The Climb of Personal Growth

Personal growth is a lot like climbing a mountain. Sometimes the trek is steep and the pace grueling. Then we may plateau for a bit, allowing us to acclimate. If there is not a natural plateau, we may need to rest for a moment and take some preemptive downtime. This allows us to consolidate the lessons from the most recent climb and recharge our energy levels for the next ascent.

Sometimes we lose our footing and slip back a bit. Other times we must hike back down a ways so we can climb higher later. At times we walk down into a valley so we can continue our ascent in the future or seek out a better long-term path.

All of this is a normal part of the climb towards personal growth. Not every step will bring us higher, and plateaus are natural and necessary. But issues arise when we neglect to climb out of the valleys and plateaus. They should be a typical experience on our journey, but also a temporary one. If we ever neglect to resume the climb, that’s when we become old, regardless of our age.

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