We would like to introduce you to a famous author whose books have sold over 21 million copies worldwide. That author is Mr. John C. Maxwell. And the famous book among his other famous books titled "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth". It comes with a subtitle that says, "Apply these laws in life to reach the peak of your potential." Are there any principles or methods that have already been applied and are truly effective that can help everyone grow? Yes, there really are, according to the claim of Mr. John C. Maxwell. Who is Mr. John C. Maxwell, and how does he dare to make such a claim? Mr. John C. Maxwell is an expert in leadership, a public speaker, a coach, and an internationally recognized author with a record of selling over 21 million books worldwide.
Mr. John Maxwell is the founder of Equip and the John Maxwell Company, institutions that have trained over 5 million leaders globally. Every year, he speaks to famous companies, international leaders in government, and large institutions such as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and the United Nations. He has been passionate about the topic of self-development for over 50 years. He teaches many people what he has collected, recorded, as well as the real experiences he has gone through in life to help them reach the peak of their individual potential. In this book, each chapter is filled with information on how to live better, develop long-lasting, sustainable relationships, and increase your ability to lead others well.
To not waste time, I would like to lead you all to understand the first law as follows. The first law, The Law of Intentionality, is a law that refers to the intention to achieve a certain desire. You can start by asking yourself this question: where do you want to get to in your life? Mental and emotional growth doesn't just happen on its own. You must have the intention and desire to see it happen for you through action, and learn how to help yourself change and move forward without waiting for time, encouragement, or motivation from anyone. Start with the energy from within yourself, so it will burn for a long time. You must always move forward, growing every day, even if you grow slowly. But make sure you have moved to a new, better place. And at every stage of change to find growth for yourself, don't worry or be overly concerned about the mistakes you might make. Because mistakes always happen to those who do things. If you don't want to make mistakes, then don't do anything. Some people are too afraid of making mistakes, too afraid of failure, they don't even dare to start. What if a miracle happened that could help you, saying, "Go ahead, you won't make a mistake or fail." Have you ever thought about what you would want to do?
In reality, nothing can guarantee 100% that it will be successful. This is just a question to stir up your desire, your intention to achieve something in your life. Because if you don't ask this way, some people won't even dare to start, not even think about it, because they are afraid of being wrong or failing. You must be strong and very determined about the promises you have made to yourself, whether it's a small thing or a big thing, because it can help reduce excuses in your life. When you were in school, you learned the lesson first, and then you took the exam later. But life is not like that. You will have to go through the test first before you can learn a good lesson. A good decision comes from the experience of making many bad decisions in the past. Therefore, creating growth for oneself is not easy. Everything in this world that is useful to life has its price, which you must pay to bring it into your life. So you must be prepared to pay that price. But you must also always remember that having confidence is a good thing because it can break down fear completely.
But don't have excessive confidence, to the point where you don't know your place. You are just a cat, but you dare to dream beyond your size, daring to think you are a tiger, an eagle, without knowing your true self, what you really are. To the point where even some useful and correct words no longer enter your ears. If you are even a little bit careless and wasteful like this, you will instantly become a fool, and it is a most pitiful thing. Set clear goals. When you start sailing, you must look at the shore, don't worry about being swayed by the wind. Life lessons can teach you to change. Sometimes you change to become a good person, a resource for society. Sometimes you change to become a bad person, bringing trouble to society. Therefore, it is essential that you plan your change and growth well, by setting clear goals and desires, which path you want to grow on, and how far you want to go. What else should you learn? Should you pick up trashy ideas to put in your brain, or choose the wisdom of a sage with positive motivational power? Each person's life is very short, there is no time to waste in order to find unnecessary experiences to achieve life's goals.
Some dare to say, "Engage in life, experience all the flavors of life, then you will find the right way." If you are willing to spend time engaging in life to gain experience, why not plan it well to get the right experience that is appropriate for your life goals? It's like wanting to grow in the IT field but running off to learn and gain experience in sales. The second law, The Law of Awareness, refers to right mindfulness. I will share this point in as much detail as possible because it can help those who do not yet have a real direction and purpose in life. The key point here is that you need to know who you are, what you want from your life. Ask these powerful questions. If you find the answers, write them down. Write down what you really want in life. Such as your life's vision, your life's purpose, and so on. Once you have written it all down, read and remind yourself of it every day, imagining and creating a picture that you can visualize and keep in your mind. And you must record the methods that can help you, push you to get the life you want.
