I think sometimes we expect growth to be really obvious, like we're going to wake up one morning and suddenly know, Okay, this isn't who I am anymore. I'm ready for something different. Most of the time, I don't think it happens that way.

Sometimes it's much quieter. You just start noticing that things that used to feel right don't fit quite the same anymore. Maybe it's how you're spending your time, the conversations you're having, a relationship, your work, or even some of the expectations you've carried for yourself for a really long time. Nothing necessarily has to be wrong for you to recognize that something has changed.

And I think that's an important part of this conversation because we have a tendency to believe we need a really good reason to want something different. We want to be able to explain it or justify it, especially when the life we're living is one we worked really hard to create. You can be grateful for where you are and still recognize that you're not the same person you were when you chose some of these things.

So maybe instead of putting pressure on yourself to figure out who you're becoming or what you're supposed to do next, you start by getting curious about where you are right now. Ask yourself, “What doesn't feel like me anymore?”

You don't have to have the answer to what comes next. Sometimes simply recognizing that you've grown, that something has shifted, and that you're ready to pay attention to it is enough. Outgrowing a version of yourself doesn't mean there was anything wrong with who you were.

It just means you are becoming you.