There's nothing like receiving or experiencing something new. In those moments you get the time to slow down, take in what's taking place, and appreciate what's happening in the NOW! When you experience something new, it opens up your mindset to what previously was only a possibility. Your reality has now changed to something different and you now have the awesome responsibility of deciding where you will go from here. Everybody wants the new thing or to go to the new place, but the real challenge is where to go after you've experienced the initial introduction to the new. The easy thing to do is to go back to what's normal and comfortable, but the best thing to do is to allow the new thing to keep you elevated. Growth is another name for this process. We all have a daily choice to make: to grow or not to grow. Whether we make this decision voluntarily or not is totally up to us, but the truth is that the decision will be made! Life is challenging, as it should be. If it weren't, we'd have no need of growth. The way we view ourselves and the surroundings of our lives plays a major part in our ability to grow, the consistency of our growth, and the reach of our growth. We, as individuals, have an awesome responsibility to make this world a better place to be. We are not here only for ourselves and what we can do to benefit our individual lives. We were ALL born to exact change in our unique area of giftedness. This is why it's so important that we carve out time in our lives where we establish boundaries, set routines and schedules, reflect on our progress, and keep a record of our journey. Life will throw curve balls at any given moment in ones life, but if you already have a plan you have something to go back to where you can then see how this curve ball fits into your plan while keeping things moving forward. Growth shouldn't stop just because an unexpected situation has surfaced. The process of life is not a level plain. Sometimes we will find ourselves in the height of success. Other times we will find ourselves in the depth of the valley. At ALL times we should find ourselves humbly recognizing our need for guidance. We won't always have an answer, but there is One who knows all things! He started each of us on this journey and He knows the plans that He has for all of us. With Him, we can NEVER fail. Without Him, we are destined to fail. No matter how big we may be in the eyes our ourselves or others, we will never be anything without Him! Growth is a part of life and we all get to decide how much we will experience. It's all in our willingness, dedication, and obedience.