Want to Avoid Stress or Boredom in 2023? Balance Your Growth Portfolio

In last week’s LinkedIn article, “Want to Grow Faster in 2023? Mark the Moment,” we suggested that throughout 2023 you take the time to mark the moment—focus on the wins as they come—rather than waiting to celebrate until you reach the end of your big, overarching goals for the year.?

In other words, focus on your micro S Curves—the small curves that make up your larger growth curves.?

But, because micro curves are the building blocks of macro curves, coming together piece by piece to build the future you, there is a benefit to keeping the macro curves in mind, particularly at the beginning.

Imagine you were told to build a tower out of blocks given to you by someone else. You had to use them in the order you were handed them, and you couldn’t see the blocks ahead of time.??

Now, imagine you sat down and planned how to build your tower, collected the blocks you needed, and then constructed it.?

It is, of course, possible that you end up with a superior tower the first way, but it’s more likely you’ll have better results if you make a plan first—even if you don’t fully stick to the plan in the end.

Similarly, it’s better to intentionally define your macro curve before you start climbing your micro curves.?

So, as we approach the new year, you may have found yourself thinking, “What will my New Year’s Resolution be in 2023?” And, if you’re like me, you may have automatically thought about new S Curves to jump to—should I run a half marathon? Learn to fly a plane, play the fiddle, or bake croissants??

Even though it is the new year, and big “new year, new me” resolutions go hand-in-hand with January 1, I encourage you first to consider if starting a new macro S Curve is the right move for you or if a micro curve resolution would better serve you.

How do you know which is the right kind of resolution for you?

Consider your portfolio of S Curves. All the macro and micro growth curves that make up your life come together to build your portfolio of S Curves. It’s similar to an investment portfolio—a “collection of investments and holdings like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, crypto, cash, and cash equivalents,” according to Investopedia.

And, just like you want to ensure your investment portfolio is balanced and aligned to your current needs and future goals, you also want a balanced portfolio of S Curves.

What does a balanced portfolio of S Curves look like?

Each person will be a bit different depending on their current needs and personality, but based on S Curve research, I recommend the following:?

• Launch Point:? 15-20% of your S Curves — the launch point requires constant data collection and exploration as your brain works to establish new neural connections. Too many curves in this phase can feel overwhelming, and too few can feel monotonous.
• Sweet Spot: 60-70% of your S Curves—the sweet spot is where you’ve hit your stride, and your brain is firing and wiring. You want the majority of your portfolio to be in this phase.?
• Mastery: 15-20% of your S Curves—mastery is when your growth starts to slow down considerably, and you’re not learning or creating new neural pathways. Too many S Curves in mastery can feel boring, and too few can feel chaotic.?

Is your portfolio balanced? If not, where do you need to add or take away curves to balance it?

If you need more curves at the Launch Point, great news! Using the new year as a demarcation point to jump to a new curve may be the push you need to rebalance your portfolio and add new challenges to your life.?

Are you lacking S Curves in the Sweet Spot? Rather than setting a big resolution, think about what you need to do to either accelerate up from the Launch Point (think about what skills or connections you might want to work on building) or step back from Mastery (think about whom you can mentor or how you can add a new responsibility to make your current peak a false summit).?

Is your portfolio in need of S Curves at Mastery? Rather than resolving to do something new this year, resolve to say yes to no. Give yourself the time to move into mastery by focusing, which you can only do when you limit the things you say yes to.?

The new year is a great time to set goals and re-evaluate your portfolio of S Curves. Make sure your goals bring your portfolio into balance rather than skewing your portfolio to the Launch Point—a risk for many who will choose to jump to new S Curves this holiday season.??

What is your S Curve portfolio’s distribution??

Does it need to be adjusted?

What will your New Year’s Resolution look like?

Our offices will be closed next week to allow our full team the time to rest, celebrate, and return refreshed. Whether you are able to take time off or not, we hope you intentionally slow down, celebrate how far you’ve come, and do what you need to have a moment of pause before the new year.?

Need ideas? Check out a few of the resources from the Disruption Advisors team below.?

• “Celebrate to Win” in Harvard Business Review
• “To Take Care of Others, Start by Taking Care of Yourself” in Harvard Business Review
• “To Have a Happier Home Life, Treat It a Little More Like Work” in Harvard Business Review
• Episode 299 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast “Jennifer Moss: The Cure for Burnout Isn’t Self-Care”
• Episode 294 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast “Arthur Brooks: Are You Investing in Your ‘Happiness 401k’”
• Episode 243 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast “Emma McAdam: Stop Trying to Feel Better and Get Better at Feeling”
• Episode 168 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast “Liz O’Donnell: Stepping Back and Showing Up”
• Episode 165 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast “Hubert Joly: Focus on Purpose”
• Episode 16 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast “Paula Froelich: Travel Alone and Take a Gap Year”