Planting an idea.

Generally we think growth is good. Growth often means that something is thriving, or working successfully. When I take my child to the pediatrician and he has gotten taller and gained weight, we are happy. When plants are growing, we celebrate that they are being nurtured. When a business is growing, we assume it’s because it’s doing well. When the economy is growing, we take it as a sign that people are doing well.

Do we ever stop to think about what growing means? Can growth be bad?

We don’t think of growth as positive when we’re talking about tumors or cancer. If a human were to grow without stopping, we’d have very tall and heavy people! When business become too large, they unfairly dominate the marketplace.

What kind of growth do we want to regularly encourage? What is good growth?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and what growth means for me and my family. Sometimes we get trapped in believing that growth is related to what we have or can obtain. Growth for some can mean a bigger house, a newer car, or more things. It might mean using financing to be able to have multiple things at once. Growth can also mean other things, such as an individual’s advancement as a person, in their wellbeing, in their learning, in their caring for others.

In terms of acquiring things, our growth is slow. We’ve committed to living (consumer) debt free. This means we’re only willing to take on debt for a mortgage for a personal residence - and our near-term goal is to live without a mortgage, too. Sometimes, when I measure growth in this sense, it can feel defeating. When I stop to think about growth in the other sense and what it means to me, it’s about the opportunity to have peace, to be able to spend as much time with my family as possible, to spend days pursuing what feels meaningful, and to have time to be present. For me, that kind of growth has only happened because of the willingness to be okay with slower growth of the other kind. Having a target for a growth, knowing it’s not endless or uncontrollable, and appreciating all types of growth, is motivating and allows for comfort in the slower times.

What does growth mean to you? Have you defined it for yourself?