Last Fall my church studied through the Bible book of James together in small groups that met each week. Perhaps the most well-known verse in James occurs in the first chapter, where it says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”. In the context of faith and the Word of God, this is something that every Christian can and should always do better! 

When I think about personal growth, a similar thought comes to mind. It can be so easy to hear good stuff that challenges us, but then to just move on from it and never receive any benefit. When this happens, we also inhibit our ability to push others to grow as well. With increased technology and access, hearing helpful content is easier than ever. But a fatal mistake occurs when one neglects to put what they are hearing into action. Hearing and learning are not the same thing. To learn something, it often must be repeated more than once. And it also must insight some sort of change or improvement. 

Over the past few weeks, I have shared my top sources for content, as well as a few top individual pieces of content. This is all in hopes that these will help others grow and get better. Podcasts, books, articles, quotes…there are innumerable places to go for gold nuggets of growth. But what should a person do with rich content when they find it so that it can have the maximum effect?

Two C’s of Growth

First, the content must be CAPTURED! I can’t tell you how many times I have heard or read something and then thought “Man, this idea could really push me/others to grow”. You no doubt experience this as well. It is at this moment that a clear crossroads exists. Go in one direction, and you just move on with your day. When this happens, the idea is immediately lost and almost certainly it will never be recaptured. But go in the other direction, and the idea can be retained for years to come. Option two, of course, refers to CAPTURING the idea! 

A person must create and maintain a system for capturing growth-based content. In my experience, the WORST way to do this is by recording it somewhere that will become a black hole where good concepts go to disappear. Creating Notes on a phone or writing things down in a notebook both can be examples of content black holes. In contrast to these, good content must be recorded in a place where you will revisit over time. For years I have written great quotes on notecards and placed them together in a card holder. Do you have a good system for capturing quality content that you come across?

Second, the content must be CONSUMED. Capturing great thoughts but then doing nothing with them is just like buying vitamins at the store but then leaving them in a cabinet. Good content must be consumed again and again in order to incite growth. Once a thought is heard enough, it begins to be absorbed into how a person thinks, and this then ultimately affects how they behave. Repetition breeds change. 

Much like capturing ideas, a good system can greatly help when consuming ideas as well. The key here is consistency. For years I have taken the notecards of quotes that I keep and have carried one in my shirt pocket each day at work. In addition to this, I email one out each morning as a Morning Mantra so that others can receive them as well. This consistent pattern of consuming and sharing allows the ideas to marinate in my mind time and time again. Do you have a good system for consuming quality content that you have captured?

In Closing

Use the Two C’s of Growth to get valuable content integrated into your life. Share the Two C’s with others as well so that they can benefit as we all seek to grow ourselves together!