There are times that growth may not look like an outstanding success. A lot of people think that growth is when they get a new job, buy a new car, build a new house, make more money, attain a particular level in life, or become more popular. But what they fail to understand is that some of the most important growth in their lives actually happen quietly. People may not see it, people may not applaud it, but it does not mean that it is not there. Sometimes you may even look at yourself today and think that nothing changed, or you may feel that you are in the same spot for a while. But when you take a look at yourself critically, you will realise that you have actually changed in ways that cannot be explained in terms of money, possessions, or achievements.
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There are things that you should consider growth. Maybe you now handle things differently. Maybe the things that used to trigger you and make you angry now does not have hold on you again. Maybe you have learnt not to take part in unnecessary arguments. Maybe you have become more understanding, more patient, more disciplined, more confident, and more careful about how you deal with people. You may not consider these things too significant, but they are part of the growth processes. There are times that the growth you need may just be to realise that you deserve better, and then build the confidence not to settle for less.
Growth, to someone else, might be to learn from their mistakes instead of allowing it to define their destiny. It is true that you may have made some decisions that you regret. You may have trusted the wrong people. You may have become inactive when you should have acted. Or maybe you may have failed where you desperately needed to succeed. But all these should teach you that you are not useless and that you are not a failure. That it did not work out at first does not mean that it will never work out ever. When you realise that your past failure will not stop your future success, then it is growth for you. You do not have to underestimate the lessons you learnt in difficult moments. This is because they can prepare you for greatness tomorrow.
There may come a time when you think that life is painfully slow. You may be doing your very best, yet with little or no result to show for it. You may even make plans, yet it will look like things are not following your script. At those difficult times, it is easy to believe that you are not making progress. But what you do not understand is that growth may not be visible immediately. When you plant a seed for example, it will take a couple of days for you to see any shoot coming out from the ground, but it does not mean that growth was not taking place at those times. That you do not see immediate progress does not mean that you are not growing.
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You do not have to despise your current situation because it does not look too impressive. You do not have to figure out every single thing you need. You do not also have to be where someone else is. After all their journey is not your own. If you compare your journey to someone else's own, it may make you to lose sight of how far you have come, and you may not even see that you are growing. Everyone has a different rate of growth. What someone does not see as growth is what another person sees as growth. You will agree with me that you will not expect maize and mango to grow at the same rate. In life, every one grows at their own pace.
If you want to know how you have grown, then try to take a look at who you were about 5 years ago and compare it to where you are now. Think about what you knew then and then compare them to what you know now. Think about the mistakes you made that taught you lessons. Think about the challenges you faced and were able to survive. The fears you overcame. All these are part of what show that you are actually growing.
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