Growth Horizon: Fuel for Transformation
I recently participated in an online course at Meridian University, exploring human development from a coaching and facilitation perspective. The focus was to reimagine the future of developmental power and the challenge of addressing the relationship between inner and outer complexity. The question posed was: How do we develop and become more complex in a unique way?
Meridian’s facilitator indicated that one of the ways to help achieve this development is to gain clarity between our growth edge and our growth horizon—an interesting distinction. The definition of our growth edge is what we can perceive as we are standing still—at the precipice. Our growth horizon is our trajectory or direction wherein we don't necessarily see the edges. Even if we are able to perceive our horizon up to a certain point, we are essentially in a state of becoming. Opportunities may arise where the horizon is not perceived, yet we have an instinct or intuition that moves us in that direction. Reaching our horizon is about that movement.
A growth horizon fueled by instinct and courage . . .
Angel Gregorio (seen in the photo above) was a school principal who one day stepped into a vacant store that was for lease. She actually didn't have a business in mind, but wanted to know how much the lease would be. When pressed by the landlord, she said she would open a spice shop. Indeed, that's just what she did, and the Spice Suite was launched in D.C. in 2015. Gregorio says that she has been living a dream she didn't know she had. Eight years later, her business is generating more than a million dollars annually. With a deep desire to support other Black American entrepreneurs, especially women, Gregario hosts hundreds of pop-ups for other businesses and has purchased property to open a strip mall where she can continue to support Black entrepreneurs. When asked how running a business has changed her, Gregario says that she is more of a risk-taker than she thought, and now sees herself as bold and audacious.
A growth horizon fueled by empathy and awareness . . .
Likolani Authurs dreamed of being a ballerina as a young girl. Her passion for dance plus years of deliberate practice took her to stages performing with the New York City Ballet. Even as she danced professionally, Authurs’ interest in science and biology led her to study these subjects in between rehearsals and performances. When Authurs’ father fell ill with lung cancer, the lackluster medical care he recieved ignited a desire to become a surgeon. After retiring from ballet, she made the leap and in 2022 became a New York University surgical resident. Connecting her dance experience to her new profession, Dr. Authurs says she views surgery as an art full of creativity to help as many people as she can.
A growth horizon fueled by inspiration and curiosity . . .
Actor Michael B. Jordan is recognized internationally for his work, particularly for his recent role in Black Panther. In a recent CBS This Morning interview, Jordan spoke of his admiration for Ryan Coogler‘s accomplishments as a director. While observing Coogler’s body of work, Jordan asked himself–can I do that? His debut as the director of Creed III answers in the affirmative. Jordan said that directing pushed him beyond what he perceived as his personal limits. He challenged himself to do everything from acting to cinematography to camera operating. His growth, Jordan says, was the result of shedding his old self and running towards his inner demons, insecurities, and fears. Jordan takes the opportunity to share his life wisdom with the young men in his QQQ Legacy Classic, a showcase for basketball players at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Through the program, these young Black Americans can be seen and discover their own horizons. His advice to them: “Don’t live for now, live for later.”
Gregorio, Arthurs, and Jordan stepped into new leadership spaces, stretching and unfolding into a transformative version of themselves. Instinct, curiosity, intuition, awareness, and courage, solely or combined, can fuel the aspiration to evolve and move towards our growth horizon. The driving force may have been an individual shift, but the common thread in all three stories is the difference their horizon-reaching growth will make in the lives of others.
