Recently, I was sent two photos.
One taken when I first began my Diploma in Positive Psychology and Well-being course through the Langley Group, the other taken seven years later after completing the same course again.
In the first photo, I see someone who looks unsure, innocent even. Someone who appears lost and is hoping to find something rewarding.
A person simply going through the motions, hoping something would change but not quite knowing how, when, or why.
Searching for purpose but not yet finding it. Lost!
In the second photo, I see someone different. Still the same person, but more grounded.
More confident, more healthy, more happy. Someone who has found their direction and, more importantly, their purpose.
What changed?
This journey wasn’t just about learning new theories or earning a qualification, which is what I initially set out to do.
It was about unlearning old patterns, facing uncomfortable truths, and slowly yet often painfully growing into the person I knew I had to become.
I was not a bad person; I just wasn’t a nice one. I cared, I loved, I supported – yet there was something missing.
We know what we know because of how we were treated, because of how we learned from others, because of the actions of those we loved.
Knowing something is not right is the first step; the next is to find out what that something is.
I never thought I would find out as much about myself as I did when completing this diploma. And it hurt!
I sometimes have watery eyes as I think about how I was to how I am now. Not perfect, more human.
I’m sure many of you have been in the same situation. Feeling that something is missing, something needs changing, something just doesn’t feel right.
If you’re feeling lost, uncertain, or like you’re just going through the motions, please know this: change doesn’t come in a flash.
Sometimes it takes years. But every small step matters. Every moment of doubt, every little win, every lesson – they all add up to a powerful transformation.
And, one day, you will look back at an old photo and smile. Not because you’ve arrived, but because you’ve grown.
Growing hurts, but growth is so rewarding.
What small things can you do to improve yourself and grow?
Let’s talk!
Growth!