What do you need to do to get that kind of life? Who do you want to become to be able to get that kind of life? Many people, when asked these questions, cannot answer even one. When asked, "What do you want from your life?" they cannot answer this question. They really don't know what they want for this life. They just live to accompany this world without any real purpose. Many people really don't know what they truly need for this life. Believe it or not, people without goals will surely let things happen by fate. Therefore, you should not become such a person. The first solution is that you must meditate, calm your mind, and focus in a quiet place without distractions, and ask yourself: who are you? What do I really want in this life? What do I have to do to live a life that is in line with my desires? What is the real purpose, and what must I do? What kind of example should I leave for everyone around me, especially my loved ones? The people close to me, what legacy should I leave for them? When you know clearly and have a clear purpose, you can start to achieve it and make every day of your life a good day for you, always, with growth and creating new achievements every day, leaving a model of a wonderful life every day.
Learn to love the life you have every day. If you look at what you have, you will find that you have many things, while some people don't even have what you have. But if you look at what you don't have, you will feel that you are lacking and not enough for your desires. Therefore, you must value this kind of life today, you must not delay any longer. Because we don't know what will happen to us tomorrow. Are you all living the life you desire, or are you living a life that others have defined for you? Or are you just adapting to live a life that conforms to others in this world, because you don't have to worry much? Are you willing to change into someone else, not your true self, just to be able to get along with others? I just want to tell you all that you should get something better than this. You should get a life where you live as yourself, dare to speak and live with your truth. And that you can live with the true potential you have. Don't worry, the right people for you will come into your life. You must live with your true self. You live this life not because you want to, but because you have a duty to pass on to the next generation, to be a good role model for them.
You have a duty to inspire others to chase their dreams in life, to live fully as human beings, to dare to speak, dare to do, and dare to be responsible. And what, you don't leave good memories for your family, for your loved ones, and for the next generation? Why don't you leave a legacy of being a role model? A role model of happiness, a role model of a full life as a human being with conscience, a role model of peace, a role model of love and true joy, all of which come from the freedom of thought where you desire to do something, want something in this life with virtue and purity. The third law, The Law of the Mirror, refers to being able to see and recognize one's own value. According to a psychologist named Nathaniel Branden, he said that there is no factor more important than the strong psychological factor that each person has for themselves.
Every aspect of each person's life is influenced by their mindset, their thoughts, and their self-worth. If you think you are a person of no value, you will not try to add value to yourself, to your life. What is your true nature? Do you often talk to encourage yourself? Do you often put yourself down? As I have explained in the previous book, if you are a person who is full of positive thinking, you will be able to create a positive image to the outside world, and you can be seen and valued by others with those good images and positivity as well. But if you have a lot of pessimistic thoughts, good images and the influence of positivity will be difficult to spread and manifest in form or action. Therefore, you must start doing the things below, the sooner the better. A. Stop comparing yourself to anyone else. B. Don't try to limit your confidence. C. Learn to value others. D. Do the right thing, no matter how difficult it is, that's how we have value. E. Live with discipline. Maintain good discipline, whether the task is small or big. F. Embrace a positive vision by focusing on what you value most in life.
At this point, it means that if you have a positive life vision, you will engage in positive actions to achieve that vision. That is when the image of self-respect and self-worth increases, and you understand that your life has value not only for you and your family, but also for your community and your nation. The fourth law, The Law of Reflection, refers to being able to pause activities and then find a quiet time to review your actions and goals. The Coca-Cola company once promoted its beverage with a catchy phrase that said, "The Pause that Refreshes," meaning that this drink can help you pause all activities for a moment to make your life fresh again. If someone is walking the wrong path to their dreams or life purpose, what they really need is not encouragement or motivation to speed up. But instead, they should be given some quiet time to strengthen their focus, to reflect on their actions and goals. Therefore, everyone really needs quiet time and to pause their activities occasionally, and use that time to review their goals and past actions to see if they are on the right track. And if we study the biographies of many great people in the world, all of them spent a lot of time alone to review their past actions and life plans frequently. To grow and develop, you also need rest and relaxation. Spend time reflecting on what you are learning from your experiences.
