Happy Friday
,
“We cannot become what we
want by remaining what we are.” – Max Depree
Let go of that which you’ve outgrown.
Is your job, people in your life, and/or experiences allowing you to grow? Having environments, relationships, and careers that make room for your growth is important in finding increased satisfaction and fulfillment in any part of your life. Simply put, consciously or unconsciously, staying in familiar environments will stifle your progress.
Consider this insight from a goldfish
and their tanks.
According to author Brooke
Billingsley, goldfish release growth inhibiting hormones when living in tanks. These growth inhibiting hormones are released and then reabsorbed through the water they live in. This allows goldfish to limit their size in an enclosed environment. Evolutionarily, goldfish have developed the ability not to outgrow small environments because they risk becoming trapped.
We are not
goldfish.
However, have you or are you
currently stunting your own growth for fear of leaving an environment that no longer fits you? As humans we have this insatiable desire to “fit-in”, to stay connected to jobs, relationships and spaces because it’s familiar, not because it’s what’s best for us. I’m encouraging you to seek unfamiliar environments that support you to outgrow them.
We often hold on to things that are
stunting our growth because we may be fearful of our full potential. Are you releasing your own “growth-inhibiting hormones” because it’s perceived to be easier to stay where you are? Put simply, fish that cannot grow to their full size are internally stunted or deformed. If fish are impacted, in some cases, where the internal damage is irreversible, then what does this mean for us? What are the long term impacts of force-fitting yourself into social relationships, shrinking to be more
accommodating at work, leaving parts of yourself unseen for the sake of a romantic connection?
You have the right to blossom,
flourish, grow, and thrive! However, this comes at the sacrifice of occupying comfortable environments that are no longer nourishing you to reach your full potential. The best version of yourself will not be found in comfort or avoiding necessary conversations that may involve a bit or a lot of conflict.
Listen to that inner voice nudging
you in the direction to be free to experience all that you are. Don’t fight to stay small or enclosed. Find peace in growing big and being unleashed. Remember, goldfish actively try to stay small, so they don’t feel trapped by their environment. , my friend, you are no goldfish. You are designed to grow and blossom, so find the opportunities in your life that allow for this to take place. You are worth
it.
Turn up the volume on the voice that
matters, yours.
