Are you the same person you were at age five as you were at age twenty? Of course, you aren’t. Physically, mentally and emotionally, we all grow. How much we become depends on our willingness to progress. Self-growth is a process of continually evaluating ourselves and evolving into who we want to be.
I embrace growth. I am in love with learning new ways of living my life. When situations arise that cause me to reflect, I always check-in and ask myself if this is something I love about myself? If not, I work on changing it. If I love it, then I leave it the same. The great gift of being our authentic selves, is we get to decide.
Think about all our plants in nature, where do they begin? In the dirt and mud. Are they beautiful down below? No, but as they receive sun and water, they emerge and grow until they’ve reached their full potential of beauty.
We are capable of the same evolution if we choose.
Like a lotus flower, we too have the ability to rise out of the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate in the world.” – Unknown.
Your mindfulness challenge for this week is to grow out of the mud.
I’ve created a worksheet for you to print out and use here.
The place where we start from is the mud. The mud is where we make mistakes, and we suffer. The mud is essential in our growth because we would never know to choose our way out of it if we didn’t experience it.
Growth begins when we start to recognize our weaknesses. So, take some time to evaluate yourself. What are some of the qualities that you would like to grow? Remember, you get to decide, no one else. What others say or feel about you is a projection of themselves and has no reflection on who you are.
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ―Ralph Waldo Emerson
For instance, let’s say you often over-react if things don’t go your way. Once the situation is over, you reflect on how you behaved and are embarrassed by your actions. Your weakness is over-reacting. You are suffering in the mud because you’ve decided that you don’t like this about yourself, but you keep doing it.
Write down the areas you want to grow.
Flowers and plants need sun and water to grow. It’s what helps them rise above the mud. In our case, the sun and water are the actions we must take to make the necessary changes for growth.
As in the example above, you might write down things as follows: Learning to pause before reacting and taking deep breaths when things don’t go your way—asking those around you to assist in your growth by kindly reminding you when they see you overreact. Repeating an affirmation or prayers are great reminders that you are in control of how you behave.
Write down the steps that you will take to rise out of the mud and toward the person you want to be.
When flowers reach their full potential, they demonstrate this by showing off beautiful blooms for us to enjoy. It’s the same with us, once we grow away from those things we don’t like about us, what do we become? A better version of authentic selves.
Again, in the example given, the person who over-reacts may bloom into someone who is more rational. Others may want to be closer to them now that they don’t over-react. They may feel better about themselves and love themselves more because of how they handle situations now.
Write down how you want to bloom. What benefits will you have in your life, once you overcome this weakness?
Self-growth is another practice of learning to love ourselves. It’s vital because when we proactively become aware of our weaknesses and grow from them, we feel good about ourselves and who we are becoming.
You’ll grow beautifully in your own way.” – Dhiman
My favorite growth reminder is the tiger eye necklace that I wear every day from SoulKu. I am not an affiliate for them or associated in any way, except that I’m a repeat, happy customer. I’ve purchased several things from them over the years and always love each item. My tiger eye necklace is a reminder of my commitment to my growth.
Check out these other self-love challenges:
Mindfulness Challenge, Learn to Love Yourself
Mindfulness Challenge, What Fills Your Cup?
If you or someone you know would benefit from these mindfulness challenges, please sign up for our mailing list here. I would love for you to be a part of our mindful tribe.
Peace & Love, Ela
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