The Power of a “Get To” Mentality: Celebrating 10 Years of Grow Regardless

It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since I released my book, Grow Regardless. Given my low SAT score and the fact that I came from a high school with a graduation rate of just 23%, it’s hard to imagine I made it there. But when I started SHIFT in 2000, at the age of 23, I imagined myself as an author.

Writing a book was on my heart 13 years before it happened, and the end product was a turning point in my life in more ways than one.

Even though Grow Regardless was designed to help businesses grow, regardless of size, economy, industry or the government, it was also reflective of my life and how I intended to, and did, grow regardless, despite many challenges and obstacles along the way.

The book hit #1 on the global bestseller list, beating out 50 Shades of Grey, and it also reached #4 on the New York Times Best Seller list for soft cover and #3 on the business list for the New York Times for the entire month of February.

I talk about this in my second book, Shift the Work, but much of that notoriety was because of the team behind the launch, and the intention, ingenuity and thought they put behind learning and marketing for success.

Grow Regardless changed the trajectory of my career, full stop.

My team and I went from working with small- to mid-sized businesses to working with some of the biggest enterprises in the world. Companies like Kaiser Permanente, John Hancock, Pandora, New Balance, Crocs, and Fox Sports were just a few organizations excited about the messages in Grow Regardless … and the person that created them. The success of Grow Regardless led to the creation of SHIFT Society and SHIFT Ventures.

The book’s message of treating employees like clients and clients like employees was ahead of its time in terms of talking about employee experience and building cultures of justice, caring, and equity. This newfound success allowed me to charge more for speaking fees and our consulting engagements. This was a game changer for me, especially considering the times in my life when I would look at an empty fridge.

I was firing on all cylinders: achieving goals set for myself at 21, seeing massive growth in my business, engaging companies in positive operational changes and mission-driven work, growing our own company.

The irony of it all is that the point of Grow Regardless was to achieve success without losing your soul, and here I was, flying high in my career but missing the heart of being human at home. The success of my career meant nothing if I lost my soul and my purpose along the way.

My wife, Erica, had just given birth to our second child, James, who was a very different baby from our first child, Ellie. James was fussy and didn’t sleep for his first year. This new experience of being incredibly tired for the first time in my life was taking a toll.

Erica noticed I was starting to adopt a “have to” mentality when it came to my family, instead of a “get to” mentality, which was a big change from my approach to life and parenting with Ellie.

Erica did what she has done for me since we met — set me straight.

She said, with Ellie, our first, you never once said I “have to” do bath time.

She reminded me that in life, we don’t have to do anything; we get to do a lot.

It’s a choice, an honor, and a privilege to be with the people in our lives.

I also got to be on Bloomberg Radio and Fox News, talking about Grow Regardless…

I got to work with incredible companies and leaders who believed in my vision…

I got to work alongside people who believed in me…

Shifting my perspective in all areas allowed me to stay humble and in gratitude.

How could I go to work with purpose if I wasn’t living with purpose at home?

This realization led me to write Shift the Work, five years later, which explores the biology behind engagement and purpose in life. Because overcoming life’s greatest challenges or celebrating life’s greatest wins isn’t about passion alone. It’s about purpose.

Choosing on purpose and for purpose.

We don’t get too down on the failures or too high on the successes when we can stay grounded in the why.

I want to express my gratitude to everyone who played a role in my journey, as this was a team effort, and I am incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement I have received.

There were people who helped make this book a reality, including mentors and innovators, but also the people who helped build my character along the way.

Grow Regardless would not have happened without the experiences I endured, but it also reminded me there was more left in the story for me to tell.