Carefully reviewing the lessons you have gone through can help direct you back to the right path. The business philosopher Jim Rohn recommended that at the end of each day, you should reflect and review your actions for each day, whether you have produced the right results or actions. You can also ask yourself, "What made me most satisfied with the actions I took today?" and try to find answers for each day. Two famous business authors, John Assaraf and Murray Smith, stated that each of us, from a young age until the age of 17, has heard the words "You can't do it, it's impossible" 150,000 times, compared to the words "You can do it," which you have only heard 5,000 times. This is one of the reasons why most of us believe that we can't do it, that it's impossible, more than those who think, "I can do it." The fifth law, The Law of Consistency, refers to whatever you do, it must be consistent, like a steady rain. It doesn't matter how talented you are, it doesn't matter how many opportunities you have. The consistent and regular practice of an activity is the most important. If you don't have discipline, even if the whole world encourages you, it won't be able to help you grow.
Daring to step forward, to change for growth every day, requires you to have discipline. George Lorimer said that you can wake up every morning with a good feeling about yourself and full of determination if you go to bed satisfied with the actions you have completed correctly each day, that it has been and is moving towards your goal. Give yourself the opportunity to change from within first, by starting with the simplest challenges and taking it step by step, with the problems becoming more and more complex. The industrial expert Ian McGregor said that he applied the same principle as experts in horse training, where they start by having the horse learn to jump low, easy fences first, and then have it jump higher and more difficult fences. This way, the horse will be confident that it can do it, and people are the same. The sixth law, The Law of Environment, refers to the human factor around you. Wanting to grow and succeed, the human factor around you and the people you associate with are the most important things. Because they can help push you, sometimes they can also be pressure, which can make you reach the peak of using your full potential. Sometimes you may have the motivation and discipline and are ready to change, but the environment around you has pulled you back. Therefore, you should organize and review the human environment around you to study and identify the factors that they can hinder you.
This environment includes everyone involved in your life. Why is it necessary to do so? Because you will not be able to move forward if the people around you are hindering you. The social psychologist at Harvard University, David McLellan, stated that the people you interact with every day have an influence of up to 95% on your success or failure. Therefore, you should choose them carefully and wisely. The seventh law, The Law of Pain. The bitter events in everyone's life are not things to celebrate. But at least you can learn and grow from those painful experiences. Everyone has experienced negative situations or bitterness according to their own life stories. But what's important is to be creative and turn it into an opportunity to learn and not let it happen again, or at least you will know what to do if it happens again. The long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad said, "I am willing to let myself go through all of life's experiences, such as pain or loneliness, because those things have no effect on me as long as I know in my heart that it is a new experience or a new life test that will take me to a new, higher level. So, I can welcome them at any time." The eighth law, The Law of Design, refers to developing strategies for growth. It's no wonder that if we don't plan for our lives, we are very susceptible to the influence of others' ideas. So, knowing some concepts in life planning can help you. In this eighth law, I will share three more concepts with you all. One, some people say that life is not too complicated.
That's right, I half-agree with this point. But to be able to maintain this kind of thinking consistently is not easy at all. An ordinary person cannot say this word with confidence. Only those who know how to control their minds in the face of the flexibility and changes in life can dare to say this word, and it is most fitting. Two, in this life, there are no such words as "fit" or "try." There are only the words "strive to do the right thing and do the best you can," and start doing it right now. Three, knowing how to organize your life's journey is more important and has more weight than organizing your business or career plan. If you can organize your life's journey correctly, without being messy, your business, work, and profession will also run smoothly and accordingly. When you start thinking of strategies for self-growth, spend enough time for yourself, including the resources to be used. If you think a certain amount or a certain limit is considered enough, moderate enough to implement that strategy, take that number and multiply it by two.
