Growth Instigators Hotline
Welcome to the Growth Instigators Hotline, where we ignite your personal and professional development. For more resources, visit growthinstigators.com. Keep instigating growth in all you do.
Growth Instigators Hotline
#498 Road to 500: An existential airplane moment
A plain white business card. Four words. One number. That’s all it took to spark a question that wouldn’t let go: if you had to define your work and direction in just two words, what would they be? We retrace the unexpected airport moment that led to a months-long search for clarity and the eventual choice that shaped our identity going forward: Growth Instigator.
You’ll hear how tight constraints can unlock honest thinking, why two words beat a rambling elevator pitch, and how to use feedback from trusted people to sharpen your signal. We share the messy middle—scribbled lists, false starts, and tough edits—and the quiet tests that reveal whether a phrase truly fits: does it describe your track record, reflect your values under pressure, and pull you toward the future you want to build? We also explore how a clear, compact self-definition becomes a practical filter for decisions, helping you say no with confidence and invest in the projects and people that align with your core contribution.
If you’re ready to find your own compact compass, we walk through a simple process: collect verbs and nouns from your story, ask three close voices for their words, cut relentlessly, and read your finalists out loud until one pair feels inevitable. Then put it to work—on your site, your card, and your next choice—and let it guide your momentum. Enjoy the ride toward 500 as we invite you to make a small card-sized shift with outsized impact. If this resonated, share your two words with us, subscribe for the next milestone, and leave a review to help more listeners find their focus.
https://growthinstigators.com/
Welcome to message 498 of the Growth Instigators Hotline. This is the road to 500. Each day this week, we will take a look at the 100th message that got us here. Today we are revisiting message number 200 of the Growth Instigators Hotline. And the topic was this an existential airplane moment. If you want to listen to the actual message and all of its gloriousness, you can look it up wherever you get your podcast. But here is the recap. In stall number three of the Denver International Airport, about some 17 or 18 years ago, something happened. May I explain? You're like, oh, please do explain. Okay, so the bathroom break began like every bathroom break, not too eventful, which is a good thing, right? As I was sitting there though, I looked on top of the toilet paper dispenser and noticed a business card. It was all white with four words and a phone number. Simple card. It read James Donaldson, private investigator, and then had his number. That's it. The image of that card was simple and it burnt into my mind. An hour later, as my airplane took off in the air, I was nearing an existential moment, a huge moment. I thought, two words, that's it. That described everything James was about. That wrapped him up in a tight descriptive package. I wonder what my descriptive package would be. So I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing down what about took about three months of work. Two words. Words that describe what I've done, who I am, and where I want to go or to be. My list grew. What two words would describe me? Then I started reaching out to those closest to me, asking them to describe me. The word list grew and grew and grew until after very much debate and honestly nights of tossing and turning, prayer and considering, I drilled my essence down to two words. Any guesses? Growth instigator. That's right. My business card from that day forward would read Aaron Havens, Growth Instigator. I like to instigate growth in the nouns of life and the people, places, and things. So I ask, what would be on your business card? Maybe a journey of considering would be helpful for you to begin. What would wrap up who you are, what you've done, what you've experienced, and what you've learned into a tiny two words that would describe you. Hey, thank you for tuning in today. Wasn't this great? This is message 498. Two more until we reach 500. So would you do me a favor? Invite a few people to call this week. I love seeing when people call from all around America. So here we go. Two more. Are you in for the ride? Thank you for calling today. What an honor to speak with you. Make it a great day.