A Gentle Reminder to Be Kind to Yourself

I hope this season is kind to you. But more than that, I hope this season you are kind to yourself. So often, we move through life focused on what’s next; the next goal, the next version of ourselves, the next chapter we think we need to reach before we can finally rest. But growth doesn’t usually announce itself in loud, obvious ways. Most of the time, it happens quietly, in the background, while we’re busy just getting through the day.

The Versions of Ourselves We Outgrow Without Noticing

Sometimes I find myself looking back at old photos, versions of me that once felt so certain, or so lost, or so hopeful in a way that now feels unfamiliar. I remember the thoughts I used to carry, the dreams I once believed would save me, the ideas I had about who I needed to be in order to feel whole. And it makes me realise something important. We can live inside ourselves every single day and still not notice that we’re evolving. It’s only when we pause and look back that we see how far we’ve come. How many lives we’ve already lived in the same skin. How many quiet endings and beginnings have taken place without ceremony.

Growth Is Often Quiet and That’s Okay

Growth often means outgrowing versions of ourselves we once relied on for safety. Beliefs that helped us survive a chapter, but no longer serve the person we’re becoming. Change doesn’t always look like progress in the moment. Sometimes it looks like rest. Or confusion. Or letting go. And that, too, is growth.

You Cannot Hate the Experiences That Shaped You

To love who you are now, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you. Even the painful ones. Especially the painful ones. They weren’t detours. They were teachers. They asked something of you. They changed you. And while you don’t have to romanticise the hard seasons, you can honour the strength, resilience, and wisdom they left behind.

Remembering Your Own Voice

I've realised that becoming isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about remembering who you were before the world told you who to be. Growth doesn’t require force and becoming doesn’t require perfection. So wherever you are right now, let this be a reminder: You are not behind. You are becoming. And every version of you along the way mattered.