Growing Up To Like Who You Are
I was fortunate enough to be present among some great minds and creative souls recently and it made me re-evaluate how I am engaging with my environment. I happened to see a sign that read, "When I grow up, I wanna be like me". It was a poignant reinforcement for me to remember that growing up is a process not a destination. I now must question that so far upon this winding journey of life, am I the person I wanted to be? Am I embracing the things I longed to embrace? Am I achieving what I so desired to achieve? In short, am I growing up to be someone I want to be like?
Growing Up By Embracing Change
We as as species abhor change. It is hardwired in our nature to avoid the possible painful aspects it may cause us to endure. Change.....why does such a little word cause so much fear and trepidation? Why does it get stuck in our throats like molasses-infused peanut butter? Why is it so hard to swallow and accept? For me, it was always about avoiding pain. It was about dancing with the devil you know rather than exploring the future that you don't. I was fortunate enough early on to realize that there is no growth, no enlightenment, without change. Change will be a constant within your existence so it is prudent to make it your best friend and embrace it as you would a prodigal son returning home.
For the rewards far outweigh the risks. You can't expect your future to get better or your situation to improve by doing the same thing you have always done. Without change you have stagnation and stagnation leads to despair. If you want the chance to seize greatness and live the life you were destined for, then you are going to need to reconsider you relationship with change and be prepared to leap out of your comfort zone, because that is where the elusive mortality of excellence abides. Where would the humble Caterpillar be without the metamorphosis? Would would not know the beauty of the butterfly without the transformation of the caterpillar.
Give Yourself Time to Fill the Shoes
Image Source Pixabay
As a child there were many, many times our family found ourselves in dire straits and flirting with financial abyss. That being the case, a good selection of my clothing were second-hand or hand-me-downs. For the most part, they were too big. It never bothered me because there were people who were far worse off and at least I had clothes. I say all of that to say, the over-sized clothes had the benefit of having room to grow. They would last me a bit longer because I had time to grow into them. They allowed for change. The same can be said of change in our daily lives. Many times, it is necessary for use to exercise patience to grow into our new roles and experiences. We must allow time for us to grow into the change until it fits us like a custom tailored suit. Once it becomes a bit too tight, it is time to pass it down to some other needing soul and for us to change again. This is the cycle of life, this is the road to redemption, this is the path to perfection.
Are you willing to be bold enough to seize the change that will ensure your immortality?
You may also like my recent article about meeting people. Or my post summarizing my recent meetup.
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All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
-Tolkien
howdy there papacrusher! yeah especially MEN hate change. any kind of change. But you are so right that we need to embrace it because things are always changing, get ready for it and look forward to it I say. God is an always changing and moving forward God, I know we stop Him cold way too much of the time by our resistance to change.
I can't count how many blessing I have missed out on because of being stubborn. So often we limit how He wants to work in us. Thanks for coming by.
me too papacrusher, me too, I think we're mostly a bunch of stubborn, stiff-necked people that don't take enough time to listen very well. lol.
You are an artist with words @papacrusher!
Thank you so much, what a beautiful compliment!
Change is uncomfortable and challenges ones comfort-zone, paradigm and triggers the fear of failure mechanism most humans have. "It's easier to stay in place than push boundaries because what if I don't like it, I'm not good at it or I fail through inability."
I often say activity creates activity when it comes to most things, professional and personal, and the same can be said for change. Changing mindset for instance can open new paths of opportunity which can bring about changes for the positive, or indeed negative, however in accepting change one must also accept/expect challenge and possible failure. Doesn't mean they should stop though. Failure brings opportunity which brings change, which can bring success, or failure. Fall three times, get up four.
Good post brother, and one that brings many challenging thoughts to mind.
Oh man, you hit the nail on the head. Once I figured out that mindset was not a fixed condition but a changeable variable, so many things opened up for me. I owe it to Mindset by Dr. Carol Dwek, an amazing book discussing the potential and power of mindsets.
Most people just don't know how simple a concept it is. Applying it requires so effort though.
Lovely post and change is a constant in life.
Thanks. It is all a matter of how we harness the change.
I wish I was half as good with words and expressing myself as you clearly are,
this line
is so true and often one we all forget but should take onboard as we grow
I am as guilty as the next person about getting "lost" in the processes of life in stead of seeing opportunites for what they can be. Thanks for the compliment and the ongoing support, it means so much to me.
its always a pleasure to visit your posts, and dont worry I also and I suspect almost everyone gets lost from time to time
Just read that other post about the gas station and the rat rod. Crazy!
I like it 🙂
Thanks. Collecting moments and other people's stories are some of my favorite hobbies.
@papacrusher golden words 👍 xhanges are inecitible..and we must adapt to changes...if we have not then we would not he sitting here and writting post. ...getting adapted to changes is the mIn thing
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Excellent point about change getting us to where we are typing on this amazing platform. To embrace change is to embrace possibilities!
Thanks @papacrusher....
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Everything that happens to us shapes who we are. I used to run from that reality. Now, I embrace it. Love the title of this post. You will grow up (at least physically). So grow up to be the person you were meant to be.
It took me some time as well to fully embrace they change associated with time.
I liked that comparison to oversized clothes!
Thanks. It seemed a fitting analogy.
I agree with you when you say that growing up is a process, not a destination. We all go through changes that create the person we become. 😊
very well said. We are the sum of the changes we have experienced!