Law #7 - No shame.

Do you remember the first time you got in trouble? Do you remember when you learned that doing something wrong meant you should be afraid? It seems it’s an almost universal Western human experience, to fear wrongdoing. In the United States, our criminal justice system focuses on punishment, and we have abysmal recidivism rates. Our education system focuses on comparison and competition, and children are developing anxiety disorders and dread for learning like rarely seen before in history. Our workplaces use systems of points and write-ups to determine employee longevity, and workers are miserable, burned out, and lack commitment to their posts. Research continues to show that “Good and Bad” are not effective motivators for change and growth. Praise and punishment are both poor reinforcers for behavior. So why do our lives still center around “good enough” in nearly every dimension? Grow Counseling’s final immutable law is a non-judgmental stance. To overcome shame in the workplace, competition and fear need to be discarded. This is a place where we work together to do what works. If something isn’t working, we troubleshoot and problem-solve until we come to a solution that does! Failure is not something to be feared (see immutable law #2), but rather an opportunity to learn and grow! Our team works to examine effectiveness in terms of short and long-term goals, our immutable laws, and employee and client needs. This in term leads to a self-healing a curious environment for all involved! As we learn daily to manage our judgment and shame in more effective ways, it becomes safer to try new things, be creative, and explore new possibilities.