Have you ever experienced real time growth? Iʼm not talking about growing and inch taller or having your nails get longer… I’m talking about observing yourself overcome obstacles in present time that used to baffle you in the past.

So many of us are seekers… we are people who strive to be better, feel better, and live up to our highest potential. We see therapists, attend workshops, read self help books, meditate, attend 12 step meetings etc. We are told that if we keep working on ourselves we will see immense change and growth beyond our wildest dreams. In many occasions we do, but from what I have heard and experienced is that we realize it after the fact.

It is truly a gift to experience ourselves feel different and react differently to a pattern as it is happening in the present moment. By doing this we are acknowledging ourselves for not only the work we have put in but also for coming out more enlightened and clear.

Acknowledging ourselves is KEY here. We are so prone to encouraging others but what about ourselves? When was the last time you said to yourself that you did a kick ass job on that presentation or that your apple and pear cobbler was beyond delicious. Have you ever truly looked at yourself and all youʼve done and celebrated YOU?

Doing the work that outside sources suggest is only one part of the work. Being your biggest fan and advocate is the other half of the equation. In order for us to move past our self-defeating patterns – it is imperative to focus on how far we have come – NOT on how much further we have to go.

Chinese Proverb – The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

Thomas A. Edison – I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another
step forward.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES THAT USED TO BAFFLE US

This Thomas Edison story is one of my favorites. I paraphrase but it goes a little something like this:

Thomas Edison and his apprentice were working diligently in their laboratory trying to harness an electrical current into a conductor which would later be known as the lightbulb. However – each time they tried to harness the current it blew something up or started a fire, etc. On the
999th time Edison and his apprentice tried to guide the electrical current tothe metal conductor and a huge explosion occurred. The laboratory was a complete mess. The apprentice then asked, “Mr. Edison, We have tried this 999 times and we keep failing. When are we going to just accept that what we are doing isnʼt going to work?” Thomas responded by saying, “We have not failed 999 times – we now know 999 ways that donʼt work.”

IT IS NOT FAILURE…. IT IS SIMPLY FEEDBACK.

You see, Thomas Edison didnʼt look at his failures as actual failures. He saw them as one step closer to achieving his goal. This is the perfect example of acknowledging ourselves – IN PRESENT TIME.

Can you think of something right now that you are working toward that you can experience real time growth? Please share with our WEBEGIRLS community WHEN you do. We all are here to encourage each other to be and feel our very best.

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Michele Azenzer is a Life Design Coach/Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner and owns her own company, Happy Life Coaching, where she helps her clients take action – set goals and visions so that they can design their lives both personally and professionally.  You can find out more about Michele at Happylifecoaching.com.