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Gratitude for Growing Through It

Alex Elle

Sep 6, 2021

I've learned so much from my mistakes. My mindset over the years has changed a lot when it comes to being wrong, dropping the ball, and not getting things right. I've grown to be more grateful for making room for error and beginning again. Finding gratitude in my shortcomings and missteps hasn't been easy, but I've learned to be more open to what I can learn in moments of disappointment and starting over.

When I first embarked on my emotional healing journey, I thought getting it wrong meant I was less than or a failure, especially when reflecting on my past. A fleeting thought that I had often was, why am I not over this yet? I often felt stuck and so caught up in backtracking that I would completely forget about the progress I had made. There was no grace being given to myself—just judgment. There were many times when I felt I healed something, and then boom—I'd be wrong about that. Or I thought I'd changed and grown enough not to be impacted by past hurt, and then I'd end up back at square one. I was constantly questioning myself and my ability to move forward.

One thing I've come to carry with me on this path is paying closer attention to what I can learn from not being as healed or together as I thought I was. There are big lessons in having to begin again. Gratitude can be found in trusting the re-route and being grateful for starting over and trying again tomorrow. That's what shifted for me, the blessing of a new day—the possibility of tomorrow gifting me more time and space to evolve.

Getting it wrong doesn't mean I've failed.

Getting it wrong doesn't mean I'm not capable.

Getting it wrong has been a gift of openness—an invitation to look at the hard, tender, still healing things in my life and greet it all with gratitude.

I remember having a particularly hard time some years ago, and I wrote: I'm thankful for my struggle because, without it, I wouldn't have stumbled upon my strength.

I keep these words close to this day. I am reminded that my struggles and pain points don't make or break my ability to be resilient. I am forever grateful for growing through it and being alive enough to experience the growing pains. My greatest lesson as I continue to expand and become better is that with every new day, I am capable.

It's taken a while to get here and stay in a place of gratitude. Even when things are challenging, the lesson is always this: As I go through the hardships, I root deeper in appreciation for being given another day to grow through it and learn along the way.

Today, I am grateful for:

  1. Everything in life being a process.

  2. Not giving up on the hard days.

  3. Having patience with my journey.

  4. Remembering how far I've come.

  5. Being open to beginning again.

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