The Secret of Self-Improvement

I had yet another change in perspective this week which seemed more painful than the last. This time I had caused pain in another even though it was never my intention.

I am just grateful that my ‘victim’ spoke up and showed me the error of my ways. With a humble heart I realised how proud I was in my own perceived cleverness and how that made my ‘victim’ feel inferior.
 
My ‘victim’ is a work colleague and while she was away on annual leave, I, together with the rest of the team, made decisions concerning one of her roles at work. When she returned to work and was told of the changes, she was clearly upset. It was only during the staff meeting a week later that she openly expressed how our decision to change one of her tasks had made her feel as if she had not done her job to our satisfaction.
 
Being the sensitive person that I am, I apologised but still felt guilty for what I had done. My guilt remained and I had recurring nightmares where no-one at work wanted to be friends with me. What goes around, comes around, must have been repeatedly playing in my subconscious.
 
This morning when I woke up from yet another disturbing dream, I lay in bed wondering how I could learn from this experience.
 
Unexpectedly, Mother Nature presented me with a pearl of wisdom.

An image of me stripping off a layer of dead skin with the words GROWTH appeared in my mind’s eye and reminded me of a lizard shedding its skin. I then understood what Mother Nature tried to tell me. Just as a lizard has to painstakingly sacrifice his skin in order to grow; I too should be willing to sacrifice my pride, my way of thinking and my guilt if I want to grow and become a better person.
 
Sacrifice is never easy. So often we cling to a false blanket of security which we have acquired along life’s journey, only to discover that it no longer fits, or maybe never has.

When embarking on personal growth, which part of your psychological-self have you outgrown and are willing to shed? Remember…

Sacrifice Precedes Growth

By: Laurinda Jones

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