6 Best Values for 2026: No. 2 - Growth (Istanbul, Turkey)

What if growth didn’t have to come through pain?

Most people wait until life forces them to change—through stress, burnout, or something breaking. But what if you could choose growth… before it chooses you?

In this episode, recorded from Istanbul, Justin breaks down why growth is the second most important value for 2026—and how to move from forced, painful evolution into something far more intentional, joyful, and aligned.

Key Takeaways

• Growth is happening whether you like it or not
• The real question isn’t if you grow—it’s how.
• Pain isn’t the goal—it’s a signal
• You don’t need to suffer your way forward. That’s conditioning, not truth.
• You can choose your growth path
• Environments, people, and experiences all shape how you evolve.
• Most people grow unconsciously
• Repeating patterns, staying stuck, or waiting for life to “force” change.
• Joy, ease, and curiosity are valid growth strategies
• You’re allowed to grow through what feels good—not just what feels hard.
• Your beliefs, habits, and identity are not fixed
• Growth means questioning what you’ve been blindly repeating.

Next Steps…

• Ask yourself: Where am I growing… and is it how I actually want to grow?
• Share this episode with someone who’s ready for a different way forward
• Follow and subscribe so you don’t miss the final values in this series

Work With Justin

If you’re ready to grow in a way that actually feels aligned:

🌐 Learn more: https://justinwenck.com/leap

📩 Reach out directly to bring LEAP to your group or organization

📲 Follow: @JustinWenckPhD

Watch the full video episode at Justin Wenck, Ph.D. YouTube Channel!

Check out my best-selling book "Engineered to Love: Going Beyond Success to Fulfillment" also available on Audiobook on all streaming platforms! Go to https://www.engineeredtolove.com/ to learn more!

Got a question or comment about the show? E-mail me at podcast@justinwenck.com.

