How are you GROWING?

Nope, not a typo!!! Yes, I care about how all you sweet peeps are doing, but for REAL; MORE IMPORTANT is: How is your life growing? How and what are you doing to grow?  Growing is scary!!!! Or it can be scary because, typically, in order to grow you have to do some things, go to some places, and have conversations that you just would rather not have.  There are situations that you would just rather leave alone, and instead of risking embarrassment or failure you just don’t try.

For me, I have grown by doing things I was super afraid of doing but knew that in my heart and soul I needed to do them. There was a tug in my spirit pushing and pulling me. The part of me that wanted comfort and peace at all cost wanted to ignore those risings in my spirit.  When we become a better version of ourselves, we show up better for others. We become more authentic, real and just more YOU!!! The YOU that is FULLY YOU!!!

I have also grown by doing seemingly silly things that I am not generally good at doing. I have tried new things, that to others would seem little, but to me they pushed me.  For instance, by trying things such as Pure Barre when I went to Tennessee. 

I walked into a room filled with beautifully thin and well-put-together women whose legs fit just right on those high bars. Their tummies were tucked and their heads were held high, and all I was trying to do was to keep up without throwing up and passing out.  On a scale of 1 to 10, I was about a 2.5. But you know what? Had I not tried I would have been a big fat ZERO!!! I like 2.5 better. So the next day I went back and did it again. I think I advanced to a FIRM SOLID 3!!!! 

So fast forward, there is a dancing/barre class at my gym.  I made all kinds of excuses not to go such as I had to work and all that jazz. But deep down, just like the girl who was afraid to try out for cheerleading when I was young (later story), I was afraid to get in a room with mirrors and dance. Not only were there mirrors, but there was a big open glass for all others to see that my moves may not have the same “umph” as they did when I was young. But guess what??? I finally did it anyway!!! And you know what else, it was so much dang fun! After I started moving to the music, I could give two cares who was watching or about anything else. 

So my growing, as of late, has been much deeper than going to new exercise classes that scare me. I am learning to navigate life without my best friend and husband. I am trying to run a business in such a way that my people are loved and lifted and honored without taking too much time away from my littles that I am raising. I am learning to say what I mean and mean what I say. I am learning that I can run my business and my life the way I believe in my heart it should be run.  I am learning to read, study, pray and meditate and just stop for a moment or two and KNOW that I am not what I am always doing. I am who I am at my heart and that is enough.

I am so thankful that God has given me so many, many opportunities to grow. I admit that I love them more on the far side of them, than while I am smack in the middle of the growing. But, 100 percent of the time, I am a better human because of it. I am more of who God designed me to be. I know that the only way I can be fully me is to slough off all that is not me, to try new things, and have a life of grand adventure or nothing at all. Ha! that must be a recurring theme right now because I think I said that recently.

I think this blog will need a part 2  because there is so much more I want to share, but I need to leave you now so I can go do more growing and stretching things. Who knows, I may just break it down and start dancing in my office. Care to join me?????

Grateful that you allow me to love you in this way,

Karen

Ps.  I am so blown away that all of you join me in my morning happy ass affirmations

Pps. You all help me grow every day and I love you so very much.

Ppps. Let’s have a dance party soon!!!