Ok, so I may have told a little bit of a white lie. I said I was going to alternate posts between inspirational and hiking content. Well I’m feeling extra inspirational this week and want to share some thoughts I’ve been mulling over a lot lately. But, who’s going to complain about back to back posts?!

The topic we’re covering today is what I’ve come to call “Post Traumatic Growth.” I saw a quote mentioning this on Instagram and it really got me to thinking. Every successful person you know has been through some sort of Post Traumatic Growth. Now that will look different for each individual person, but Post Traumatic Growth is the idea of the growth an individual goes through after a very stressful, traumatic, or painful experience.

Often a painful experience, one example being heartbreak, can act as a catalyst that then spurs the individual into action and they begin to look within, work on themselves, and change to become a better version of themselves. Not to say that pain is required for growth, but it can definitely help accelerate the growth someone goes through. We’ll focus on growth through happy experiences in a future post.

Look Back Through Your Life:

When did you go through the most intense periods of growth? I’d be willing to bet they were after a painful experience that spurred you into action.

Now I’m not saying that we experience pain to be able to grow, not at all. What I am saying is that we can harness the pain and use it as a force to grow. A key part of life is growth, if you refuse to grow then are you really living?

If you are doing the work to grow, you are no longer in your comfort zone, and that’s where life truly begins. Growth is the key that unlocks the door to the person you are meant to become.

I can tell you that during my most intense periods of growth, I’ve found out so much about myself. I’ve rediscovered my purpose, my mission, and my dreams. I’ve looked within, and done the work to improve and better myself. I’ve put in the work to change.

Growth is Hard.

Going through those periods can be extremely uncomfortable. When I’m in the thick of it, I’ve never felt more lost. Like I’ve lost my center, my direction. As my perspective and goals shift, I lose my bearings, and just feel like I’m spinning in circles. I’m trying to figure things out, but it’s hard and I have no idea which direction to go.

It’s not a fun feeling, and some days are pretty dark. Because, like a magnetic field, my poles are shifting, but eventually I gain a new heading and begin to move forward in a new direction.

Having gone through scenarios like that before and come through the other side, I can confidently say that it was all worth it. Looking back, I’m grateful for those experiences because I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. I chose to put in the hard work instead of shy away from it. And I’ll admit, I’m still working on it, some days are better than others, but I’m doing the work.

Am I Done?

Not even close! I’m just getting started.

You may ask, why do I share all this with you? Because I hope that this helps you see that growth is a GOOD thing. The path of growth is a journey of self discovery and can really help you re-orient and find your future. When you’re in the midst of it, IT CAN SUCK, and it can feel like you have no idea what you’re doing. But you WILL come out the other side a better person because you chose to put in the effort and grow.

No one said this journey of life was going to be easy, we just have to take everything in stride, and do our best to live it to the fullest and make the most of every moment we can.

Next time you experience something traumatic or painful, look within, and ask yourself:

“How can I grow from this?”

“How can I turn this situation into an opportunity?”

Then write down those things you want to change for your own personal growth. It can be habits, lifestyle, or career. From there break it down and take a small step towards growth every day. Ask yourself daily: “What am I doing today to further my personal growth and development?” You’ll find those daily steps quickly add up and you’ll be amazed with how far you get.

Those simple questions and practices can change your life, they’ve done it for me. If you’re unhappy with your life and circumstances, perhaps give personal growth a try. You might be shocked with where you end up. As human beings, one of our most remarkable traits is our ability to change, grow, and become brighter.

Some of the most impactful experiences of my life have occurred during intense periods of personal growth. Don’t be afraid of growth, embrace it! It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worth it ever is.

Life is a mission of growth, the moment you stop growing is when you stop living.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

-Viktor E. Frankl