Am I Growing?

Sometimes I have to ask myself this question, because I often feel that instead of growing, I’m somehow stagnating, continuing to do the same things over and over in the same ways.  Life is about change, though, so those of us who continue to do things in the same ways all the time are in a way avoiding real life, avoiding the very things that can help us to grow and to change and to learn more about this wonderful world and our wonderful selves.

I do believe that we often expect too much growth out of ourselves.  We expect ourselves to be like annual flowers, growing from nothing but a tiny seed to a large flowering plant in a matter of weeks.  The truth is, though, that most of us are made to be like trees that take their time in growing, adding an inch or two to their height and width per year–in their good years.  I don’t want to be too impatient and try to force myself to be something that I’m not, but on the other hand I don’t want to lose the opportunities that I have for growth in very real senses.

I try to keep tabs on whether I’m improving or not–improving my mind and my heart, improving my compassion and love and peace of mind.  I try to monitor myself to see if I am growing steadily so that when I see that I’m not, I can take steps to remedy that situation.  It’s not like I’m putting pressure on myself to grow faster than I’m able to grow–but I most definitely am trying to make sure that some growth is occurring, even if it’s happening in ways that I didn’t foresee, or ways that I don’t completely understand.

Are you growing?  Are you putting yourself in situations in which you’re well nurtured and well cared for so that you can grow?  If you really do want to get more out of the world than you are getting now, then you need to make sure that you continue growing over time so that you can take advantage of the opportunities that are there for you.  After all, the larger a tree grows, the more leaves it has to catch sunshine, and the more roots it puts out to capture the water it needs to live.

When you see the value of continued growth,
the circumstances around you become stepping stones.

Clyde M. Narramore