 The definition of growth is becoming something bigger, better, or more. We grow physically and our families grow. Growth can involve developing one's capabilities, gaining new skills, learning how one fits into the world around one, and enhancing one's understanding of oneself. Through personal growth, we expand our capabilities, enrich our relationships, and create more meaningful careers and lives. We also grow spiritually and emotionally which involves cultivating qualities like self-awareness, compassion, and gratitude, and recognizing our interconnectedness with others, God, and the world. This journey often includes exploring personal beliefs, engaging in practices like prayer or meditation, and integrating spiritual values into daily life.
What stops us from growth? There are many factors, but some key ones include fear, lack of confidence and connection to our own self-worth and divinity, lack of vision, complacency or procrastination, complaint, resentment and anger, and the difficulty and pain that we may need to go through in order to grow. The reality is that growth can be painful; we must acknowledge the wounds, mistakes, and difficult memories of our past. The 13th Century poet Rumi saw the clear relationship between our wounds and our awakening--our growth. He said, “Don’t turn away. Keep your gaze on the bandaged place. That’s where the light enters you.” C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience but shouts in our pain; it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." The fact is that not to grow is hard and to grow is hard. If it is going to be hard either way, doesn’t it serve us to choose growth? Below, I share some books that I have found impactful for different areas of growth in life. Pick one to read yourself or use with a book club or small group. I will offer a webinar series on several of these books soon. Over the net few blogs, I will share more resources and stories that I have found meaningful to growth. I challenge you to think of one area of your life that you would like to expand or develop and make some goals for the final four months of 2025.
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