No Pain No Gain … Or I love this one — GROWTH IS MESSY!  Many times this is true, but growth can be fun if we embrace and nurture it.  When we are small, we take growing for granted, because for the most part, physical growth just happens.  Many times you’ll see teens go through growth spurts.  As we get older though, it can become our responsibility as adults to further our development and create our own growth spurts if you will. Whether it is on the logical level  (continuing our education, learning), on the emotional level (healing our wounds from the past) and/or on the spiritual level (creating a deeper relationship with God or a higher power).  Growth means stretching ourselves beyond where we have been.

Many times we think growth is painful because we have become fearful of life’s challenges.  When we are young, we are willing to go through the pain to get to the other side.  However when we have had a few bumps and losses in life, we aren’t so sure we want to get out of our comfort zone.  Growth means to change and to change you have to be willing to be in the new… If we are avoiding the “no pain no gain,”  it usually means we are clinging to the old so tightly, that it becomes so painful to grow. We go kicking and screaming every step of the way.

I know for myself, I’ve been “growth” challenged over the last several months in a certain area. At first, I resisted with all my might. I thought, “No, I do not want to grow in this area. I want everything  to just fall into place.” I thought, “Why can’t the Universe just do it for me?” But sometimes we have to be willing to step into our life, and then the Universe will match us. …Yes, RISK is involved.

So the moral to this story?  “Jump in and start moving!” So I did… and now it’s fun…almost (lol).

So to grow you have to be willing to go into the unknown. Try something new. You first have to be willing to give up the old.  Not just lip service. Complete surrender. If you are committed to your growth, then it might get messy, but just like an artist who is in the middle of painting a picture, when you look at it, the painting looks like nothing but a bunch of colors.  But in time, you will see the final masterpiece.

Fall is a great time for change. The seasons are changing and it’s  a time for harvesting.   Here are some questions to ask yourself: “Do you like what you see?”  “Are your crops ripe with juicy fruit?”  “What seeds do you want to plant next?”  And the BIG question – “Are you willing to grow in the different areas of your life?”

***Check out Nina’s new show – LifeBites Live! Every Thursday LIVE from Hollywood at 11:00am PST on www.emPOWERme.TV  Tune in and Take a Bite!***

Nina is an entertainment and lifestyle expert, as well as the creator and host of LifeBites. She entertains, as well as motivates, people to get inspired about their lives.