Growth.

As I was searching the blogosphere today I noticed an uncanny theme in numerous post. The theme seemed to center around believing in oneself and in your own abilities. Many of the post talked about recognizing your own strengths or having the values of an innocent child. Both of these are great ideas, but I could not help wondering why is there so much to say on believing in oneself and returning to childhod values. As I thought on this I came to the realization that it seems as we grow older the complexity of life seems to weigh us down.

I commented on a post at Trevor Gay's Simplicity site where he has a lively debate going on in regards to Complexity vs. Simplicity. Some people feel that they must be challenged by complex arrangements in life. Without this complexity they feel as though they are not challenged and feel bored. Others feel that they must have simplicity in their life or they become over burdened. I suppose when you think about it both are right. I need both in my life. I need the challenge that the complex presents. However, the challenge to me is to be able to break it down to simpler steps that I can master and gain control over. I am often guilty of taking on to much and becoming over burdened. When I become over burdened that is when I begin to struggle and wonder about my abilities. The struggle often comes from comparing myself with others who have been successful in similar sitations and marveling at their accomplishments.

I think it is like that with a lot of people. Life is often so fast paced that many times people can't keep up with everything going on in their lives. They view others that seem to achieve in similar situations and compare themselves in unfavorable ways. When the challenges become to great we often long for simpler times when we did not compare ourselves to the accomplishments of others. Back to the time when we met challenges for what they were, something to be learned from and built upon. When we were children we did not always know to compare ourselves to the rest of the world. We had our own little protected view of things and that was just fine. Failure was not defeat.Failure was met with the encouragement of those around us to keep trying. Every little accomplishment was applauded by those around us. We were encouraged to do more and try harder. Somewhere along the line as we grow older that level of support wanes and we become responsible to ourselves for our own encouragement. We can become critical of ourselves and others. The competition of life is on.

When you feel that the competition of life is bearing down on you try to remember to celebrate your accomplishments. Try to keep things complex enough to challenge your sense of adventure, but at the same time, keep life simple enough to enjoy it. Keep encouraging yourself and others to try a little harder and make a big deal over small accomplishments. And remember, "Until we take how we see ourselves (and how we see others) into account, we will be unable to understand how others see and feel about themselves and their world. Unaware, we will project our intentions on their behavior and call ourselves objective" Stephen Covey . Try to see yourself in view of your strengths. Never mind the comparisons with other people. There is always going to be those who do certain things a little better. You are that person in many instances. Each of us have our talents and strengths. That is what makes the world a beautiful place. Concentrate on what you do well. Celebrate all your strengths and be happy for your weaknesses. This is where true growth lives.