Outgrowing older versions of yourself is ok….. It is more than ok. Multiple years ago, I started shadow work and a focus on personal growth. Initially, I worried what people would think. People who knew wounded versions of me, who got to experience or watch my trauma and my wounds playing out in my reality. I worried what people would say about me if they knew the version of me that was suffering and reacting to the world from a place of pain.
In the act of wondering about those things, I realized that I needed to continue to heal those wounds and one day it wouldn’t matter. The fact that I was worried about what people would think about my personal growth let me know that I had a bunch more to do because other peoples opinion of my growth is absolutely none of my fucking business.
The reality is that sometimes we do or say things that can not be taken back and we damage a relationship with someone or damage a person's opinion of us to the point that it can not ever be repaired, that's on us. I solidly own those, those damaged relationships are a result of me not seeking healing earlier in my life. Sometimes, people judge us for outgrowing old versions of ourselves and healing our wounds and that is on them. It is solidly on them. For me, none of that really matters anymore. The experiences that I have had and the people whom I have crossed paths with, regardless of if they can support my growth or not, have placed me exactly where I am in life. Some of my largest growth moments have been from trauma and pain and, honestly, I wouldn’t trade the trauma if I was given the choice, as they have defined who I am today and where I am today.