This technique of multiplying by two can help you go far, not get discouraged quickly, and not give up easily. But you don't know that every achievement in life will happen if we try to approach it with a strategy. But that strategy, on the other hand, should not be complicated. You must be realistic and easy to implement. The ninth law, The Law of the Ladder. This law refers to our personal character. It states that if you have a growing character, then all other aspects of your life will also grow accordingly. To reach the peak of your true potential, developing your personality or character is the most important. Because, according to observations of many successful people, we see that they all have similar personality traits: good character, honesty, and integrity. They highly value the well-being of others. They focus strongly on improving and cleansing their minds from within first, before spreading that influence to others. They share their belief in the value of righteousness and do not give up easily if something has not reached its end. The tenth law,
The Law of the Rubber Band. This rubber band law tells us that... Everything will remain stagnant, not expanding, if we don't continue to pull it. Prepare to leave your comfort zone, expand yourself like a rubber band. This stage of expansion will inevitably face some pain. That's why not many people can do it. To expand yourself, you must face change. When you change some things in life, it can cause pain or a feeling of difficulty in doing or accepting it, or sometimes it's even high risk. If you pull a rubber band too hard, it can break. Therefore, you must be able to estimate the distance from where you are now to the new place you want to reach. You must use just the right amount of force, not too little, not too much, because it can break like a rubber band. Therefore, estimating one's own strength and resources will still play a very important role in change. We are not much different from a rubber band. The more we grow, the more valuable we become. When we are used a lot, whether for good or for exploitative purposes, we will definitely grow in some aspect of our lives, whether it's experience, mental strength, resilience, or patience. The eleventh law, The Law of Trade-off. This law refers to giving up something to get something in return. This law is not new to everyone. It happens very simply in our daily lives.
In some circumstances, to achieve your full potential, you must be willing to sacrifice a valuable part of your life. The choice you make will have a direct impact on the path of your life that you have to walk. When you face a difficult choice, try to think it through and evaluate it with great care, at every relevant point. It is very important that each of us can see it as an opportunity for self-growth or as a trap. Trading is not something you just do. You have to think about it carefully, because some of our trades in life are not worth making. But no matter what, we cannot escape the choice of making trades in our lives. So, learn to welcome difficult choices and your trades. Being responsible for your actions and decisions shows your maturity and your mental and spiritual growth. The twelfth law, The Law of Curiosity. This law refers to wanting to know everything. You cannot grow if you don't continue to learn new things. Create a habit for your brain that when you see or encounter something, the word "Why" should pop up in your thoughts first. Because the more you want to know, the more you will learn, and the more you will grow. To be able to increase your curiosity, don't be afraid, don't be shy about showing your lack of knowledge, your thirst for knowledge.
Pretend to be ignorant for a moment, and you will know forever. But if you pretend to know for a moment, you will be ignorant forever. The management expert Peter Drucker said, "My greatest strength as a consultant is that I know how to be an ignorant person so that I can have the opportunity to ask some questions to others." Set a goal to learn new truths about life every day. When you have a curious mindset, the secrets of this world will be revealed to you little by little. Similarly, failure gives you a special opportunity to learn more. Learn to open your mind with optimism to recognize that every problem always has a solution. The thirteenth law, The Law of Modeling. This law refers to taking someone as a role model who aligns with your aspirations. Learn from their real experiences, their real actions, not just from stories passed down. The growth and development of personal character, which in English we call "Personal Growth"... ...is easier to achieve when someone with real knowledge can guide you on your growth path so that you don't go astray. Choose a mentor who can advise you on the steps to take. Don't try to learn from top mentors for big businesses or mentors for billionaires. It's too far from your real situation.
You can't learn the mindset of a billionaire to do things for ordinary people. It can easily make you discouraged and give up. A good mentor is someone who can change your thinking and your life at the most appropriate level for your real situation. The fourteenth law, The Law of Expansion. This law refers to learning, growing, and increasing capacity. Stop doing what you expected, but do something that exceeds your expectations. Whatever you have done, whatever you have achieved in the past, you can definitely do it better or more than before. Do you believe it or not? Psychologists claim that people can only use 10% of their potential. So, for you to be able to achieve more than before, you should change your basic mindset, such as... ...you should change from saying, "Can I do it?" to "How can I do it?" Because "Can I do it?" is a dead-end question that shuts down your thinking about finding a way. "How can I do it?" is a question that pushes you to strive to find a way to achieve it.
The fifteenth law, The Law of Contribution. This law refers to sharing what you have with others or the people around you. It could be knowledge, experience, or a certain skill. Your life should not only focus on your personal growth. Please pay attention to the needs of others whom you care about in life as well. You might think about how you can contribute to improving their lives through your influence. Therefore, the value of life is not in its length or brevity, but in what value you have created for your life that can help improve and bring about a change in the lives of others.