What does "Pursue Growth and Learning" mean to you?

One of the things "pursue growth and learning" means to me is going outside of my comfort zone to try something new or difficult once in awhile.  This is hard to do but when I do, I find that the thing I initially thought would be really impossible isn't as scary as it seemed.

-Christian

To "pursue growth and learning" to me means to reflect on the areas where you excel or have an interest and try to learn more about those areas.  Doing this helps me to find areas where I can enhance my strength, learn more about a topic that interests me, and find new ideas related to this area.  I've always had an interest in music.  This year, I started learning how to play the piano.  I was able to build on an interest of mine and find a new creative outlet that has also helped me design orientation materials for our music program.

On the flip side, to "pursue growth and learning" also means to reflect on areas where I can further improve.  Reading more about these areas can help me find fresh ideas for making myself better in those areas.  For example, when I wanted to work on my communication skills, I read a chapter about candor in Jack Welch's book Winning.  This chapter really opened my eyes to the importance of open, honest communication.  I had no idea how much I needed to improve in this area until I started reading more about it.  

-Heather

I think the key part of “pursue growth and learning” is the word “pursue.” To pursue something is to make the effort to go out and actively seek it, rather than waiting for growth or learning to happen magically. It's so important to stretch yourself – even if you’re scared, even if you might fail. It’s about having a curious and open mind, wondering what’s possible, and then taking action to achieve it. With risk comes reward. You may not be able to predict what the reward will look like, but if you’re self-reflective, patient, and allow yourself the opportunity to try and to fail, some measure of wisdom and experience can be gained from every experience. Growth isn’t always comfortable – in fact, at times it can feel distinctly uncomfortable – but that does not mean that it's bad.

-Sonja

"Pursue growth & learning" has two equally important meanings for me:

First, it means not taking the easy way out or the easy route. It means accepting the challenge, being adventurous and taking risks because that's how you uncover the most information about a situation and about yourself and your own potential. It means putting yourself in situations where you will have to bring out your best and continually make your best better.  I think challenging yourself to learn and grow also puts you in situations that are more interesting and engaging, so you are in a position to make your best contribution as well as realize your full potential.

Second, it is an outlook that allows you to see the value of any experience, even if it was difficult or upsetting. It means pursuing a growth mindset; realizing what was gained (learned) from the experience and putting that new knowledge it into practice moving forward. 

-Bryce