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Transcript

Justin Wenck: 0:00

Welcome to the show today from Istanbul Turkey, continuing on with the six best values for 2026 this one is going to continue to make your life better and better. So you're not going to want to miss what I'm telling you about the second best value for 2026 which is growth. So let's get started. Are you ready to live a life with enough time, money and energy have relationships and connections that delight you? Are you ready for the extraordinary life you know you've been missing? If so, then this is the place for you. I'm a best selling author, coach, consultant and speaker who's worked in technology for over two decades. I'm a leader at transforming people and organizations from operating in fear, obligation and guilt to running off joy, ease and love. It's time for engineering emotions and energy with me. Justin Wenck, PhD, okay, so growth. Why is it important to have this as a value? That's what we're going to get into today. And I'm here in Istanbul, Turkey, and so for those of you that are, you know, watching this on YouTube, I'll get out of the way so you can see the view. I've got a little bit of the Istanbul city behind me. I haven't, haven't had a lot of time to go check it out yet. I wanted to record this for you guys make sure it gets out on time. Because just got off of a 16 a night cruise through the Aegean Sea. Mostly it started in the port of Rome, and we went to some ports in Italy and then Greece, and some in Turkey. And we're finally arrived early this morning the Galata port in Istanbul. And so from here, just going to spend one night and then then return home. And I think this is just the perfect opportunity to talk about growth, because one of the things I love about traveling is the opportunities for growth. And so I'm not this isn't like, Oh, you have to go travel. There's so many ways to grow. The important thing is, do you value finding those ways and to grow in a intelligent, discerning, joyful, elegant, beautiful, enjoyable way, or have you just been letting it happen by chance and by accident? And one of the things is that I really believe that big part of the human experience is to learn and to grow. And if you're not consciously learning and growing, the universe is going to provide ways for you to learn and grow, whether you want it or not, and when you become a partner in that growth, life becomes a whole lot more fun and enjoyable when you're like, No, no, no, la, la, la, la, I just Want to keep doing what I've been doing, then that's like, when you know something, the house blows away. That's when illnesses happen. That's when people do really mean things to you. Because it's like, you know, you gotta move, you gotta change, you gotta shift. And the you know, it's big thing from my book, you know, fear, obligation, guilt or joy, ease and love, what's going to be the the fuel, what's going to be the motivating factor. And when you value growth, then you start to be able to choose how you're going to grow and where, where you want to grow next. Because there's just a lot of things like, eventually you got to get through it, all right. Like, it's kind of like, you know, going through, going through school, it's, you know, there's certain things you're going to have to do, but if you actually take the time to go through, like, well, what are the requirements and what are the options, what are the possibilities? It can be a lot more enjoyable, because I definitely remember, especially being an undergrad in college learning electrical engineering it, it was one of those like, Okay, you're gonna have to take this, you know, beginning circuit analysis class. But who teaches it? There can be some option in that. And so it's like, okay, well, what teacher has the style that I like? Okay, let me, let me pick that one. Whereas it's just like, I don't know, man, just whatever. I'll just show up and take what I get, and it's like, well, then I'm gonna get the dude that maybe I don't I don't want to be spending much time with. And some of the some of you in relationships are in tough work environments or with bad friendships, have you? Maybe you're starting to realize that maybe you just kind of like, showed up, you didn't put a lot of thought into what is this person. For me, it was real funny on this, on this cruise, there was a big, a big group of people of, like, 30, like, they all had, you know, special eating arrangements and special tour stuff. But they still, you know, got to meet quite a few of them, and was. One of the hot tubs near, near the end, chatting with a woman and her husband. And I didn't, I didn't know she was with this giant group at first. And she's, she said, I always thought that I'm, like, very extroverted, but then I get on the ship, and all of a sudden I'm like, I don't know if I want to be eating with other people. I don't know if I want to be doing the the group tours. I just really want to spend time with my husband and or just just do my own thing. And I said, like, well, to be, you know, to give you some credit, you might be an extrovert, just maybe the the people on this, on this ship, it's just, you know, ships can be like cities and have personalities. Maybe this isn't the the group of people for you, and that's, that's okay. It doesn't mean you're not necessarily an introvert instead of an extrovert. Not that one's better or worse. I'm, you know, more introverted. I recharge from having time to myself. And then she was like, Well, I'm here with the giant group of people. So these are all my these are all my people. And I know not to say this out loud, but I'm just thinking to myself, like, maybe they're actually not, not your people, but that's up to her to discover if those are her people or not. But you know, I'm sure she's known these people for years and years, and she might not even know how she ended up in this group. But when you value your growth, you start to value how you learn, how you grow, and you can choose that. Like, Hey, maybe I don't need to have everything be a painful lesson, right? Like, how many times I know for myself growing up, it's like, okay, learn to learn to pay attention when doing something challenging. Like, as I was, like, 10 years old, writing, writing my parents. Was it a 10 Speed? I think it was 10 Speed was the, I don't know the optimal road bike speeds or whatever, and I'm like, changing gears and like, Oh, this is so cool, so interesting, changing the gears and whatever, and then the flack right into a tethered ball pole, seven stitches. So that's one way to learn a lesson, right? But, you know, as I've gotten older and well, and you know, slowly but surely wiser, it's like, okay, I want to, I want to learn things like, Okay, can I learn through elegance? Can I learn through fun? Can I learn through joyful experiences? Can I just be curious and just learn by having a new experience that I've chosen and then seeing how things are different? Because that's