Getting High on Recovery

Every day your cells regenerate. And your mind never stops growing.

That is, unless you get in your own way.

How do you get in your own way?

I had a friend in college who threw away his textbooks on the day that he graduated. He was planning to become a Minister. I’m glad that I he was not my pastor… and I hope that he is not yours.

Be wary of people who tell you that you don’t need to read the fine print…

Three ways that we can get in the way of our own growth

1| By avoiding risk

You are built to be yourself, to be an individual. But you learn to thrive by accept the challenge to being yourself (being able to stand on your own, have your own ideas, thinking for yourself) while staying connected. Learning to take reasonable ‘risks’ to step out of your comfort zone will help you to grow.

2| By refusing to consider other points of view

Allowing yourself to see different perspectives is good for you. It creates empathy, it makes you think and wrestle with what is important to you.

Sometimes we feel threatened by differing viewpoints. Or we get angry at what other’s say. When you refuse to consider other viewpoints, you close off to caring. You lose the wisdom that others can teach you. You remain stuck.

You have to open your ears to you allow yourself to hear other points of view. You don’t have to agree with everyone, but opening your ears will help you to open your heart.

3| By avoiding the feeling of disappointment

It’s true, disappointment is a teacher. But personally I wish I could skip his class.

When we allow ourselves to experience the heartache of letting go, something changes inside of us. When you let go of your hopes or dreams or what you held onto, it can feel like you are dying inside. But you won’t die. You can survive disappointment, hurt, rejection, failure and even despair.

You are more than your experience. Go ahead, tell your teacher what you think of him. Maybe you want to swear or cuss him out. Sometimes we all need to do a little cussing. You cannot do everything that you want and life can be cruel, harsh and deeply unfair. But your disappointment or failure or unfulfilled dreams are not a sign that your life is over.

If disappointment is a teacher, then allowing your tears will get you through the final exam. Feeling sad, feeling hurt, and crying may not feel like it is getting you anywhere. But expressing your pain will allow you to face what you most fear. Only as we face what we cannot change will we be able to change into who we can be.

Keep it Real