January 8, 2017

Personal Growth: a Beneficial Struggle


Please see more about miraculous changes in my book. Here is the link: Accept No Trash Talk: Overcoming the Odds.

Each New Year brings a chance to start again. Many of us might not be where we want to be, but we’re not where we were, either. Others have “failed up”. In other words, we’ve learned from our mistakes, and we’re moving forward. That’s something to be proud of! I flatter myself that I fall in this last category.

I have written two articles about how life is a process here and how we can find joy in the journey here. Life isn’t uninterrupted bliss, and that’s a good thing. Think of how selfish we’d be if always got what we wanted! Growth often comes in the dark times. This is a favorite topic of mine, lately.

How Does Success Happen?

Victories are often built on “failures”. A basic truth of life is this: in order to build something new, we often have to demolish something old.  This can be a grueling process, but it’s worth the work. These transformations can relate to many areas of life, including our personalities.

I have a fun, literal example of getting rid of the old to make room for the new. Please enjoy some pictures of a hoarder’s home being gutted and remodeled here.

A Biblical Analogy

“I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”—John 15:1-2 (KJV)

The rest of the chapter states how the branches (us) cannot survive without Jesus (the vine). If we don’t abide in Him, we will wither and die. Then, we will be discarded. So, the only way to move forward is to allow ourselves to be molded and improved, which is not a comfortable process.

My Job

I am certainly what you’d call a “work in progress” at my place of work. After about four months, everything is still new to me. There’s so much to learn. On top of that, I haven’t worked full time in about two decades. This is the first time I’ve been employed in the health-care industry as well. I’m still dealing with medical and personal challenges, too.

To say I’m out of my comfort zone would be an understatement. I am being “pruned” by the master gardener.What is the result of my transformation?
  • Patience
  • Humility
  • Endurance
  • Acceptance
  • Self-acceptance
  • Knowledge of human nature

Traci version 2 has many upgrades, but they’re costly—to me. Is the trauma worth it? Yes! I am becoming a better person.

Conclusion

The New Year brings a chance to make old things new. It’s also an opportunity to bring dreams to pass in a new, unexpected way.

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How are you being pruned, and are you fighting it?

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