“If you’re alive, you should be growing.”  

Who fooled us into thinking that once we reached adulthood, we were finished growing? Yes, adulthood – what an exciting time, what an amazing goal to achieve. Turning 18 and 21, you know the sign of legality and the official stamp of becoming an adult. Yes, that is thrilling indeed and completely worthy of celebration. And so is the scenic continuation of the adulthood journey, where many of us are successfully traveling. It’s called the “beyond the 20-something realm” and includes stages we might have once innocently thought of as “old.” But now we’re wise enough to realize that this part of the journey is also fun, enlightening, and amazing. And we love it here (well mostly).

However, no matter what age or stage, don’t rest on your laurels and believe this is the culmination of our growing. In fact, it’s just the beginning of another chapter of our transformation into who we will ultimately become. I hate if I abruptly burst anyone’s bubble, but I’m just speaking what many of us already know. If you’re alive, you should be growing. The truth is, we should never remain the same version of ourselves. And if we do, we’ve done ourselves and the world we are here to impact a grave injustice. 

Yes, an injustice as our personal growth signifies improvement, expansion, better, and more. It is the antithesis of stagnation, which dishonors our purposefulness and fuels the demise of our life’s legacy. When we choose to grow, we choose to give ourselves and others an enhanced life. We choose to experience life fuller and push ourselves to not settle for less than God’s abundant living that’s available for us. We choose to embrace healthy change, knowing it leads to a richer, more fulfilled life where we make our dreams our reality. Yes, we choose growth and everything thing that goes along with it. 

It’s just like keeping a knife sharp – enduring change and sometimes the painful “sharpening” process, because it yields a newfound greatness. And anyone who cooks knows the importance of maintaining this essential kitchen instrument, and most likely the pain of trying to cut something with a knife that was too dull to properly perform the task. So let’s all admit it – each of us has had at least one instance when we faced a new technology, concept, task, or even the current pandemic that required us to sharpen our knives (skill set, vision, strategies, and the list goes on). But don’t run away from the thought, embrace it. 

Change and growth really can be motivating and is always enriching. It’s the excitement of opening a brand-new door, discovering new things you like, developing greater strength, building new connections, or obtaining an invigorated focus and vision. Yes, continually growing is well worth every investment. So, take out that knife sharpening stone, and learn a new skill, take the class, read the book, build the website, grow. Because you, my friend, definitely owe it to yourself. 

© 2021 Kassandra McGhee