Growth isn’t always shiny or Instagrammable.

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Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable. Quiet. Almost invisible.

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I recently started running. Something I can honestly say I hated. During sports when I was a kid, running was a punishment. You don’t perform? Run. You lose? Run. Not practicing at your level? Run.

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Recently, I’ve wanted something new to push and challenge me.

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Something to help me grow. Hence why I’m running 5K and 10K races in the next couple of months.

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Sometimes, growth means holding something — or someone — in your hands and realizing you don’t have space for it anymore. 

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That which once fit no longer does. That which once felt true now feels tight, itchy, unfamiliar.

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And here’s the part no one talks about:

You can love something and still know it’s time to move on from it.

You can be grateful for what something gave you — a role, a relationship, a belief — and still understand that it’s no longer yours to carry forward.

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Because growth isn’t just about becoming.

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It’s about releasing.

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Letting go of the version of yourself that was built for survival but not for expansion.

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Of the hustle that once made you feel worthy.

Of the apology you’ve baked into your tone.

Of the dream that kept you going, but no longer matches where your soul wants to go next.

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Sometimes we outgrow things gradually — like favourite clothes that quietly stop fitting.

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Other times, it’s instant. A snap, a shift, a moment of clarity so sharp it startles you.

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It’s not always dramatic. Sometimes it’s just waking up one day and realizing you’ve been pretending to want something, to belong somewhere, to be someone.

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And here’s the tension:

Outgrowing something doesn’t mean you’re better than it.

It just means you’re different now.

More aware. More honest.

More ready.

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So the question isn’t what do you want to grow into?

That’s easy.

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The real question is:

What are you willing to outgrow — even if it’s comfortable, familiar, or used to feel like home?

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And what part of you is quietly hoping… that you will?

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Chris M Wilson