Recognize how far you have come

At the beginning of each year we tend to take stock of ourselves. 

It is a good time to look back and see how far we have come in our spiritual growth. 
Growth is not linear. We have challenging times and sometimes it may not feel like we have come out on top.

But it is all experience. 

“I think one of the biggest occult secrets of all—and it’s something which is so obvious it shouldn’t even need to be said, but I’m afraid it does need to be said—and that is this. If you regard this planet and this life as a classroom—an opportunity to learn by experience—I think that then you cannot ever go wrong.”

Dr. George King, 1979

If you have had a difficult or challenging year, don’t look upon it as a failure. You may well have learned a great deal this year that will make next year better.

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I remember a time when I was working in a job that I really loved. I worked in IT and it was my team’s role to deliver successful projects. 

There was a positive atmosphere and I got along with my colleagues really well. 

I had a bad day from time to time, and there was the usual office politics, but on the whole, I loved the job and everything ran smoothly. 

I ended up moving so I had to get a different job at my new location. 

The new job was very difficult. 

The culture was very different and it seemed that nothing was accomplished smoothly. 

Some projects were canceled and others had to be adapted significantly. Most were met with strong opposition to change. 

At the time, it often felt like I was failing in my role. I didn’t feel I was making any professional progress.

But looking back now, I can see that I learned far more from the latter job than I did from the job I really enjoyed.

I grew much more and I gained a greater understanding of people and how to make progress. 

Thinking back to the first job that I really loved, I feel like I was a different person. I was happy, but I had so much more to learn.

Something you can try

What has your experience this year taught you? Take a few minutes to reflect on the ups and the downs of the year. What valuable things have you learned from these? How can they help you to grow?

Please feel free to share your experiences with me.