Growth is rarely as straightforward as we might like. Even after learning certain lessons and covering a good amount of ground, we often have to go back to the beginning again. This is not starting over per se, but rather going deeper.
Professional athletes and musicians regularly return to their fundamental skills even once they’ve perfected their craft.
This is not a regression and they didn’t lose the skills already developed. But they know the path of excellence is to go back to the beginning.
And the same is true for us.
Perhaps we need to consider again why we do the work we do. Even after years on the job it’s good to reconsider our motivations. This might bring renewed purpose, meaning, and joy back into our work.
A couple together for decades would still benefit from enrolling again in Relationship Building 101. This is not to erase all their previous years together, but it allows them to foster again deeper attraction and appreciation of each other.
Likewise, it’s often helpful to go back to the beginning and rediscover our very selves. There’s often much more to us than what we originally discovered in our 20s, for example. This is not to minimize or eliminate the discoveries we did make, but a chance to ask those basic questions of identity once again.
Whatever it looks like, going back to the beginning is often a sign of maturity and growth. It takes a humble courage to learn again.
In our pride we assume we know it all and miss the full depth and richness available.
Humble your pride and go back to the beginning. Learn again those basic principles and grow deeper throughout your life and relationships.
Photo by Roman Purtov on Unsplash
