change vs. growth.

It’s easy to come up with a cliched resolution for starting the new year…..losing weight, reading x number of books, taking up a new hobby, etc. As 2022 (one of the toughest years of my life) comes to a close, I’m approaching 2023 with a tremendous opportunity instead of just a resolution goal. My opportunity is to grow after spending every year of my life feeling like I needed to change.

Change is something that is expected to be quick, and to meet the approval of others. There are a lot of people who are not a part of my life anymore because they expected me to be their perception of who I should be. Some people are no longer in my life because of their close affiliation to people who expected me to change. I don’t hate any of these people as they are who they are. None of them fit in my life anymore in the way I allowed them to be in my life.

Growth is constant, and it allows for us to make mistakes and learn from them on our own terms. It gives us the confidence to try new things and face our fears. It’s on our own individual timetables. As the new year begins, I’m continuing to seek out like-minded people who are supportive of my journey, not trying to make me take unnecessary detours to meet their needs.

I have other goals for the new year, but that’s all they are…..goals. Lose a few pounds, read a few books, take up a new hobby. I know that growth is an opportunity for me, because I can’t define it. It’s an each-and-every-day opportunity, and there’s no finish line….it’s definitely a marathon, not a sprint.

Here’s to 2023 – may I have the opportunity to grow and flourish while reaching my goal shrinking down a few pounds…and let’s this be the only way that I change!