The philosopher Heraclitus has said the only constant in life is change (or, change is the only constant in life. Or, the only thing that is constant is change. It depends how you translate it or what Google results you look at). Change is indeed unavoidable; it permeates all aspects of life. Personal change is especially important, and millions (billions?) of dollars have been spent on self-help books, life coaches, and advice columns, all with the goal of helping people change.

Change and growth are often used interchangeably (intergrowthably?) when speaking in these contexts, but I’ve found they aren’t quite the same; to grow is to change, but to change isn’t necessarily to grow. The difference can be subtle, but it’s important.

To illustrate this, let’s turn our attention to plants, some of the greatest teachers. A plant can change without growing: it can shrivel, petrify, or oxidize (in more scientific terms, catch on fire), all without growing a single new root or shoot. For a plant to grow, it must go places it’s never gone before. A plant cannot grow while staying put; it must push deeper into the earth to grow stronger roots. It must reach outwards to grow longer branches and leaves. It must reach higher in order to reach its potential.

So too with humans. People can change in countless ways without any ounce of growth (we’ll call this “non-growth change”). They can change their interests, their habits, or their hairstyle, all while remaining essentially the same person. In order to experience growth, we, like plants, must go places we’ve never gone before, both figuratively and literally. We need to have those uncomfortable conversations, talk to people we may not normally talk to, take the class we’ve been interested in, or try that hobby we’ve always wanted to start. Growth is dynamic, and cannot be achieved standing still.

Non-growth change is still important: it helps cultivate relationships (making habits less annoying), improve productivity (helping use time better), and the list goes on. Non-growth change can even be an important facilitator or precursor of growth, giving us more time, energy, or resources for growth-related pursuits. It is vital, however, not to confuse non-growth change with real growth. We can’t become complacent in our lives because we feel that we’re changing enough; no amount of change will ever make up for a lack of growth. It is only by growing that we reach our potential (whatever that may mean), and that can only be achieved by going where we’ve never gone before.

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