Next Level Living: The Growth Process

Life is all about growing and advancing to the next stage of your life.

We are growing daily from the time we enter this world until the latter parts of our life.

As we grow, things within us began to change and we are able to do things differently than we were able to do before.

A baby starts out scooting across the floor, then crawling, then balancing, then finally walking.

Our life should be a symbolization of growth, and nothing should ever be the same with us as it was in the previous year. We should never find ourselves complacent and in a repetitive cycle that is getting us nowhere.

At the end of every year, we began to set goals for how we will improve the next year, we call them our New Years Resolutions. These goals are set to push us to the next level of our life. These goals are reminders of where we want to see ourselves in the year to come. These goals are our visions to becoming better inside and out.

You should always evaluate your life and observe if you are growing mentally as well as spiritually. Nothing about you should remain the same if it is not beneficial to your growth.

I observe many who are in the same place of their life year after year after year. They have sadly grown content with being in a negative cycle that has become a hindrance to their growth.

As we age, I would like to believe that we should also age mentally.

We shouldn't be doing the same things we did as a teenager when we are in the stages of an adult. We shouldn't hold the same conversations or distribute the same behaviors as we did as a child.

When others see us, they should not be able to say, "You haven't changed at all", instead they should be able to say, "There is something different about you!".

Ever met a person and every time you see them, they are up to the same old habits, living in the same situation, doing the same stuff that has not profited them each year?

Its honestly quite depressing to look at and you wish there was a way to show them that there was so much more to life than the current situation they choose to remain in.

At the age of 13 I made a decision to be better than my surroundings. Year after year I would push to be better than the year before. As I got older, I was experimenting with new work fields, going to trade school and learning different skills, or just moving around and living in different cities to expand my knowledge on life.

I tend to laugh when my peers state that I'm always living somewhere different or on the go.

This is because my mindset is never the same and I am never in the same place for too long. I do not grow content in areas that are holding me back and not allowing me to go to the next level of my life spiritually or physically.

You have to seek advancement and desire to be better!

How have you changed this year? What is new about you this year? Are you still doing the same things you were last year and the year before?

You must look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself simple questions like this. These questions allow you to see if you are growing in the right direction. You can age but you can also age in the wrong direction. A tree planted on bad soil or in a bad location can grow crooked or leaning to the side. Your desire is to grow upright without limitations to your growth.

If you discover that nothing about you has changed or matured then you need to take the steps now to fix those things in your life so that you may receive all that life has to offer you behind the next door of your life.

Let me add that you should also be wise about the company you keep when seeking to advance to the next level.

As you grow, avoid hanging around those who are not trying to improve in their life as you are. We all tend to get caught up in hanging around childhood friends but if those friends are not pushing you to become a better you then they are not your friends. You should never involve yourself with those who desire to see you on the same level every year and encourage foolish behavior and thinking.

Are you happy where you are today?

If not then now is the time to make changes. You don't have to wait until the new year to make changes in your life. Scripture tells us to take no thought for tomorrow so therefore tomorrow is not a guaranteed fact but today is because you are alive and living.

Now is the time for growth and change.

Take that step in the right direction and break the cycle. No more living in a circle and being known to others as always being the same person every year, in the same situation.

Its time to grow!