I love GROWING

Over the weekend I feel like I grew a lot! Not in my body size but in my mind, mentality and personally! As you get older it's so odd what becomes important to you. Through my contest prep last year I feel like I grew so much. And as I get older I feel like I'm constantly learning, falling down, and growing. I couldn't be more grateful. I look at some people and think "wow, don't you want to grow?" I see them avoid things in life that would certainly enhance their lives if they would attack them with the idea that they will grow and learn no matter the outcome.

I saw someone this weekend that I haven't seen in years - a friend of a friend. We talked about my competition. She kept saying how huge it was that I did that. I agreed. It was huge but I was never scared of it. Later in the evening she asked me how I placed and I told her 4th out of 4. She asked if I was okay with that. I was honest and told her that it kind of hurt at first but when I had time to reflect I was more than okay with it. I had set out to get on that stage and do the best I could to get there. That journey helped me grow exponentially. In the end did it matter how I placed? No. And that is definitely something I learned through that experience. It's hard to not get a "measure" on a journey you take. But if you don't measure your journeys in anything other than what you have gained, learned and how you've grown then your journeys will be so much more rewarding. As I look back at other journeys in my life, it really puts a new twist on journeys I've taken. I've had a varied life - some instability, hardship, victories, losses, etc. but all with constant growth. Shouldn't that be our aim in life?

I have learned much about myself over this past weekend. Sometimes it's hard to accept that you're half of every relationship you have. That means if you're expecting someone else that you're in a relationship with to compromise then you really need to be ready to compromise yourself. This has been a very hard fact for me to accept and learn. This weekend I finally made some growth in that area. Now I'm not saying to lower your standards or drop what is truly important to you. Instead I'm saying to check what things need to be compromised on and see if you are okay with those things or if they are, in fact, things you can't come to a compromise on. I know for myself that there are things that have always worked (or so I thought) when I was younger that won't work now. And this goes for all relationships for me. So these are some new things I've learned and thought these points might help some of you make better relationship choices and enhance those relationships you already have.

* Own your part of the relationship!
* Ask yourself if that relationship enhances your life or if you would be better without it
* Figure out what compromises you could make to make the relationship better
* Define ways to GROW in the relationship
* Define ways to GROW within the relationship
* Find what makes you happy in the relationship and put a spotlight on it
* Delve deep inside and bring out the best you for all your relationships
* Give your all and if you don't, don't expect the other half of that relationship to give their all
* Be grateful for the relationship
* Be present in the relationship

Those are my pointers and I used each of those this weekend. Relationships and journeys come and go and I've decided to GROW whenever possible through both. Growth is uncomfortable, awkward and TOUGH but just look at all the times you've grown. Aren't you glad you went through that growth no matter how uncomfortable, awkward or tough? I would think your answer would be yes. I just feel like I arrived at a whole new level this weekend and I'm more than grateful for this opportunity to grow!

Here comes Monday. Are you ready?

Bad human communication leaves us less room to grow. ~Rowan D. Williams