The Invisible Growth

Brian Herschaft
Nov 7 · 6 min read

Why do we feel impatient when it comes to our personal development and growth? Many of us strive to constantly improve awareness, refine our identity, elevate our quality of life and fully comprehend our dreams and purpose.

Patience is a virtue and strengthening our ability to wait for something without becoming frustrated is a valuable character trait. But waiting is not enough and we must figure out how to move the needle with the tools and variables that are within our control. So we must remind ourselves:

“You’re going to see success when you take each day as it is and [ask], how can I get the most out of today?”

- John Gregorek Jr.

Growth is often invisible and I expect that because:

  • You might not see it in real time.
  • You might not feel it tangibly.
  • You might not notice it week to week

If we want to conduct a conclusive analysis of growth, there needs to be a statistically significant experiment. To ensure we create the static environment for that analysis, we should ask ourselves, “how do we stay patient and deploy consistency to gather enough data?”

Here is one of my experiments. This past October I went for a run in my neighborhood called the Marina, in San Francisco. It’s one of the foggiest areas in the city because the fog sleeps here during the night!

I left my house prior to 7am and hit the trail starting my run at Fort Mason. I love activities that involve motion (running, biking, hockey) because it activates my mind to start a process of deep reflection. I compliment this process with an environment that includes the motion and flow of a natural body of water as I run along the bay. Seeing and hearing the waves strengthens the best possible environment I am aiming to create.

It was a very foggy morning and typically I can see the Golden Gate Bridge while passing through the Marina Green. During the run I was reflecting about growth, what it means, how to spot it, and how to arrive at the state I know I can be in. On this foggy Tuesday, I couldn’t see the bridge at 7:15am. I knew the bridge was standing strong and golden since I have seen it and touched it countless times before. But I said to myself, “Hey B, can you prove that the bridge is there?” At that exact moment, I couldn’t use any of my senses to prove it. I couldn’t see, hear, smell, taste or touch it.

Marina Green

I started to connect the dots with how similar this situation is to the way we think about our personal growth and challenges we face along the journey. We know we are capable are growing and accomplishing greatness. We want to believe in ourselves and strive to perform at a high level to get to where we want to feel. However, it is often difficult to fully comprehend if the path we are on is ultimately the right path. We might doubt ourselves. We might face obstacles that we think we are prepared for and others that we have no idea what’s coming.

“This is why we train”

We train physically. We train mentally. We prepare for the expected. We prepare for the unexpected. If we create an environment within our minds where we truly feel at peace with feeling prepared for the unexpected, then we are on the right path.

Now back to the run! Since I couldn’t prove to myself the bridge was standing behind the fog, I told myself I had to see and touch it for this hypothesis to validated definitively without any doubt. Easier said than done. Now, let’s remember we are not running on fully flat terrain — we’re in San Francisco! As I prepare for the steep incline at 2 miles into the Presidio, I remind myself that I am prepared for the expected and prepared for the unexpected. Prepared for the slight change in running form, the different muscles that will be used in my legs, prepared for the activation of my core, prepared for maintaining the proper breathing, oh and trying to keep the same pace.

I set out to achieve a mission to see and touch that bridge so let’s make that happen. The incline fluctuates but continues to climb towards the bridge. As I’m about .5 miles away, I can start the see the tip of the bridge through the fog. Awesome, I guess I just proved the bridge is there. So now what, do I stop running..do I turn back towards base and walk there?

NOPE. The momentum is strong so let’s keep it moving. I could only see a portion of it and I committed to proving without any doubt that the bridge was there by touching it too. I touched the Golden Gate Bridge 5 minutes later. Should I stop now? NOPE. I used the high of “completing the mission” to go a little bit further by running on the bridge, through the fog and feeling the wind, mist and sun in my face as I smile running towards Marin. I added another .5 miles until I reached a plague on the bridge and one word stood out to me.“PAST.” So I touched the word on the plague then put my hand on my heart and and said to myself:

“That was then and this is now”

Plague on Bridge

The past you could’ve stopped when you saw the bridge but the current you keeps pushing even beyond the milestones you set for yourself. Being good just won’t be good enough, I’ll be the best or nothing at all.

As I turnaround headed back towards the mainland I look over to my left aiming to take in the views of the beautiful sunrise over Downtown SF. Surprise, surprise, we’re definitely still in SF and the usual view is completely fogged up. I know the Salesforce Tower standing tall over Downtown is there because I saw it 20 minutes earlier and a hundred times before. So I said to myself out loud, “I guess you’ll have to run back to prove it’s there, keep it moving.” Here we go again. #MOTION

On bridge looking towards Downtown San Francisco

There is no end game — It never ends. I’m on a journey without a destination — I’m not even searching for a specific destination, I’m searching a feeling — A feeling of freedom.

Freedom of: THOUGHT. EXPRESSION. CREATIVITY.

“Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.” — Epictetus

To grow and explore that feeling to accomplish the things that contribute to making our world a better place than the shape I discovered it in. Whether that’s inspiring others with ways to live a healthy life, being a supporting friend, a resource in your workplace and everything else.

Growth is invisible while you’re on the journey even though you know it’s there. It’s okay to reflect on the past if you are reviewing the lessons that you’ve learned as a benchmark for moving forward.

As for what’s next, it’s simple. It’s back to basics. Just be a human being.

Breathe, hydrate, eat nutritious foods, stretch, and engage in (high intensity) fitness activity. Hold yourself accountable with discipline and good things will happen.

Nobody was there next to me having doubts about the bridge being there or challenging me to prove it — this was a conversation with myself. My takeaway from this experience is that I have the power to upgrade from proving people wrong and focus on proving myself right.

#KeepItGolden, SF!

Brian

Brian Herschaft

Written by

Positivity | Emerging Tech | Health

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