So often it happens that we live out our lives in chains and we never know we have the key. From the song, Already Gone, by the Eagles.

We all need to grow. Growing is as necessary as breathing. It is part of humankind’s DNA. We are hard-wired to be curious and to always be hungry for more.

But it isn’t our aspirations or goals that count. It is the action of striving to reach them that lies at the heart of the process of growing. This is where the excitement lies – the juice of life. It’s what makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning.

That’s because the action of striving is a creative, challenging activity. When you are growing, you’re full of energy. One effort flows effortlessly, seamlessly  into another; the ensuing sense of accomplishment propels you ever farther ahead, from one achivement to the next. Nothing seems out of reach.

On the other hand, when you stop growing inevitably your life begins to diminish. Life’s not as much fun. you become stale and dull. Worst of all you begin to lose your courage. you start to doubt your own abilities and personal worth, sometimes without even being aware of it.. When that happens, the future looks less bright and your horizons narrow.

How do you know you have stopped growing? Have you stopped asking questions? Are you unable to make allowances for ideas and opinions that are not yours? Are you judgmental, critical, intolerant and suspicious of others? Hmm…

Most of us, at one time, or another grapple with issues of growth. The fact that you are still reading this suggests that you, too, may be in the midst of a growing period, seeking answers, looking for fresh ideas and insight, trying to figure out what to do next and maybe, more to the point, whom you want to be.

More about this in future posts. I look you’ll come back.