The story behind Hagen Growth and the principles that shape it
My name is Paul Hagen, and I’m the founder of Hagen Growth. I write everything you read here – the articles, the weekly logs, the ideas that shape the direction of the site. Hagen Growth is built on lived experience: I test the principles I write about, track what holds up in real life, and refine the ideas as I go.
My perspective has grown out of years of personal experimentation supported by research, theory, and a lot of trial and error. I’ve made progress, made mistakes, and learned from both. That process is the foundation of how I think about growth and why I share it here.
The turning point
For years, my life followed the same pattern: a small step forward, then two steps back. I could never create momentum. By 2021 that pattern had grown into a state I could no longer ignore. My health, habits, and decisions were pulling me toward a future I didn’t want to live in.
There wasn’t one dramatic event, just a night where the consequences of my choices had accumulated to a point where it became impossible to ignore. I reached a point where the fear of staying the same was stronger than the fear of failing. The next morning I started small: I went to the gym, soon thereafter I ate a little better, slept properly, and tried to steady myself. It wasn’t anything big, but it was the first real shift I’d made in years.
Soon thereafter I began journaling. A friend had given me a simple notebook, and I used it to track what I was doing and how it affected me. It helped me notice patterns, correct course when I was drifting, and see progress I would have missed otherwise. That habit became an important part of my personal growth – and later, one of the foundations behind Hagen Growth.
What the process taught me
As I started changing my life, I realized that progress wasn’t a single leap but a lot of small, ordinary decisions. Most days felt unchanged, but the accumulation of consistent effort eventually shifted everything. Reflection showed me patterns I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise, and it helped me understand why some choices moved me forward and others didn’t.
That understanding kept me going. Every time I faced new hardship, I saw that the same principles still applied – small steps, honest reflection, simple correction. Over time, those experiences shaped the ideas that later became Hagen Growth. The philosophy didn’t arrive all at once. It developed through trial, error, and slow refinement of what actually worked.
Progress is rarely visible as it happens. You notice it only when reflection reveals how your small decisions have been adding up
What Hagen Growth is
Hagen Growth is the place where I share the principles, experiments, and reflections that shape my own growth. Everything here is built on lived experience – ideas tested over time, refined through practice, and supported by research where it’s relevant. The platform rests on two foundations: the philosophy I use to approach life and the method I use to improve it.
Positive realism
Positive Realism is the idea that what’s possible expands when you work with reality instead of against it. It’s not optimism or pessimism, but a commitment to the conditions that make progress possible – structure, timing, capacity, and honest self-assessment. When those conditions are in place, change becomes achievable. When they’re not, effort alone isn’t enough. This philosophy shapes the way I think, act, and write.
The Hagen Growth Loop
The Hagen Growth Loop is the method I use to understand and guide personal growth. Behavior and mindset influence each other continuously – they create the direction of your life whether you’re aware of it or not. Reflection is what changes that dynamic. When you reflect deliberately, you can see your patterns clearly, adjust your actions, and steer the system instead of being carried by it. Most of what I write explores some part of this loop and how it works in real life.
Positive Realism sets the tone for Hagen Growth, and the HG Loop shapes the content. Together they form the framework behind every article, log, and idea on the site. They guide how I think about growth and how I share that process with others.
Why I write
I started writing long before Hagen Growth existed. At first it was private – a way to think clearly, refine my ideas, record what I was learning, and make sense of my own decisions. Writing helped me understand why certain approaches worked and others didn’t, and it gave me a place to return when I needed direction.
Over time I realized that the ideas I was developing were more useful shared than stored on my laptop. Publishing them didn’t change their purpose, It only widened the audience. I still write for the same reason I always have – to refine my thinking, to preserve what I learn, and to offer others a clear view of the principles and practices that continue to shape my own life.
What I’m not
I’m not a therapist, coach, or health professional, and I don’t offer medical or psychological advice. My work is based on lived experience, supported by research and careful reflection. The ideas you find here come from what I’ve tested in my own life, what has worked over time, and what I’ve seen make a real difference. Use what resonates, question what doesn’t, and adapt everything to your own situation.
What you’ll find here
Hagen Growth is a place for clear ideas, tested principles, and honest reflection. Everything here is built to support steady, sustainable growth – not shortcuts or quick fixes. You’ll find four main types of content:
Philosophy
The core framework behind Hagen Growth. It explains the principles, models, and approach that guide everything else on the site.
Articles
Focused pieces that explore specific topics within the philosophy. They translate the broader ideas into practical concepts you can apply in your own life.
Weekly Logs
A real-time look at how I work with these ideas myself – what’s improving, what isn’t, and why. They’re built from my own notes and reflections throughout the week.
Newsletter
A weekly message with one insight from my current work, a short summary of the log, and links to new writing.
Together, these formats create a clear, realistic path for anyone interested in long-term personal growth grounded in lived experience.
The values behind Hagen Growth
The values that shape Hagen Growth are the same ones that shape my life: authenticity, discipline, and a commitment to realistic effort. I try to approach my work, my training, and my choices with the same clarity I write about here. Growth isn’t something I observe from a distance – it’s something I practice every day in the ways I think, act, and adjust. This site is simply the place where that practice becomes visible.