Growth is not Linear, it is a Rollercoaster.

Ever notice how personal growth is often depicted as a steady climb towards a sparkling horizon? Well, let's burst that bubble of expectation, shall we? Growth is not linear my friends, it's more like a rollercoaster ride through a theme park of self-discovery; complete with unexpected drops, thrilling accents, and the occasional loop-de-loop (yay...).

Phase 1: The Catalyst of Change.

Whether life throws you a curveball, or you've just had enough of the same old song and dance (i.e. feeling stuck), you decide it's time to shake things up. You realize you want to change something; yourself, your life, habits, job, relationships, skin care routine, etc. You get that energetic bubble of excitement in your gut, propelling you forward into the unknown with some newfound spunk and cautious confidence.

Phase 2: Becoming the Sponge.

With newfound determination, you dive into absorbing knowledge. You read the books, listen to the podcasts, download the mediation app and basically absorb knowledge about self-love, self-care, and self-discovery like a brand new kitchen sponge.

Phase 3: The Somewhat Chaotic Overhaul.

You begin to implement some changes here and there (and more often than not, too many changes all at once). You throw away the junk food, get the gym membership, set your alarm earlier, practice mediation, write in the journal from years ago that's been collecting dust, etc. This is the time where you realize growth isn't just about tweaking one or two things; it's implementing an overhaul on how you think and live your life for the better.

Phase 4: The Fork in the Path.

Here's where people typically go one of two ways. You're either a) riding a high, feeling like a self-improvement rockstar but still a bit jittery, OR b) you're teetering on overwhelm, questioning if you bit off more than you can chew. It's the part of the ride where you realize there's no turning back - you're buckled in - and the outcome isn't entirely clear; which is stressful as heck.

Phase 5: The Confusion Junction.

You've absorbed so many perspectives from your self-love-guru-sponge days that your brain has a traffic jam of ideologies competing for your attention. You're hard on yourself for not meditating, for being less productive, for reverting to old habits, all the while having a ruthless inner dialogue with yourself about not being good enough now that you have all this newfound knowledge.

I'm here to tell you: IT'S OKAY! I've been there, done that, and will probably be back.

Life is a fickle thing; constantly changing. Growth doesn't alway equate to climbing up a flight of stairs. Sometimes it involves climbing up a few stairs, taking a tumble - maybe even a backwards somersault - before dusting ourselves off and shimmying up a few more. Rather than being hard on ourselves for falling and, ya know, being a clumsy human; we need to focus on surrendering with each fall.

Self-Acceptance: The Game-Changer.

Growth is not linear. It blossoms from accepting ourselves in all our imperfect glory, not when we hit some arbitrary benchmarks (getting fitter, richer, smarter, married, promoted, etc.). Embrace yourself for who you are right now. Self-acceptance is a practice, not a checklist. Surrender to the process, strengthen that self-acceptance muscle, and watch the magic unfold.

In doing so, you'll begin to notice:

• You're more compassionate towards yourself and others

• You naturally raise your frequency to attract the people, things and opportunities that are meant for you

• You get really clear on what's important and what isn't.

To learn more about practicing self-acceptance and navigating a fickle life, reach out! You've got this!