Grow Through It
Phew, what a YEAR!
I think we can all agree that it’s felt like 2020 has taken a big ol’ steamy dump right on our laps. (Sorry not sorry for the graphic details, I’m a ranch-raised kid with two older brothers. Poop jokes and references are practically my love language.)
It’s been a tough one across the board for all of us in different ways. I’m sure many of you are ready to tie up 2020 with a bow and cast it away, hopeful that 2021 surely has something better in store. But before you give up on the year, I want you to take a moment to pause and look back at its challenges.
When we’re in the midst of the hard stuff, struggling to catch a breath, it’s hard to think about anything but simply surviving. All we can do is focus on the next moment, or the next baby step in front of us, desperately hoping we’ll just make it out alive.
While some people might look at a cow patty and see it for what it is - poop - those of us in agriculture see it for much more. If you’re a ranch kid like me, maybe you see it as a weapon you can use against your brothers in a cow-patty fight. Yes, we threw dried poop at each other for sport. Living in the middle of nowhere means you have to get creative to entertain yourself. Or, you see it for something else - fertilizer.
While yes, this year has taken a dump on us in more ways than one, dimming our light and stealing our joy, it’s also doing something incredible that we may not even be able to see yet. It’s fertilizing us for our greatest growth yet.
In every challenge (or pile of manure), there are rich nutrients and opportunities for growth. As long as we soak them in and use the lessons within those hardships, eventually, we will burst through the surface, blooming more beautifully than ever before.
But, we aren’t entitled to the transformational bloom without working our way through the crap first.
The friction in our life is what makes us stronger. While we’re in the depths of our hardship, it’s hard to notice the growth that’s happening within it. But, with time comes perspective, and perspective changes everything.
I want you to take a moment to think about some of the hard things you’ve walked through this year or in your lifetime - the hardships you thought could break you, the moments you felt like giving up, the challenges you’ve overcome that you wouldn’t wish on another person.
Now look back and ask yourself… “What came of that? How did walking through that struggle help transform me into a more [resilient / patient / caring / disciplined / compassionate / forgiving / faithful / responsible / strong / etc.] person?”
Life is hard. And some days (and some years) it’s a heck of a lot harder than others. While we might think we want an easy life, free of pain and struggle - without discomfort, there is no growth.
After spending years resenting my body, it amazes me that I can say with sincere gratitude how truly thankful I am for my 25-year battle with obesity. The thing I was deeply convinced was a curse now feels like perhaps the greatest gift of all.
It’s not the kind of “gift” you wrap up in a bow and put under the tree or the kind you share with someone you love. Trust me, I don’t wish it on anyone. But in my life, this “gift” has afforded me more growth than I could have ever imagined and allowed me to bloom in ways I would have never dreamed. But before that growth, I had to work through the discomfort of a whole lot of crap first.
I had to start taking ownership of my life and the choices I was making. I had to face hard truths from my past and dig deep to rebuild a relationship with myself. I had to learn how to process my emotions, especially the uncomfortable ones, instead of numbing them away with food. I had to start prioritizing myself and make sacrifices accordingly (goodbye late-night Netflix binges, hello 5 am wake-up calls to workout). I had to honor the baby steps and learn how to give myself grace when I made mistakes.
It was HARD work and it was messy, like trudging through a pile of manure. But, on the other side of that struggle, I found my calling. It was through those challenges that I developed the strength and skills to pursue my passions and I want you to consider how whatever hard things you’re walking through now may do the same thing for you.
I’m not where I’m at today DESPITE my struggles, I’m here BECAUSE of them. And for that, and every last challenge I’ve walked through, I am thankful.
So if you’re feeling like this year has been a crappy one, I want to encourage you to keep going. Grow through it. You’re about to bloom in such incredible ways, you just don’t know it yet.
- Coach Kiah