Growth: a journey

Hey yall!

I hope all is well. I will try to improve on brevity, bringing you more substance with less words. I'm naturally extremely wordy, so bear with me.

Approaching another trip around the sun (aka birthday), the contemplation gods and insecurity monsters start to rear their faces.

"What did I accomplish this year?"

"I'm almost __ years old and still haven't done __, still not making $__, still not investing time in __."

"I'm getting older. I have to stop doing __... I'm getting older, I have to start doing __."

And the list goes on. Everyone's journey is different. Some people find their "thing", their groove, their essense, early on and it's almost as if being themselves and walking in their purpose is effortless. They make it look easy as pie.

Then there are those who are never quite sure where they belong and life feels like one big puzzle and no one quite knows where all the pieces are OR where they go once they find them.

I'm in both groups. It just depends on the day, but I'm finding that growth happens that way. Sometimes I have epiphanies and everything is painfully obvious only after wading through nonsense for what seems like an irrational amount of time. It might come during a yoga class, much like you see in the commercials on TV. :joke: Ok, not exactly like that, but similar.  Or I might find myself being really thoughtful with how I should respond to my husband if we've had a spat instead of going old-school crazy ex-girlfriend on his ass. [Thank God for growth & bless his heart.]

It's like aging. When you were little, grown ups would ask on your birthday, "How does it feel to be 10 years old?" And of course, it feels like nothing. Nothing significant changed within the 24 hours that you were living into that tenth year of life. It all happened gradually over the year(s) as your bones continued to grow, as you continued to learn things in school, as you learned how to socialize with friends, as you learned how to hone that talent, etc.

It just happens, and usually, as long as you're trying new things and wanting to experience life, growth tends to be a wonderful by-product, a side effect of life.

So, coming up on the heels of another birthday, I'm thankful for growth:

1. I received a promotion and raise, which was really important to me. (I worked hard for it.)
2. I completed a yoga certification program (also really important to me).
3. I had the guts to get my hair cut. Sounds crazy, but I'm kind of a big hair freak.
4. I began a regular yoga practice & began meditation. 
5. I'm more open & honest with myself about my strengths and weaknesses. 
6. I paid off one school loan! Woot woot!
7. I'm intentional about gratitude - recognizing and sharing it.
8. I could continue, but I'll stop here, for now.

Growth. Look for it. Pat yourself on the back when you realize that it's happening. It's a hard thing, but also pretty easy. Don't complicate it. Just try at life, and it's sure to happen.

I'm still a work in progres though.. That brevity thing? Yea, still working on it.

Thanks for reading! Keep in touch. Let me know the things you're doing to actively work on growth or the epiphanies you have when you realize it's happening.

-seria