How to Recognize Growth When You Feel Nothing Is Happening

After passions fail and you begin the work of moving on it can seem like nothing’s happening despite your best efforts. Goals and direction seem unclear because the pieces aren’t fitting into place. It feels like nothing’s happening. The truth is, movement is occurring just beneath the surface.

This movement is called growth. But more often than not it’s difficult to recognize.

You were patient, diligent and hard-working in pursuit of your passion and now you’re on the other side where your efforts don’t seem to be yielding the results they used to. 

You’re trying to figure out what “normal” is in the aftermath of things falling apart.  

Perhaps you’ve taken steps to find a new “normal” by re-engaging in activities that you’d sidelined.  Maybe you’re connecting with friends, re-looking at finances, or making medical appointments.  Or, you’ve re-entered the work force or moved somewhere new. Yet, despite these actions you feel that you aren’t making headway.  Maybe friendships aren’t as connected as before, or the new job or living situation is less than ideal.   

Even though you’re getting back into the flow of life it still feels like things aren’t coming together.  You’ve been hopeful and positive but it seems like you’re not getting momentum, synchronicity, or traction like you did in pursuit of your passion. 

The problem isn’t that we’re stalled out, it’s that we’re using the wrong instrument to measure our movement.  In actuality, we have been getting somewhere.  We are getting back into our lives again.

Now we measure progress in the steps we take to move forward after defeat.  Making decisions about what we want and need are part of those steps.  Decision-making, after defeat, is really about practicing trusting ourselves again.  It’s the first phase of moving on. 

We aren’t spinning our wheels.  Our efforts are getting results.  We are working towards something — ourselves.  We are taking risks again, trying things, getting up after stumbles and falls– which help us re-build trust, hope and courage.

The small, every day, seemingly inconsequential things we do are steps which propel us forward and renew us. These movements are signs of life and growth. 

Times of feeling stalled-out are actually times of growth.  Beginning to notice the small acts we do and steps we take for ourselves helps us realize we weren’t really stuck in the way we thought we were.  

All that we are doing, the steps we are taking to move forward, is growth and growth is movement!