On Discomfort

This particular feeling of unease and discomfort has come up in my life six or seven times now.  Enough times to recognize it when I'm in it.  It's a general feeling of restlessness, an increase of uncharacteristic frustration and a tinge less access to patience.  It's how I have come to be able to identify my own "growing pains".

This period of time usually lasts a few months, as it takes me that long to really recognize it, decide to DO something about it and then set about making plans to grow.  Historically, I have resisted this whole process and attempted to stay put, quickly discovering though, that staying put is actually many times more uncomfortable than mustering the courage and energy to change and grow.  And so here we are.  Again in this growing place, where roots are pushing, branches are reaching and new layers of bark and beautiful flowers are added.

Each time life has presented me with the opportunity to grow, I have never regretted it.  So now that I'm here, though I fully own that I am indeed uncomfortable and don't know what will happen next or how, I know that if I embrace it and stay curious & engaged, something great will happen.  Something that's actually in my best interest and in many ways better than what I could have dreamt up for myself.  

Many of us experience this I bet.  Sometimes growth is even thrust upon us, like being thrown in the water without knowing how to swim.  But how many of us embrace this period?

I think this period before "the thing happens" is often the most fertile soil.  You're in a circumstance that is asking you to reinvent yourself, to think outside your own box, to imagine what could be next, to apply what you have learned to your future.  This is where some really juicy stuff can happen if you let it, but you've got to be willing to BE there.  To sit in the discomfort.  To listen to what is around you.  Be observant of your inner and outer worlds.  Apply what you notice.  

So what am I doing about it, you may ask (well at least I ask myself - ha!).  I'm not stagnant.  I am allowing myself to recognize where I am, follow the general steps that have helped me in the past and really lean in to the Reminder that I have to allow whatever is next to happen.  I have to work for it, but I can't force it.  I have to push myself, but still remain authentic.  I have to listen and feel really hard.  There's a good chance I'll cry. 

We don't yet know how this next chapter of growth will unfold, but if the past is any indication, it's going to be fantastic in ways I am already grateful for.  It's worth Reminding myself that there was once a time when the life I'm living now was a distant dream. This evolution will be as beautiful as the last, as long as I'm growing.