The Discomfort and Ease of Growing
We’re always growing.
There’s no need to try—it’s just happening, all of the time.
As good as that sounds, there are a couple of challenges with this:
First, by its nature, growth is uncomfortable. It takes us somewhere we’ve never been. It stretches us past our familiar capacity. As creatures of habit, this is not a comfortable experience. In fact, many of us go out of our way to avoid feeling this discomfort, which leads to the second challenge...
Growth is easy. “Easy” seems like what we want, until we consider the value many of us place on having a sense of control in life. If things are hard—if they take strenuous effort on our part—we can feel that. That feeling gives us a sense of involvement and control. But strain is not the feeling of growth—it’s the feeling of resistance.
The truth is that we rarely feel ourselves growing. We can see evidence of it in retrospect. Others can see it, too. But we rarely feel it while it happens. Instead, we have to trust. And trust, while not strenuous, can be extremely challenging and uncomfortable.
Still, despite our discomfort and strain, growth continues.
Through our victories. Through our failures. Our anxieties. Our unproductive days. Our feelings of competence or incompetence. Our fits. Our immaturity. While we play. While we sleep.
Like a patient and loving caretaker, it continues.
We’re always growing.
The opportunity is to realize that we don’t have to grow ourselves.
The most important, foundational thing in life is being done for us. We can decide, then, to rest. We can enjoy each moment as it is. We can accept ourselves as we are, knowing that we’re in-process, and right on track.
You are right on track. You don’t have to do anything today for that to be true.
Can you feel that?