one of the big things when traveling is like, this morning was out for breakfast, and it was like, a, I think it's a traditional Turkish style breakfast where, just like, some some various types of bread and various types of cheeses, and then all these different dips, and it was interesting. But I'm like, I don't know if I like this. I don't think it's for me. Yeah, it was just kind of like, can I say it's that much different than going to Denny's and having the pancakes with syrup and then bacon and eggs and that, like, it's just, it's just different than what I'm used to, and I don't have to like everything. It's like, okay, now I learned, all right, let's try something else. And there's been many things that I've had that I'd never had before on this trip. And it's like, this is incredible, because one of the items that was on the breakfast was this, like, fried fried cheese, I think, or grilled cheese, just the cheese. Now, that's not grilled cheese sandwich, and it has the squeakiness very much like cheese curds, which I happen to really enjoy. I heard a woman say, like, I don't know why anybody would like cheese curds, and that's okay. Not everybody has to like everything, but it's, are you open to the new experience? Because that's what's going to be the gateway to finding the thing you're meant to. Because really, a lot of us think that, oh, it's got to be hard work and hard work and grinding, and that's what's going to reward you? I'm telling you, that's a that really is more more and more and more. The biggest bunch of bullshit, hard work can just get you more hard work. It's not to say there's going to be effort and discipline. When it's combined with something that is part of your purpose, part of something you're meant to fully experience. There could be effort and discipline, yet you kind of feel a lot of joy, a lot of satisfaction, a lot of appreciation, a lot of excitement. And so really, these more positive emotions that we want to have more of, that's the indication that you're on the right track. Pain is just meant to be the sort of the other guard real it says, like, stay away from there. You don't want to do this anymore, yet, so many of us get confused. We get we get programmed that like, Oh no, the pain, no. What isn't no pain, no gain that that is that's supposed to be what you're supposed to do more of. And that's not true. Where does that message come from? Think about it. If somebody wants you to do something for them that you don't want to do. Wouldn't it be great if they've taught you to believe that? Well, it's a good thing that you you know are in pain, or you're suffering, or that you don't like this, that's that's what that means you're on the right track. So keep doing the things that I want you to do, those things over there that. You want that you enjoy that, like, give you good feelings and are mostly devoid of too much pain. Oh yeah, yeah. Oh no, that, that means you're a bad person if you do that. So a lot of these things, like, you start to back up and think about it like, what is the purpose of having the beliefs, having the structure, having the systems that have been in place, and who's who's benefiting, right? And when you start to grow, you start to grow out of these old beliefs, these old systems. And it can be done in a very kind, elegant because, again, this is the second best value of 2026, and we've already done, I guess, for for others, right? We've done integrity, we've done joy. We've done kindness, when we've done communication, because when you have those things and you're you're wanting to grow, you can grow beyond where you started from, and the systems and the structures and the the communities, and if you structure your growth in a way that it can be from pleasure and from joy and from ease and elegance and fun and impact and benefiting others. Then as those shifts happen again, it's going to be awkward, it's going to be a little uncomfortable, yet it's not necessarily going to be suffering or painful or the worst thing ever, and those are, like, many of the things that keep people from the growth that they so desperately are wanting, but they deny themselves the growth because it's like, oh, I'm going to have to not be with with this group that I've been with for so long. I'm not going to be able to follow this rule that I followed for so long that I could just unconsciously go like, well, that's the way it is. And it's like, Okay, I'm gonna have to figure out, well, what is the new rule or create the rule? Because rules were created by somebody yet, why did they create it? The reason they created it, then may not apply now. So if you don't know why you do something, it might not apply anymore. It might just be habit. The inhabits, they're not good or bad. It just depends on Have you consciously chosen the habit? And that's a big part of the growth is questioning any and all habits. And the habit of thought, those are beliefs, the habit of how you who you are. That's identity. So questioning those and then consciously with awareness, with kindness, with inner communication, with some joy and with integrity. And what's really working for you, starting to shift that identity, shifting those beliefs, shifting those connections, so that they allow you for the growth. Because if you have the right people in place, they're going to be supporting your growth, right? They're going to be encouraging you, and they're going to be helping you along the way, kind of like, you know when you know, when you're a kid and you have, like, the right adults to, you know, help you with those first steps that maybe they don't go so well, but you know, they encourage you to keep going. If you did skin your knee, they bandaged it up and let you keep going. Those are the types of people that you want to continue to have, but in different areas, right? Because you grow out of needing to learn how to walk, hopefully. But again, some people, they go back, and it's like, Okay, I'm going to have an issue, and I'm going to, I'm going to want to try to learn how to walk again. Because it's like, we want to learn and grow. And it's like, okay, you're only gonna let me do the growing from this. We'll do another cycle, we'll do another cycle. And learning that, like, I've learned that enough, that's another big part of growth is to know when, okay, I think I've got it. It's time for some new lessons, right? Because, again, you can do the same thing over and over, and there's always some more nuance. There are always some more depth. Like, I remember, you know, many of you are new to the show, and don't know, but many of you know this, that my background is electrical engineering. I have a doctor in that, and he's like, Well, how did it? How do you get to doing what I do now with, you know, teaching this incredible energy practice, the life energy activation process or leap and, you know, these meditations I offer, and the type of coaching and consultation I provide for individuals and companies and