10 Signs You're More Wired for Growth Than You Think (Part 2)

Last time, I shared the first five signs that you're wired for growth. Those were all about the love of learning: the curiosity, the podcasts, the mirrors, the coachability. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.

This half is about what happens when that love of learning meets discomfort. Here are signs 6 through 10.

6. You stopped accepting “that's just how I am” as a final answer. This one is big. A lot of people use that phrase as a period. You started using it as a question mark. Is it though? Does it have to be? That shift, from fixed to curious, changes everything.

7. You've invested in coaching or therapy, and you showed up for it. Not just signed up. Showed up. Did the work. Sat with the uncomfortable stuff. Let someone else hold up a mirror when you couldn't see clearly yourself. That takes courage and a belief that you're worth the investment.

8. You see something in yourself you don't like, and you're determined to change it. You don't just notice the pattern and shrug. Maybe it's how you react in conflict. Or how you shut down under pressure. Or how you say yes when you want to say no. Whatever it is, something in you kicks into gear. You want to understand it. You want to do something different. The drive to figure it out, to change - that's wired for growth. (Where it gets interesting is when you discover that some things can't be thought your way out of. But that's a conversation for another day. 😄)

9. You do uncomfortable things on purpose. You sign up for the certification that scares you. You join Toastmasters even though public speaking makes your stomach flip. You start a business at 57. You raise your hand for the thing you're not quite ready for because you know that's exactly how you get ready. Growth-wired people don't wait until they're comfortable. They've learned that comfort and growth rarely occupy the same space.

10. You’ve started to wonder if perfectionism and people pleasing are patterns, not personality traits. This is maybe the most important one. I didn’t see it this way when I started either. A lot of driven people carry perfectionism and people pleasing like they’re just part of who they are. Wired-for-growth people start to wonder if they might be something else - habits that made sense once, that maybe even protected you for a while, but that you don’t have to keep. Recognizing the pattern isn’t the same as conquering it. But it’s the beginning of everything.

Here's what I know: the love of learning gets you in the door. But it's your relationship with discomfort that keeps you there when it gets hard. People who are wired for growth have usually had to build that tolerance on purpose, and most of them will tell you it's been worth every uncomfortable moment.

Try this: This week, catch one moment where you think or say “that’s just how I am.” Then add three words: “or is it?” You don’t have to answer. Just notice what happens when that sentence gets a question mark instead of a period.

I’m Terri, a brain trainer who helps people who are wired for growth retrain what’s running the show. If sign 10 hit home, one of the modules in my self-paced course, Unleash Your Inner Ally, is all about it: the control patterns (perfectionism included) that quietly drive your choices, and how to loosen their grip. It's four short modules, and you can start with whichever one sounds most like you. If you're one of the first 50 blog readers, the code First50 gets you in for $47 instead of $97.

This is my list off the top of my head. I'm sure it's not complete. Which of these do you relate to, and what would you add? I'd love to know what “wired for growth” looks like in your world.

High Five! ✋

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Wired for growth and ready to keep climbing? Let’s talk about retraining what’s running the show: https://www.outofsmallthings.com/workwithme