Living Life in Crescendo
A mentality for managing life's transitions
What is the Crescendo Mentality and how can it help us manage life’s transitions?
A crescendo is a gradual increase in the volume and intensity of music. It comes from the Italian word "crescere," meaning "to grow" or “to increase”.
The Crescendo Mentality is about living life in crescendo — to cultivate a growth mindset for learning, influence, and contribution. And to believe that our best days are always ahead of us.
Coined by the author Steven Covey and his daughter Cynthia Covey Haller in their book “Live Life in Crescendo”, they say the following about living life with a Crescendo Mentality:
In the same way that music builds on previous notes but leaves us anticipating the next note, a life builds on the past but unfolds in the future.
The Crescendo Mentality says that instead of believing you have accomplished your best work, have peaked, or are in decline — you instead know that your most important work is always ahead of you. Regardless of whatever successes you have achieved or adversity you have endured, your greatest contribution is always ahead of you.
You learn from your mistakes. You grow from your challenges. You become stronger from your struggles. You discover yourself from your journeys. The best is yet to come. This is the Crescendo mentality.
And then, when you are ready, the Crescendo Mentality urges you to use whatever you have—your time, talents, skills, resources, gifts, passion, money, influence—to enrich the lives of the people around you.
A life builds on the past but unfolds in the future. Your most important work is always ahead of you.
