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There’s More Than One Way to Look at Growth
Sometimes, it’s about slowing down
I read an article this morning that made my mind do a backflip.
By the time I got to the last line, I was both amazed and totally turned around (mostly in a good way).
It had successfully shaken up my ideas of growth, and allowed some new ones in to start exploring.
But rather than leaving me feeling vulnerable and threatened, it actually felt like a breath of fresh air. I felt calm and relaxed after reading it, like some part of me that’s known this stuff all along was finally allowed to come home, to rest.
For most of my life, I’ve equated growth with achievement. Especially throughout my twenties, I easily fell prey to the belief that if you’re not “moving forward,” then you’re wasting your time (and therefore your life).
We’re taught to measure everything, to set goals, and to always strive for “more” and “better.”
In this line of thinking, if you’re not getting better, becoming more, or doing more in some way, then what good is it? And by extension, what good are you?
The problem is that the premise behind all of this is that you’re not good enough the way you are now. Hence the need to achieve, achieve, achieve.
