"I'm feeling stuck...I just don't know what my next steps should be."

It can be exhausting when we feel like we are sprinting in place, not getting ahead in life.  This can be a good indicator to take inventory of a few things:  Am I truly not making progress, or am I just moving ahead slowly?  Am I growing, but just not giving myself the credit for the strides I've made?  Am I truly stagnant, and perhaps need to look at whether I'm putting my energy to the people, places, and things that most align with me?  Considering these questions, along with acceptance that growth and self-healing is a life-long commitment we make to ourselves, can be helpful in reducing much of the frustration and shame that comes up when we feel we're "doing things wrong" or "not moving fast enough" or are "not where I want to be."  In our production-driven society, we tend to feel that unless we are making huge strides every day, we are not doing enough.  When we are talking about healing and growth, these strides tend to come in waves;  sometimes they're big waves, and sometimes they're ripples in the water.  Either way, is it all expansion, and it is all important for us to recognize and honor as part of our journeys.

​"I just want to be the best version of myself."​​

Sometimes when we set out to achieve a goal, it can be important to check in and reevaluate the target every now and then.  This is especially true when it's a goal related to our overall wellness that includes so many moving parts!  We can often get caught up in reaching for a state of perfection, which, most of the time, is unattainable or unsustainable, leading to a sense of failure, loss of motivation, and a reactivation of wounds.  Additionally, because wellness is an ongoing area of focus, not a destination we reach and stay, it can be hard to set specific goals.  Instead, when choosing to live our lives through a growth mindset, we more so want to focus on intentionally practicing mindfulness and grace.  Understanding that life is an unfolding pathway in front of us, one of the most powerful decisions we make is to take responsibility for being as present as we can.  This affords us many things, including the ability to respond to people and situations more easily from a grounded, centered place, and also allows us to actively attend to the areas that need some of our energy for healing and growth, creating more consistent balance.  And when life throws that balance off (as it often does), compassionate redirection to center is really what is most helpful.  Giving ourselves grace helps reduce the shame and anxiety that most of us have on board, allowing for us to take appropriate accountability and to learn life's lessons through a lens of expansion and growth.