“Growth only happens when we succumb to being human and begin accepting our flaws” | Part 1

I want you to join me in reminiscing the last time we fell off the bike. Probably on our way to (maybe even from) our tuitions… Perhaps even while trying to compete and race with our ‘gang’.

Do you remember the feeling of being so innocent, so naïve and so focused on just the next moment in life that nothing else in this world really ever mattered?

All that mattered was us, riding our bikes (remember the times when we competed with our friends such that before we knew it, we were racing) — then somehow, losing control (like that time when we were desperately trying to stop the speeding bike downhill but couldn’t coz we didn’t understand physics just yet) and crashing (Man what a weird way to be jolted out of our cute little imaginary world where we were ACTUALLY winning for a change *sigh*) — then looking at our bruise (and getting worried if mums going to scold us out of her fear *because we know, this bruise ain’t worth the drama) but — then actually just getting back on our coveted bikes like none of this ever happened!

Perhaps you’ve heard Lance Armstrong’s quote, “If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on.”

So you see, just as it is important for you to understand the importance of trusting the process of learning to ride a bike, (which let me remind you includes a lot of wobbly days as I’m sure you remember), it is equally important, if not more, to learn to get back up on the bike, once you’ve LEARNED how to ride a bike.

Why are growing pains necessary you ask?

1. It makes you feel confident and sexy

Well let me remind you of the last time you decided to do a rigorous workout, may have been in school or college, or perhaps even yesterday. Either way, you definitely remember the pain your muscles faced the next day, don’t you? When the DOMS set in and you are just unable to move… You want to get up and get yourself that nice warm cup of coffee as a reward for the hard work you’ve just completed but can’t because of all that soreness in your body?

Yeah, what happened after that day though? Maybe even after a week if the workout has been THAT brutally intense! What happened was that you are able to do the same, and maybe just a tad bit more intense workout with much ease… You have just strengthened your muscle groups to be ready for a more demanding and challenging exercise, all the while toning your muscles to make you feel AND LOOK invincible.

I know how cliché this must sound and how you’ve heard this a million times before, but here I am repeating it because it matters! And because this is a timeless piece of advice that you will be singing praises to your future generations (Oh yeah! I’ll bet on that ;)). The universe has this funny way of bringing up experience after experience of the similar nature until you’ve actually paid heed to what it’s trying to say to you.

And no, I am not writing off anything to God/ spirituality, I’m saying, even scientifically, you are bound to repeat the same patterns unless you choose to consciously break the cycle somehow or include a different variable to obtain a different outcome.

2. It makes you irresistible, like aged wine

Remember the early college days when you’d date the same kind of partner again and again till you choose to deliberately decide to change something within you or learn some lesson from that breakup. For those of you who tell me you haven’t had a romantic relationship yet, haven’t you seen how picky you are now about your friends vs. when you were a kid and were ready to hang out with just about anyone disregarding the fact even if they would bully you or not?

Yeah, well these lessons are absolutely crucial and the sooner you learn from it, the quicker your recovery time, just as with the bike, the sooner you get up, dust off, brush it off, and move on the quicker you resume riding new paths.

Now, just imagine if every time you fell down/ had your heart broken/ faltered if you just gave in to your fear and never got back up, would you have all these things you acquired in this life of yours?

3. It helps you bring out your inner daredevil ;)

There’s a popular saying, “Everything you want is on the other side of fear”.

And I actually was contemplating this for a while and I came to notice the pattern in this world: All famous people or people who have established something are all folks who have risked something major in their lives/ taken that big leap of faith, just not knowing what would happen next but just moved forward.

I don’t know if it is the universe that rewards such audacity by giving them everything they want or not, but in my scientific mind, I’m able to justify this by noting the pattern of their behaviour- Risk takers aren’t risk-takers for one day, it’s their lifestyle. They don’t let go of opportunities that come their way in fear of ‘what-ifs’ they.just.do.it.

They just jump when they need to. They’re folks that figure things along the way and make the best of what they’re given. So, they’re highly adaptable, now that’s a word every resume reader wants to see, especially in days like these.

In conclusion…

You see why it’s absolutely crucial you continue to take risks, despite the pain of failure because as I have elaborated, this pain is just momentary, but just as the muscles that respond with soreness to pain actually are strengthened by the same pain, you too need growing pains in order to grow.

After all, growth happens when we accept and embrace the growing pains associated with it. Growth cannot happen if you choose to avoid all the risky situations fearing the pain/ embarrassment involved.

Stay tuned for my next article, because I will share with you how exactly you can embrace growth and shun your hindrance to it.