🪶 growth
What does it mean?
By definition it means; Development from a lower or simpler to a higher or more complex form; evolution. This can be applied to many things. Like oneself.
Leaving undergrad in the midst of the pandemic gave me a lot of time to think about how myself, and my habits mirrored the world around me. All while attempting to build a company. Habits I've had since I was young, but also the ones formed throughout high school and undergrad. The good and the bad.
I loved to read when I was young. I always looked forward to the time we were given in school to stop whatever it was we were doing, and read. Same goes for bed. It signified a time of relaxation with a sense of exploration that school never gave me. But along the way I stopped.
To this day I am not quite sure why. Maybe schoolwork started to take more time. Maybe I had to start making friends instead of reading. Maybe I was just a kid, and wanted to mirror those around me. Maybe it was the smartphone I got in 10th grade. Maybe it was a combination of these things.
It was not until after undergrad that I became aware of what I had lost. In many ways I was proud of myself and what I had accomplished. But in other ways I had forgotten the inner-child. That sense of wonder and curiosity. That joy for learning through reading and doing. If it was not for some time at home, I would not have rediscovered a joy for things, and understand how to protect that and nurture it.
I credit the following.
- Reading
- Hard copy. The goal is to read instead of scroll. You'll be much happier with yourself and your attention span will begin to revert back to baseline.
- Running/exercise
- We are supposed to move. School and work keep us fairly sedentary. Get those steps in. Lift heavy things, set them down, and do it again. The golden rule applies in all areas of life, if you don't use it you'll loose it.
- Work
- Make this word positive. A virtue of sorts; build things, provide a service, create, care for others. Ability is not real unless applied.
- Meditation/prayer
- I believe we are the combination of a mind, a body, and a third more complex thing. Sometimes referred to as the soul or spirit. W/o getting too esoteric, find things that satisfy your whole being and make them a part of your life.
- Proper nutrition/hydration/sleep
- You need energy to be the best version of yourself. Take control over what you consume. Air, liquids, foods, information, all of it.
- Relationships/bonds
- We are social beings. Catching up with people over a meal, going to events, museums, trips, or whatever peaks your interest; it will make you feel better than not going. You grow your appreciation for the people you have relationships with, and build new ones.
It is important to note that you will not have it all, all the time. Habits may regress, but you'll know it.
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. - Victor Fankl
Show up, take it one day at a time, and choose your own responses.