[00:03.91]1995 Passage2

[00:07.24]There are two basic ways to see growth:

[00:10.26]one as a product, the other as a process.

[00:14.18]People have generally viewed personal growth as

[00:17.21]an external result or product

[00:19.72]that can easily be identified and measured.

[00:23.45]The worker who gets a promotion,

[00:25.67]the student whose grades improve,

[00:28.30]the foreigner who learns a new language

[00:31.24]--all these are examples of people

[00:33.35]who have measurable results to show for their efforts.

[00:37.90]By contrast, the process of personal growth

[00:41.18]is much more difficult to determine,

[00:44.01]since by definition it is a journey

[00:46.58]and not the specific signposts

[00:49.01]or landmarks along the way.

[00:51.33]The process is not the road itself,

[00:53.94]but rather the attitudes and feelings people have,

[00:57.58]their caution or courage, as they encounter

[01:00.30]new experiences and unexpected obstacles.

[01:04.64]In this process, the journey never really ends;

[01:08.23]there are always new ways to experience the world,

[01:11.66]new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.

[01:16.80]In order to grow, to travel new roads,

[01:20.02]people need to have a willingness to take risks,

[01:23.35]to confront the unknown,

[01:25.06]and to accept the possibility that they may "fail" at first.

[01:29.91]How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being

[01:33.65]is essential to our ability to grow.

[01:36.67]Do we perceive ourselves as quick and curious?

[01:40.60]If so, then we tend to take more chances

[01:44.04]and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences.

[01:47.97]Do we think we're shy and indecisive?

[01:51.40]Then our sense of timidity can cause us to hesitate,

[01:55.24]to move slowly, and not to take a step

[01:57.92]until we know the ground is safe.

[02:00.74]Do we think we're slow to adapt to change or

[02:03.77]that we're not smart enough to cope with a new challenge?

[02:07.60]Then we are likely to take a more passive role

[02:10.82]or not try at all.

[02:13.34]These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt

[02:16.26]are both unavoidable and necessary

[02:19.48]if we are to change and grow.

[02:22.01]If we do not confront and overcome

[02:24.53]these internal fears and doubts,

[02:27.15]if we protect ourselves too much,

[02:29.21]then we cease to grow.

[02:31.28]We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.