Personal growth is an inevitable part of our journey in life and arguably the most difficult hurdle to navigate through. Everywhere we turn, we’re challenged with a new task–a test of our ability to handle what feels like the hardest thing we’ve ever had to overcome. We invest in self-help books, therapy, and yoga sessions–studying their every guide, hoping they give us the secret to living a life with less roadblocks and fewer storms to pass.
But there isn’t a shortcut past the heartbreak or the struggle. We don’t get to bypass the uncomfortable moments or the head-scratching predicaments we face along the way. We must fight them head-on because that’s the only way to grow into the humans we want to be. Below are three hard truths about personal growth that we’ll all experience on this journey together.
There will be bumps in the road
A life without hardships doesn’t exist. As much as we long for friendships without fallouts, romantic love without heartbreak, career growth without setbacks, and peace without trouble, that’s not realistic. In order to progress in life and achieve what we seek for ourselves, there will be bumps in the road. And how we move through them are the lessons we value and will cherish down the line.
The bumps are necessary to face for us to blossom into our best selves because we know what it took to get there. Our relationships with others will be much stronger due to the disagreements and emotional roller coasters we endured, showing how hard we fought to make them the best they could be. The same goes for our other personal struggles and the figurative ladder we continue to climb to discover the position in our career that we’ve been striving for. All are essential steps in the growth process, including the potholes that try to steer us off course.
Personal growth comes with mistakes
Although some days it may seem like we’re thrown a curveball each time we find our footing, it’s okay to strike out every once in a while. Mistakes are part of the ride and should be embraced, for they always lead us to something better coming our way. Mishaps teach us what we want, what we don’t like, and what we hope to change by continuing to move forward.
By pushing past the challenges and discomforts and even honoring those mistakes, we can achieve something better than we ever imagined. Something that we wouldn’t have stumbled on if it weren’t for the failures and slip-ups we made, despite our fears of doing so. Use the opportunity to assess where you want to go, and be open to whatever direction life takes you.
Not everyone is meant to stay
Another hard truth about personal growth is not everyone is meant to stay in our lives. The childhood best friend who stuck with us through our awkward years may not currently be the person we turn to when times get hard. While we’re growing, the others in our lives are growing too, making it even harder to stay on the same path.
People come and go from our lives, not because we weren’t supposed to come together, but because we all have something different in store for ourselves. No matter how much we try to keep those closest to us near, we may not always get the outcome we hoped for. Friends drift apart, and relationships fizzle, but we constantly grow, evolve, and become better versions of ourselves each day. Not every person is meant to be there during every part of your journey, nor are you meant to be part of their every step.
What hard truth did you discover that helped you grow into who you are today?
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