organizations. It's really, it was all I see. It's always been about complex systems and their programming. And just now I'm applying it to the ultimate level, and on on this earth, which is the human system, and how, you know, humans collect as well. So one of the big things about, you know, the, you know, my training was, you know, different ways to look at systems. And one of the important things that they teach you is how to analyze problems in different domains. And so a lot of, you know, most things, it's like, well, we just look at how things happen in time, like, you know, this happens, then that happens, then that happens, then the other thing happens. Yet, there's these ways to transform how things have, you know, our time into another domain of frequency, and this is done through either a Laplace transform or a Fourier transform. And it's one of the. Things where it's like, okay, there's mathematical formulas and you can just crunch through it. And that's that's one thing. But throughout my electrical engineering undergraduate education, I had to take three classes that had to do with these concepts. And it really wasn't until the third the third class, the third round, sort of being exposed, I really got it and understood, I'm like, oh, okay, it's just we're sort of just flipping things around and seeing it from another perspective, so that we can apply different tools or do different things, or have a different understanding of what's happening. That if you look at it through the time domain again, you don't have to understand what I'm talking about. Just realize that there's one way of looking at it, and then there's another way of looking at it. At it, and that by looking at it another way that it gives you some perspective, and some different ways to work with things, to do whatever it is you want to do. And so, such as in electrical engineering, such as in my life, in your life, there's going to be ways to have different perspectives. And sometimes you got to have a few rounds to really get that perspective down, but at some point you got to say, like, that's enough of that I'm time for some it's time for to learn something new. And that's okay. And if you don't consciously go, I'm ready. I'm ready for something new. Either you're going to go around and around and around, or you're going to get forced into something new by having something painful, awful, horrible happen. And you're here because you want to live a life based off of more joy, ease and love and less fear, obligation and guilt. And so that's why I offer to you the value of growth is so critical, especially in 2026 where so much in the world is happening, and there might be so much that seems like, oh, it needs to be the same or traditional or the way it's been. It's actually more important than ever that you choose growth and to grow the way you want to grow, not the way you've grown in the past, not the way others have been growing, the way you want to grow, in the way that works for you. That's what matters. That's what's important, and that's what I wanted to share with you today. And if you want more ways to be able to grow in ways that are elegant, that are joyful, that are effective, that are fun and efficient, then I'm going to encourage you to check out my life, energy activation process. Going to continue to schedule some things. If you're like, oh, Justin, are you coming to my where I live, reach out to me and let's book something. I'll try to get a online thing going. So always be following me on social media. Justin Wenck, PhD, you know, or just message me and let's get something set up, you know, in your neck of the woods, or something for your team or your organization, because I'd love for you and those around you to be able to grow in wonderful, magical, beautiful ways like I've had a chance to grow over these past several weeks here in Europe by going to so many wonderful locations. And yeah, it really has been quite a delight, because this has been about three months of traveling. So you've been, you know, keeping up with the podcast. It's, you know, started in South America, had a little break back to the US, and then was in Athens, Greece for a few weeks. And then did this cruise around, mostly the Aegean Sea, with Italy, Italy, Greece and and Turkey and so getting to see, you know, just different locations, the history, and just really getting to kind of this really perspective of that, there's, there's, you know, been a lot of repetition, repetition, repetition in Human history, and that so much of it, it's time to be done with a lot of the stuff, and a lot of the stuff you might be watching on the news. It seems so scary. I avoid the news as much as possible. I encourage you to do it as well. If something important truly happens, you will find out, you will be notified, you'll and you'll be okay. Yet a lot of these things is really, it is just, it's the old stuff, not being happy that it's got to, got to go away, right? Change can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. Change can be fun. Change can be exciting and change can be uplifting. Change can enable new experiences, new connections and new ways to impact the world in the way that you want to impact it. Yeah, because I want you to impact with with excitement, with joy, with love, with fun. So, yeah. So with that, I'd be very curious, you know, what's what's landing for you? How have you been growing, and how would you like to be growing in the future? And when I asked how it's both like, yeah, what are the areas like, Oh, you want to work on your communication, or you want to work on how you can enjoy your life, or your your connections, right, your relationships, or maybe it's your business. That's one thing, and then the other thing is, like, literally, how do you grow in those. Things is that you go and you find somebody that's you know, gonna, you know, beat you over the head until you get it. Or is there somebody, or do you want to grow by you find somebody that teaches it in the best way, and then you just, boom, you get it. And you can now utilize that skill, or whatever that was, and just enjoy being an expert in it. You enjoy the process and the result, right? Like, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, can you actually enjoy the process of growing and learning? Yes, you can, and you will find out sooner or later, and it's up to you. You get to choose life, really is choice, and I want you to choose growth in the most enjoyable ways. So with that, I thank you from Istanbul Turkey, thank you and good day. Thanks for tuning in to engineering emotions and energy with Justin Wenck PhD, today's episode resonated with you. Please subscribe and leave a five star review. Your feedback not only supports the show, but also helps others find us and start their journey of emotional and energetic mastery. You can also help by sharing this podcast with someone you think will love it just as much as you do together, we're engineering more amazing lives you.