The 15 Indisputable Laws of Growth

Book Review: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth

by John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell’s purpose in The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth is to provide the reader with an understanding of how personal growth is achieved.

1.  The Law of Intentionality emphasizes that “No one improves by accident.” (3)  To grow, one has to ask the big questions – “Where do you want to go in life?” and “What direction do you want to go?” (10)  Once you answer these questions, you have to commit to moving forward immediately with a plan to grow, facing the associated fears, such as the fear of failure or insecurity.  A concrete way to start is to, “Rework your calendar so you have an appointment with yourself for personal growth” every day or week. (15)

2.  The Law of Awareness is simple: “You must know yourself to grow yourself.” (16)  You must know both where you are now and where you want to go.  Knowing what you want to do is only possible when you “Listen to your heart” (21) You must also be aware of what you are good at and of your limitations, in order to match your goals with your abilities.    

3.    The Law of The Mirror states that you need to see value in yourself and invest in adding further value to yourself. Low self-esteem always holds you back because “People are never able to outperform their self-image” (40) and because other people will equally under-value you.  Advice for bolstering your self-esteem includes becoming your own encourager through positive self-talk, not comparing yourself with others, taking small steps forward each day, celebrating small victories, and helping others value themselves.

4.    The Law of Reflection suggests that, “Learning to pause allows growth to catch up with you.” (53)  Indeed “evaluated experience” that comes only through reflection is the best teacher. (54)  Having a regular time and place for reflection is essential.   Maxwell states, “A minute of thought is worth more than an hour of talk.” (56)  Ask yourself tough questions such as,“What are the roadblocks that are keeping me from growing?” (64), and write out your answers.

5. The Law of Consistency states that “Motivation gets you growing, but discipline keeps you growing.” (69)  The key to growth through discipline is the Compound Effect – “the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, small choices.” (78)   In other words, by disciplining yourself each day to take small steps forward, you will end up taking great leaps forward.

6. The Law of Environment is simple: “Growth thrives in conducive surroundings.” (98)  In order to grow, you need to immerse yourself in greatness: “… spend time with great people; visit great places; attend great events; read great books.” (90)

7. The Law of Design holds that “To maximize growth [both in your career and your life], you must develop strategies.” (102)  Maxwell recommends “multiplying everything by two” (106) when it comes to planning the amount of time, money, and effort you devote to meeting personal goals because growth can be slow and difficult.  Whatever systems or strategies you choose to plan your growth, they must include ways to measure your results.

8.The Law of Pain reads as follows: “Good management of bad experiences leads to great growth.” (121)  Choosing a “positive life stance” (128) – an optimistic outlook – is the best way to see your way through disappointments and suffering and grow.  Creativity is also a tonic.

9.  The Law of The Ladder indicates that “character growth determines the height of your personal growth.” (143)  In other words, real success is only possible when the foundation is integrity.  According to the author, the mistake too many people make is focusing “… too much on competence and too little on character.” (144)  The rungs on the character ladder are honesty, altruism, humility, gratefulness, and never-ending commitment to character development. 

10. The Law of the Rubber Band states that “Growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you could be.” (156)  Hence, you always need to keep stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone, which includes taking risks.  By stretching yourself, you will move into your capacity zone.  Unfortunately, according to Maxwell, far too many people don’t stretch themselves.  As proof he offers this fact: “A third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.” (161) 

11.  The Law of Trade-Offs works as follows: “If you want to grow up to your potential, you must be willing to give up some things you value.” (176)  Maxwell cautions that the losses associated with a trade-off are normally felt long before any gains from it are realized, so the “in-between periods of transition can be a real challenge.” (181) However, he also contends that you need to keep making trade-offs if you want to continue growing. 

12.  The Law of Curiosity Curiosity is a driving force in growth.  Maxwell offers several suggestions for cultivating curiosity:

•  Have a “beginner’s mind-set”, which means “being open and vulnerable” and asking why frequently;
•  “Seek out other curious people”; (198)
•  Start every day determined to learn something new;
•  Don’t look for “the right answer” and focus on more than one solution; and,
•  Think outside the box.

13.  The Law of Modeling stresses the importance of mentors and coaches for personal growth.  Although the author acknowledges that some mentors can be found “in the pages of books” (from reading), he states that “… at some point, you must find personal models.” (212)  Criteria for an appropriate mentor include:

          -   Integrity

          -   Willingness to help

          -  Suitably positioned to help (ie. not too far beyond your current situation)

14. The Law of Expansion emphasizes that you need to change both your thinking and actions to build your capacity.  By valuing effectiveness over work ethic and shifting from thinking Can I? to How can I?, you will expand your capacity. (230)  As well, “Stop thinking one door and start thinking many doors,” (231), which means considering many possibilities or options instead of limiting yourself to just one answer or course of action. 

15.  The Law of Contribution is as follows: “Growing yourself enables you to grow others. (244)  Maxwell’s challenge is to “Think of yourself as a river instead of a reservoir.” (246)  By this he means that your purpose for growing shouldn’t be just to pool the learning inside yourself, for your own advantage, but rather, to share your learning with others, letting it flow to them in order to allow them also to grow.  Ultimately, the “measure of success is not the number of people who serve you, but the number of people you serve.” (250)