40+FAB Blog

Growing pains

I remember as a young boy I told my mum I had been having pain in my legs, being a nurse, she looked at me and with a smile said, you are having growing pains. Growing pains, I thought, why should growth be painful.

Whatever the type of growth is, the thing growing will have to overcome resistance, and overcoming resistance is what causes the pain. Right from birth we go through different transitions of growth and each stage causes pain, whether physical, emotional or mental.

When people treat you badly, how do you react? Are you able to hold your emotions in check and respond in an appropriate manner or do you throw tantrums and possibly fists?
If you are working through your emotional growth, you will feel the pain of keeping quiet when there are a thousand hurtful words you would rather unleash on the one that has ticked you off.

Are you saving up for that next house or tangible investment? Are you able to delay your gratification by refusing to spend on that cup of coffee or pizza so you make up the savings?
If you are working though your financial growth, you will feel the pain of prudence for months or possibly years, but it will get you to your desired place of financial freedom eventually.

I could talk about the pain of relationships, healthy eating, dieting, exercise, disciplined study, positive thinking, persistence and much more.

What growing pains have you identified in your life? Do not work to alleviate or sedate that pain, because it is very necessary for growth. Those that have tried to help a butterfly out of its cocoon or a chic out of its egg have realised that their help actually crippled their beneficiary.

Allow yourself to grow, and if you feel the pain then know you are doing something right.