Do you love to grow? I do… I love growing and I love supporting others in their growth! It can be helpful to have a map for how we grow, so I’ve created a list of three unique paths that you can engage to effectively grow:
#1 Conscious Relationship
If we pay attention to what arises in our personal relationships, we will have plentiful opportunities to grow. Relationships bring out our desires, our fears, our strengths and our challenges. Bringing consciousness into our relationships brings to light many opportunities to work with aspects of ourselves, learn from one another and grow, both individually and as a couple. We can apply the lessons of conscious relationship to literally ANY of our relationships (friendships, love relationships, work relationships, etc), but the container for growth is richer if both parties are committed to the process.
My partner Bodi and I use Conscious Relationship as a path of growth. We see both our challenges and our strengths as opportunities to grow. One of our most apparent challenges early on in our relationship was that Bodi naturally communicates in a ‘Feel First’ style, while I naturally communicate in a ‘Think First’ style (to read more about communication process, refer here). This is an inherent difference that often created miscommunications between us . However, we both committed to becoming more balanced in our communication (me coming more into my heart, Bodi coming more into his head) and as a result of this commitment we have become more effective communicators, both with each other and those around us. Rather than viewing this inherent incompatibility as a negative thing, we chose to see it as an opportunity to grow in our own capacities to communicate in a more balanced, effective way.
#2 - Authentic Life Expression
This area of growth relates to our Life Work. Specifically, what is our unique human design and how may we best contribute to the universe? What do we feel committed to focusing on and who do we serve? The Japanese concept of ‘Ikigai’ is a helpful tool for understanding our Authentic Life Expression. ‘Ikigai’ translates to ‘a reason for being’ and is the intersection of “what you love”, “what you are good at”, “what you can be compensated for” and “what the world needs”. Focusing on developing our Authentic Life Expression creates opportunities to grow through expanding the content (what we do), the context (how we do it) and the intent (why we do it) of our contribution.
My father Mark, by design, is a creative builder. He has been a self-employed contractor for virtually his whole working life, building and renovating homes for families and structures for businesses. Recently, he expanded his Authentic Life Expression through creating a non-profit organization called This Is Now Your Home (T.I.N.Y. Home), which provides truly low-income housing for those who need a hand up (homeless individuals, veterans, etc.). While remaining true to his life work, he has expanded what he does (to include building energy-efficient tiny homes), he has expanded how he does it (to include tax-deductible donations and volunteer service as the primary sources of abundance for the project) and he has expanded why he does it (to serve those in need, who cannot afford housing as the system is set up now). By expanding the content, context and intent of his Life Work, my father is using his Authentic Life Expression as a path of growth.
#3 - Community Development
Humans are interdependent beings. When we build effective communities and work together co-creatively, we can accomplish much more than we can on our own. Communities can be developed in a myriad of ways, but members usually have a shared intention - some reason that they are joining together, or something that they are working towards together. Being in community presents many opportunities for growth, including finding authentic ways to contribute that serve the collective and navigating complex relational dynamics in group settings.
My friend BJ is an 84 year old steward of the Hummingbird Community, a community dedicated to conscious evolution and living in harmony with the planet. She is totally committed to the community and serves in many ways - from building relationships with visitors and potential members, to spending hours every day tending the land and the gardens, to managing the office. Her devotion to the community has supported her growth into a wise elder who is frequently sought out for the loving wisdom that radiates from her being.
Choosing a Path
You can choose one, two or all three of these paths of growth. If you focus on one, you will likely experience more rapid forward progress. If you focus on all three, the growth will be slower but you may experience a greater sense of balance. Of course, there are interrelationships and a natural overlap between these paths. May you enjoy the exploration of these three potent paths of growth in your own life!