I loved my little family so much.
There were moments when I would be sitting in my living room with my heart overfilling just because we were all together in that moment.
I lived for those moments, but they were quickly overshadowed with the stress that came from the rest of our life.
The bills kept piling up, the bill collectors kept phoning, my friendships were strained, my relationships were filled with tension, and I was running around like a crazy person trying to keep everything ok.
The stress was so high that it was affecting me physically, my back was covered in acne, my stomach was in knots, my hair was dull, and I needed 10-11 hours of sleep at night with a nap during the day.
I would look at other people’s lives when they were struggling and I would think, if only you changed this one thing, everything would change… but for the life of me I couldn’t see what my one thing was.
I listened to motivational speakers and I read books searching desperately for the answers.
They taught me how to think, then how to not believe everything I think. They taught me how to dream and how to not be attached to my dream. They taught me how to break free from codependency, how to return to love, and they taught me about my ego.
Looking back, I can point my finger to so many little nuances.. things that were wrong and could have been better.
But I think it all comes down to one thing.
I was on a personal self growth journey, and it’s what kept me alive… but our finances weren’t growing, our relationships weren’t growing, our circles weren’t growing, our business wasn’t growing, and neither was our life together… it was growing apart.
If you aren’t growing, you’re dying.
It applies to everything from flowers and plants, to relationships and businesses.
We can learn from Mother Nature, when a forest needs to get cleaned up a fire blazes through it and burns it down quickly allowing for new growth and new life.
Turning a blind eye to the parts of your life that aren’t working doesn’t help.
Focussing all of your energy into growing only one area helps, but it gets sabotaged by the other areas that begin to die.
Continually showing up for life, doing the next right thing, building brick by brick and step by step, and always moving forward… that helps.
Pay off the bills.
Let your money build in the green.
Learn the love language of your partners and deepen your love.
Do what your spirit is calling for you to do, experience life, try new things.
Meet new people, and make connections, join new clubs, explore new skills or build on old ones.
Contribute to society.
Challenge yourself.
Make a difference in the world.
Do what scares you.
Show up for life.
All of that helps, all of that is growing,
Stop for a moment and think about your primary relationships, your finances, your friendships, your spirit and your health.
Are they growing or dying?