Stop Settling for Standing Still

I sat with two young women this week who were both at different cross roads in their lives. One was in her early twenties, the other her late thirties. Both wanted to figure out what they wanted to do moving forward and knew that their current role was not it. They both talked about meaning, growing, wanting to be more than they were today. I thought back to who I was at those ages and how I was feeling about who I was becoming. It made me realize that I could totally relate. Even at my current age I am still asking myself who I want to be when I grow up.

I enjoyed this Chinese Proverb as it reminds us that growing slowly is not the problem, standing still is the thing to avoid. And how many of us have felt like we were standing still during this strange and wacky global pandemic? Not being free to do or be what we want because the world is in lockdown. Not being able to go out and try new things because we are social distancing and staying ‘safe’. And not being able to do what we think we SHOULD be doing.

There is another way to look at all this. What if these are the exact circumstances to provide the perfect opportunity for us to ask ourselves those hard questions? Who do I want to be when I grow up? How do I feel about the life I have created? Is this where and who I truly want to be moving forward? And then the real biggie, what am I willing to change in order to get the life I want? With time on our hands the only thing stopping us from being self reflective is ourselves.

If we do not like where we are in life then change it. If we want to do something else, then get on the path that will get you there. And if we do not like who we are then stop being that person and be who you want…change. Grow up, learn new skills, make different choices. All of those things are within out control, we simply have to want to face that reality and make our life our own. Stop settling for standing still, have the courage to grow even if it means growing slowly.