I began a journey of personal growth several years ago because I knew that I didn’t want to stay where I was. I knew there was more out there for me and I committed to finding my own truth.
Personal growth doesn’t happen overnight.
What I found along my journey was that true change and personal growth isn’t an overnight process, which is why my coaching programs run for at least three months. It’s a continual process of unfolding that sometimes takes you to unexpected places… and frankly, can be a bit or a lot messy. Being an impatient, over-achiever at the time, I wanted change to happen fast. My forte was establishing and achieving goals in the most efficient and effective way possible. There’s good in that somewhere but bullying my way through goals for the sake of achieving them, and then finding emptiness and frustration in the end, was no longer working for me.
The bumps in the road along the way were also stressful for me. What I know is that those bumps weren’t challenging my ability to persevere in the face of obstacles, but were telling me that I needed to slow down and understand the lessons… and be open and willing to pivot from the master plan when needed. It was a learning I needed in order to live my life with more ease.
Allow your life to unfold.
This is especially true with significant personal growth in many areas of your life. My life looks completely different today than it it did five years ago – almost unrecognizable. My journey began from the inside where I opened up with vulnerability and explored with curiosity. I made a commitment to change pretty much everything in my life and my way of being. This process unfolded in bits and pieces, and as I integrated insight and lessons, new learnings and paths would emerge. And I would begin again and again as both the onion of my old life was peeled back and a new one was blooming.
I worked to integrate new patterns and routines into my life. I found this the most challenging. Breaking out of long-term (sometimes lifelong) thinking and behavioral patterns takes consciousness and awareness. I would find myself slipping back into the comfort of those patterns, even knowing that they no longer served me. When I realized the backslide, I would re-commit and get back on the horse. I find this still happens today but the gap between when I fall and when I get back up is getting shorter and less troublesome.
Personal growth isn’t a straight line.
The bottom line is that personal growth isn’t going to be a straight line. It was not until I embraced this concept and opened myself up to the beauty of a world that I didn’t control, that was I able to begin living with ease and continue to move forward. I understand that while I’m integrating new insight and behaviors, I may take two steps forward and one back… or two steps back and one forward… and I’m okay with it. I sit with it. Forgive myself. Look for the lesson or a place unhealed or an opportunity that I hadn’t noticed before. Then I re-set my intentions and move forward.
Be kind to yourself while you’re in the midst of personal growth. Change isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows… or a straight line. Set clear intentions and stay aligned with them even if you feel like you’ve lost your way. It will likely happen over and over, and that’s okay. Remember to stay focused on what you’re manifesting, celebrate your successes, and be grateful for the lessons along the way. It’s about the journey after all. That’s where the magic and true beauty lies.
