As we wrap up another year and set our sights on the next, I have been reflecting on what it is all for. The work I do with clients is often about getting unstuck, which involves opening up one layer at a time. I feel the same way about the work I do with myself. Sometimes I think of it like peeling back an onion. With each layer of the onion that I peel back, there is an opportunity to grow. Sometimes I get cocky and think, “But I’ve already read those books and asked those questions?! I’m grown!” Yeah, right. Wouldn’t that be nice.
The learning journey doesn’t end just because we have reached a certain age or attained more or less tolerance for bullshit than we had ten years ago. The learning continues. It’s on-going. There will always be another layer to peel back and work on. There will always be another opportunity to grow. If we feel like we have plateaued or are stuck in one or more areas of our lives, then there is inevitably an internal shift waiting to happen.
The key to life is openness. Like the onion, life is a nearly endless journey of opening oneself. And the best way to do that is through connection, first with ourselves, then with others. Connection is one of the primary vehicles for growth. Whether it’s the people in our lives who are supportive, or the ones who annoy the hell out of us, every relationship is a learning lab, and the lessons learned are all geared toward making us more loving individuals.
As long as we keep asking ourselves, “what can I learn from this experience?” “what is my opportunity to grow?” and “how is this happening FOR me instead of to me?” we will continue to find answers that propel us forward. Those answers may surprise us, they might inspire us, or they may be painful. But that’s the journey… there will always be another layer to peel back. There will always be more love, openness, and personal fulfillment to be had.
The internal journey is what it is all for. The external is just a reflection.
Wishing you a fulfilling 2019!
