We all want to be bigger than we are.

Sadly, growth is complicated. Becoming a giant – no matter your field – takes time, diligence, and attention to goals. Where do we begin? Where do we stop? How much is enough, or too much? Which kind to focus on? Personal, professional, physical advancement?

Growth requires effort – and it can’t be faked.

Or can it?

It turns out there are a number of ways to give the impression of being bigger, without actually changing yourself at all.

Sleight of mind such as;

1. Standing on the shoulders of giants and pretending to be tall. This one’s a classic. Perfect example; managing to guest post on a high powered blog, and touting that as your “arrival” as an expert in your field. This isn’t just foolish, it’s ephemeral; your posturing is temporary, no matter how many places you reference your own success.
2. Make everything around you small – and pretend to be big. This is the worst. This is what happens when you attack others, constantly deride their work, and tear at the things they’re doing to be successful.

Why be that jerk? Why tear other people down, or focus on impermanent improvement and posturing?

Instead, why not focus on the ways you can actually get big?
3. Grow – and keep growing! This is the hardest – but also the best and most permanent of the ways you can grow. It’s difficult to find advice on how to grow, that isn’t either fluff, self-help, or vanilla cheerleading.

These have their place… For a while. But no one can really tell you how to grow.

So I won’t try.

Go figure it out for yourself. Tell us how it goes, ok?