Week 9: Growing Beyond the Labels

Growing out of our comfort zones is never easy.

Even today, over a decade since I left behind a life of poverty, I still sometimes feel like I don’t belong. I do not go to tea with the ladies. I do not do much networking. The truth is, I am still a bit of an introvert. And deep down, I often feel that when I speak to people, they can still see that I was once poor. As if my clothes are still stained from struggle. As if my story is still clinging to me like a shadow.

But growth requires us to do uncomfortable things.

So, I choose to go to networking groups. I choose to speak to people who I once thought would only look at me with pity. I choose to buy things that I once could only dream about. These things, they help heal the wounds. But not overnight. Healing takes time. It takes effort. And it takes patience with yourself.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to growth.

I was in a meeting recently and heard a phrase I had never heard before—T.L.D.R. It stands for Too Long Didn't Read. It is a reminder that in today’s world, people are living in a state of constant urgency. We want everything fast. Even our attention has limits.

But healing does not care about speed.

You cannot microwave your journey. You cannot scroll through your pain. It demands that you sit with it. Listen to it. Honor it.

So if you are in the thick of healing right now, I want you to know it is okay to take your time. You are not who you once were. And just like me, you are growing. You are changing. You are increasing. You are becoming.

I am no longer that poor teenager with dirty clothes and an empty stomach. I am no longer the girl who believed that the “pretty women” with money had it all figured out. I now know—everyone has a story. Some just hide theirs better.

So I keep going. I keep growing. And so can you.