What’s Holding You Back? Discover the Secrets to Personal Growth 🌱

Hello, Cadre world. And today I hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday. And I went and stopped by Starbucks and it says, I don't know if you can see because the glare, but it says, enjoy with the heart. And I thought that was so sweet of her to put that on my. On my cup for today. So that just allowed me to say, hey, you know what? Today is going to be an awesome day. I'm going to enjoy my day. I'm going to remind myself about that sense of gratitude, being courageous, and then the heart, which is signifies love.

Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. So I hope everyone is having a wonderful day again. It is Wednesday, and today we are going to talk about personal growth. But personal growth. Good morning, Michelle. Good morning, Jules. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. We're going to talk about mental health. We're going to talk about that journey to personal growth. But then I want us to think about our growth in a way and in regards to freedom, reminding ourselves that we are free to grow.

Because for some of us, we feel like we can't grow. You know, we kind of feel flatlined in a sense when we talk about personal growth. So today I want to focus on our ability to grow and remind ourselves that freedom is not a destination. Freedom is more of a mindset. It's more about that intrinsic motivation. Because sometimes when we think about freedom, we feel like, oh, my gosh, I have to escape from it. Whether, you know, it's quitting a job, leaving a relationship, or even booking a flight.

Right? But I want us to think about what freedom really is. And freedom really is that emotional clarity. It's our ability to set those boundaries, you know, and not those passive boundaries, but those healthy boundaries and those assertive boundaries, and especially in the means of communication, but then also being able to reclaim our voice. Because sometimes we get in those moments and we feel like, I can't say anything. And allowing our voice to be heard, being able to set those boundaries, but then having that emotional clarity and increasing our emotional iq.

So when we talk about mental health and we talk about boundaries and we talk about personal growth, I want us to think about how it affects our choices. Because if we are fearful, if we have that sense of perfection, and if we continue to people, please, that's not personal growth, and that's not freedom. So I want us to take a deeper dive into what it means and what it looks like, okay? So when we think about the role of mental health, when we talk about personal growth, it can be uncomfortable and a Lot of times we sit at those tables, sometimes we have those uncomfortable conversations.

But we know the only way to get comfortable in those uncomfortable conversations is to have them and to continue to have them and not allow that fear to take over, that sense of vulnerability. And we talked about vulnerability before, but I want to remind you what vulnerability is. It's our ability to be courageous even though we're fearful. You know, and we used that example last time. You know, this is summertime. We had our high schoolers who graduated from college. Are we nervous about that?

Yes. And some of our children have already enrolled either in summer courses or their student athletes. They're already on campus building that routine. But that was a moment that we were waiting for. You know, as parents, as grandparents, caregivers, we were nervous about that. But we had to remind ourselves we were made for a time like this. It was that moment where we knew it was coming. We knew we had to drop our child off. And we in that moment where we see them walking away, it's definitely going to test your vulnerability.

But as parents, we got to realize this is something that we knew was coming through those 12 years of schooling, but it definitely tests your vulnerability. So when we think about the role of mental health, again, it begins when we stop ignoring that personal growth and we embrace it. We embrace that personal growth, you know, we stop ignoring that fear, but we embrace it with compassion and we embrace it with empathy and realizing, hey, I'm ready for this. And even if we think about co workers, worldviews of others, our ability to not react but more so respond to that, that situation where we're responding, where we're taking that deep breath, thinking about what we're gonna say before we say it, as opposed to that reacting where we say the first thing that comes to our brain.

So when we think about personal growth and when we think about freedom, there are three takeaways that I want you to write down. And if you're not able to write them down, if you're in the car like I am, you know, you can always find this content under Dr. Jessica Green. So there are three things I want you to remember. The first is I want you to pause before you push. So when I say that, I want you to slow down to allow yourself to think just as we just talked about the responding as opposed to reacting.

And I want you to try this 3 minute check in each morning. I want you to ask yourself, what do I need today? What do I need today? Because we cannot help others if we don't take care of ourselves first. We can't pour from an empty cup. And for some of us, we're like that octopus where everybody has a stem but us, and we're doing everything for everybody except ourselves. So that's why it's so important that we set those boundaries, that we recognize our strengths. And the next one, which I'm leading into now, our ability to say no and our ability to own that no.

And when I say our ability to earn that no, we are setting those boundaries. We're setting those boundaries. Hey, I can't do that today. Why don't you ask Susan? So, hey, I said, hey, I can't do it. But I also gave you a recommendation of someone to ask. So I just didn't leave you out in the cold. I said, hey, I cannot do it, but why don't you ask the other person? And it may be those moments where they may put you on the spot and you really want to say no in that moment. But figuring out how to say it, we can always say, hey, you know, let me look at the calendar and get back with you, because that buys us some time.

So we can say no and delegate, and we can say, hey, let me take a look at the calendar and get back with you. But in our brains, we know we're already going to say no. But sometimes individuals like to put us on the spot. So that gives you time to be able to respond, not react in a negative way. The third thing is making space for the person that you are becoming. Making space for the person that you are becoming. Because, you know, let's be honest, we're all a work in progress. And us realizing this personal growth is not a split.

It is a marathon. And it is going to take time. But I want you to remember that sometimes we outgrow people. We outgrow places, and we outgrow things. You know, even if I think back when I was in high school, if it wasn't for social media, I probably couldn't tell you what my, you know, my. My classmates are doing right now. But sometimes we outgrow people. We outgrow places, and we outgrow things. And us recognizing that it is okay, it doesn't mean that we're any better than anyone else, but we just outgrow people.

We outgrow places, and we grow out things. And sometimes we also outgrow the version of ourselves that does not fit us anymore. Thank you, Michelle. Yes. Always allow grace for. For growth in ourselves. Yes, yes. Yes. And sometimes when we think about that version of ourselves. That doesn't fit. That's going to test your vulnerability because it's going to feel, and I hate to say I feel a little weird, but it is. It's going to feel a little uncomfortable. That's a bad word. It's going to feel uncomfortable.

But again, it's just being comfortable in those uncomfortable situations. And lastly, remembering that healing is about honoring who you are becoming. Healing is about honoring who you are becoming and embracing it. Embracing it with compassion, building those connections with others. But then again, just like Michelle said, giving yourself that grace. Giving yourself that grace. So again, three takeaways. Pause before you push. Just as we said, you know we're going to respond and not react. Owning your.

No. Setting those boundaries and knowing, hey, it's okay to set those boundaries. And then thirdly, the most important, making space for who you are becoming. You know, sometimes we outgrow people, places and things, and it is okay if we see them. Hey, how you doing? Hope things are going well, you know, and. And we keep it moving and realizing, like, it's okay, it's okay, because everyone is not on the same journey as you are, and it's okay. It doesn't make us any better than them. But sometimes our, Our goals, they.

They just don't align. So being comfortable with who you are, being able to set those boundaries and what I always called the three Cs, being able to have compassion, building those connections, and being courageous. Because growth is going to test that vulnerability. Growth is going to possibly affect our mental health because we may feel anxious at moments, but that's when we take those deep breaths and we think fast and we talk slow because we know with our words, once they come out, we can't take them back.

So it's important that we think fast and we talk slow. And it's also important that we enjoy this Wednesday, we enjoy the rest of the week, and I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday as we continue to focus on personal growth. Have an awesome day, have a wonderful weekend, and make sure you are prioritizing your mental health and prioritizing your personal growth. See you soon.