleash them, rather than copy other people. We were born to be originals. Don't be a cheap copy. Grow to become a natural at being you!

I had quite a laugh a few days ago while hanging out with my son in the living room and watching a TV show. During the commercial break an ad was run for a new TV series that will feature impersonators competing to see who looks exactly like a celebrity of their choice. While it may elicit laughter, isn’t it interesting that human beings have a tendency to want to be like someone else instead of focusing on just being themselves? Judy Garland advised, “Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else”. Life would be so much easier for many people if they stayed content with who they are. That is the key to really developing ourselves and becoming the best ‘us’. Know thyself is great wisdom.

A few weeks ago I took my son to a local park and we were playing with plastic golf clubs as I introduced him to the game of golf. An elderly couple passed by and said, “Is he going to be the next Tiger Woods?” I laughed with them for a minute then answered, “No. He’s going to be the next him because we already have a Tiger Woods”. We can only live epic lives when we are original versions of ourselves and not cheap impersonations of other people. There are lots of people who waste their personal talent and potential by committing their lives to being cheap copies of famous people.

My son, Herman Jnr, has been developing so fast. In many ways I think he’s got the greatest personality ever possessed by any human being (allow me to indulge myself). But, really, he is thriving and luxuriating in our presence and revealing such an awesome personality. He is just such a joy. Very expressive. Vibrant. Laughs a lot. A fast learner and such a wonderful human being to have around. The stunner and I feel deeply honored to be his parents. He’s been making rapid progress in the development of his own personality - giving us all sorts of smiles, squeezing my shoulder affectionately when I carry him, leaning forward to give the stunner and I kisses and bonding with us in many different ways. It’s just amazing watching him develop his own self, solidify his trust in us and become more independent.

Watching my son like this has enabled me to gain a lot of insight into human personality. Junior is just being himself. There is no outside force that is coercing or driving him to be someone that he is not. He is a born natural. So is every other human being on the face of this earth. We are all wired to be born naturals. The influences of society and our environment lead us to be what we are not. We need to learn to let our true personality shine through in every situation that life engages us in. This is tough because we have a tendency to compare ourselves to others, sometimes we feel like we can’t measure up and at other times we just plain play small. In my previous post, my goal was to help us realize that we need to be original versions of ourselves. Don’t be a fake, or worse still, a cheap copy of someone else. Let your personality shine through. It’s a journey that we are all traveling on. In my next post I will outline some growth strategies that allow our personality to thrive and shine.

Personal growth has always been a key topic when it comes to realizing personal potential. The truth is that if you don’t grow, you will go. Personal growth is a necessity in today’s world. The secret to any person’s future is hidden in their level of commitment to personal growth and development. This is particularly true for leaders. It’s your “inner” growth which sets the pace for your “outer” leadership. Here are some principles which can generate a life of continued growth:

1. Have a personal growth plan

Growth is not automatic. You have to make a conscious effort to commit to a daily growth plan. This could include reading books that enhance your understanding of your chosen field, listening to tapes and audio-books that elevate your understanding and subscribing to websites or newsletters that enhance your insight. This has to be a personal commitment. There’s a proverb that goes, “You’ve got to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather is”. Make that commitment. Develop a personal growth plan.

2. Stay out of your comfort zone

There’s a quote I learnt in college that I really like. Ron Osbourne said, “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow”. Many people get stuck in the rut of ”same old, same old”. You’ve got to stretch and expand yourself. Do something new. Do it in a different way. Some wag oce said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Stay out of that comfort zone. Comfort creates ease and ease is the greatest enemy of growth.

3. Grow for who you will be, not what you will get

You need a proper focus if your growth is to go the distance. You can’t just have the goal of acquiring stuff because once you acquire your motivation will wane. Growth should be geared towards becoming a better person, living a better life. Grow to become, not to have. Growth brings good things; good things don’t bring growth. It is more important to be a better person than to have better things. We win in life by being better people, not by having the biggest and the best of stuff. True success is really an intangible thing - it’s the quality of person that you are.