Growth Is Not The Opposite Of Peace

Awhile back I was visiting with a friend and explaining the vision behind my women’s retreat (I host a women’s retreat in Miles City, MT every March and it is ridiculously awesome - you should come). I said my mission was was to help women grow in every area of their life; to motivate them to want to heal from the inside out and start truly kicking ass at their life.

There was a long pause and she said something back that really stuck with me. She said that she didn’t really think something like that was for her, because she was completely comfortable and at peace with where she was in life.

I reflected on that conversation for days, playing it on a loop in my head. Not because I disagreed with her, but actually because I really understood what she meant. Being at peace with who you are and where you are in life is truly such a beautiful place to be. I want that for every woman. But then how can I also be trying to motivate them to want to grow and be better? Does that mean that I’m telling them they aren’t good enough as they are??

After MANY days of ruminating on this thought, here is what I have come to:

-Growth is not the opposite of peace. The two are not mutually exclusive. You can be growing in life and also completely at peace in the process. You can love your life how it is and still want more. It doesn’t mean you are broken. In fact, growth that comes from a place of gratitude and peace is the very best kind of growth there is.

-Growth and comfort ARE mutually exclusive. And they need to be in balance. Different seasons and stages of life will bring more of one and less of the other. Too much growth without peace, and you burn out. Too much comfort without growth, and you stall out. Either way, you start to lose your spark.

-Peace is always the goal. And sometimes peace means growth, and other times peace means comfort, contentment, and rest. It is not a betrayal of your current life to want to build a better one. And it's not unambitious to want to rest in your comfort zone for awhile. I think the sweet spot for peace is when we are growing because we can and want to, not because we feel pressure, lack, or scarcity.

So the answer is yes to both…..in balance. Honor the stage and season of life you are in.

Love ya.

-T