“Every season is one of becoming, but not always one of blooming. Be gracious with your ever-evolving self.”
-B. Oakman
Have you ever gotten to a place in your life where you felt frustrated with where you were? You seemed to have worked and pushed yourself so hard yet things still did’t go as planned. Life can sometimes look like that, and it’s important to recognize that it’s all apart of the process. As you are going through the process remember to be, “Be gracious with your ever- evolving self.”
Growth, change and life is not always a breeze. Different seasons require different things, and just as you would be gentle with a child as they are growing, learning and trying to figure out life; be gracious and gentle with yourself. Understand that you’ve never experienced the exact moment, time and season you are currently in before. So give yourself permission to be there and the time to feel, process and discover what you need to be your best self. You deserve the same love, attention and chance you would give to someone else.
How different would life be if you gave yourself permission to be in the exact season are in? Instead of rushing and trying to get out of where you are, what if you took a moment to embrace your current season. What if you asked yourself the questions, “What is God trying to teach me in this season?” “How can I grow in this season of life?” “What is it that I can do to help make the most of where I am now?’ What would happen if you allowed yourself grace to grow, learn and make mistakes as you are trying to figure out your current season?
Every season of your life will require some type of personal growth because life is constantly changing. Change is disruptive and often times uncomfortable and depending on the amount of change you experience it could have you feeling overwhelmed and out of place. But if you give yourself grace and permission to be human through it, you’ll notice a huge difference in your experience.
I remember when I started my fitness journey at the beginning of last year and how much I knew I needed to change in order to reach my goal before the end of the year. It felt so uncomfortable and frustrating in the beginning because it’s not easy to break habits that you’ve been doing all your life. I had to remember that change is a process and that it starts one day at a time. I knew I couldn’t change all at once so I set baby steps for myself to follow. There were days where I fell short and didn’t stay consistent. During the days that I did fall short I had to remind myself that it’s only a bad day and that I could try again the next day. I also had to learn to speak life over myself in the moments that I fell short because I discovered that how I spoke to myself through my transformation process really made a difference.
The days where I felt like I failed I encouraged myself by reminding myself that I am capable of staying consistent and that I will reach my goal. I reminded myself that it’s what I did overtime and consistently that really matters. Looking back I realized how gracious I was with myself as I was making so many changes. I allowed myself to be present in the process and didn’t try to rush the process even through the set backs when I gained weight or when I the process took longer than I expected. I allowed myself to take time to discover what I needed to help me to better move forward and get everything I needed through the process.
These are some tips to being gracious with yourself that I have discovered through my journey:
1. Speak life over yourself
How you talk to yourself matters. Speak positive words and affirmations over yourself. Remind yourself often of the great things you know to be true about yourself.
2. Be okay with imperfection
If you are looking for perfection you will forever be frustrated. Be okay with things being imperfect. Mistakes are proof that you are trying. Give yourself permission to be human, learn and grow.
3. Remind yourself daily that what you are working towards is a process
When you have an understanding that what you are working towards is a process you are less likely to quit when things get hard. It also gives you hope to continue to move forward because you realize that the process requires you to keep working.
I just want to encourage you to be gracious with yourself no matter what season of life you may be in. Remember that you won’t be in the same season forever. Give yourself permission to be present, learn, grow and adapt to where you are. Don’t give up just because the season looks different or may be uncomfortable. Take time to discovery what you need to help you be your best and move forward with confidence. Thanks for reading!
How do you encourage yourself as you are learning and adapting to change?
Intentional Hope 