Why Growth Feels Like Losing Friends

4 Thoughts to Reflect On

1. If you’re always the teacher, when do you get to grow?

2. Silence isn’t respect. It’s usually fear.

3. A strong mind doesn’t shrink to fit small rooms.

4. Comfortable conversations won’t change your business.

4 Lessons I’ve Learned

1. Challenge builds clarity.
   If you can’t defend your beliefs, you probably haven’t thought them through.

2. The right circle won’t let you stay average.
   They’ll call you up, not call you out.

3. You grow by getting uncomfortable.
   People who make you rethink things are a gift.

4. Respect isn’t about volume.
   Sometimes the quietest person at the table is the sharpest one.

4 Challenges for You This Week

1. Ask someone to push back.
   Invite a real challenge to one of your beliefs or strategies.

2. Audit your inner circle.
   Who’s helping you grow, and who’s just nodding along?

3. Join a room where you're not the smartest.
   The faster you're humbled, the faster you grow.

4. Go back to your inbox and hit reply to the email that brought you here. Tell me the last time someone challenged your thinking.
   If you can’t remember… that’s the real challenge.

Quote of the Week

“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” — Confucius

Keep showing up.
Keep raising the bar.
And stop shrinking to fit where you’ve outgrown.

Mark Evans DM