Growth

Which do you want — the pain of staying where you are, or the pain of growth?

Back in my mid-twenties, the highlight of my week was going out partying on the weekends – until the early hours of the morning. It was all about seeing and being seen. I mean, what else would justify signing up for a gym membership that I actually used regularly? My ego was so big that all my actions revolved around appearances – around what was visible on the surface. Validation came quickly – if not in person, then surely on social media.

Today, the best way to celebrate life for me is by embracing creativity – picking up a paintbrush and actively shaping my life in the most literal sense. Enjoying life with my favorite people, sharing thoughts, laughing together. And by 11 p.m. at the latest, I’m in bed. My ego? It's shrunk so much that it now only whispers softly – for example after a jog through the forest when I feel proud for following through: “Don’t you want to post this?” And I quietly reply, “No. I’m doing this for me. And no one else.”

Growth is one of the most fundamental forces of life. We encounter it everywhere: in nature, in the animal kingdom – both biologically and mentally. From the delicate bud reaching to become a mighty tree, to the tiny chick that one day soars as a majestic eagle – growth is the underlying principle of all life.

It gives us the chance to expand and evolve – physically as well as mentally. And this growth, which walks with us along our life’s path, may just be the most profound and defining force of all.