GROWING PAINS

Growth should come with a warning label:

“🗣Caution, painful times ahead!”

Sounds like we should run for the hills huh lol, don’t leave just yet. Life is sometimes a roller coaster ride full of sharp turns, being in over your head and painful experiences. The saying is growth is not found in comfort and that’s the absolute truth. Growth can hurt and change is uncomfortable but if you can hold tight til the end, you’ll learn that the journey was necessary and you’ll appreciate all you’ve endured to get there.

Growing pains come in many forms. It’s a part of life that has to be accepted to live fully with the least amount of resistance. Instead of looking at it as a bad thing, learn to flip your perspective into how can this help me grow? What can I learn from this? This simple fix is the start to accepting what life throws your way and handling it in the best way possible.

Building and sticking to a new fitness and nutrition regimen is a growing pain when you aren’t used to working out and eating right. I began my fitness journey in December 2017 and the hardest thing for me was remaining consistent and pushing myself on the days I didn’t feel like sticking to the plan. Some weeks were better than others but I kept going. Here it is over a year later and I am still pushing to be the most fit I’ve ever been in my adult life. Backslides happen, things come up and sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day. It is easier for me to jump back on track because I’ve stayed with it for so long. This is no longer a pain for me, but a necessary part of self love.

Outgrowing destructive behaviors and relationships are growing pains. Many people will give the excuse for bad behavior as “that’s just how I am”. WRONG, that’s how you CHOOSE to be. We are in complete control of ourselves at all times and certain behaviors or traits can be replaced with better ones, but this requires attentiveness and work. Too many people don’t want to put the work in and expect good results and life does not work this way. More people need to understand that internal work is just as important as any other achievement you seek, even more if I’m being honest. Even when it comes to relationships, many times we tend to get into them without fully knowing the person your opening your life up to. People will remain in bad relationships for the sake of comfort and I will be the first to tell you that I have been there. I was once that girl, but as a grown woman this is no longer acceptable. Every relationship isn’t meant to last a lifetime and discernment is so necessary to recognize when that season is up. Growing pains is sometimes leaving situations that no longer serve you. Sometimes people come into our lives to teach us things and that’s it! We aren’t meant to hold on to them, but yet we do for fear of be alone. Being single or alone is not a bad thing and I wish society would change that narrative. It is much better to work on self than to hop from one meaningless relationship to another. That fear of being alone has to be addressed and you can’t avoid it forever. How can you expect other people to enjoy your company when you don’t even enjoy your own?

Building and sticking to a budget is a growing pain for those who aren’t so accountable with finances or those looking to make a financial change in their life. Especially in today’s economy, financial responsibility is a must. Many of us are only a paycheck away from being homeless and while budgeting, meal prepping and couponing doesn’t seem like it will help or be much fun, they are tactics to help you become more wise with where your money goes. The money saved can go towards outstanding debt, savings or college plans for children, investments, ect. Operation financial freedom is the # 1 goal I have right now and it was a hard adjustment to make but that didn’t stop me because I know my end goals and this is a major catalyst to achieving them. You know your on the right track when you resist reckless spending and think more long term and not just for the moment.

These are just a few examples of how we experience growing pains. Change is inevitable and it is wise to alter the way we think about it. Change is always an opportunity for growth. What good is the knowledge we collect along our way if we don’t apply it and put it to use? Something to think about