Becoming: The Courage to Grow

This month, our theme has been Becoming: The Courage to Grow.

Not dramatic growth.
Not overnight transformation.

The quiet kind.

The kind that unfolds slowly over time, one small step at a time.

I was reminded of this recently while recording a podcast interview for The Something Significant Show with Matt Gersper.

While recording that podcast conversation with Matt, I found myself pausing for a moment and thinking:

How did I get here?

Speaking on a podcast might seem like a small thing. But for me, it represents years of quiet inner work and many small steps taken along the way.

At this stage of my life, I’m finally reaching a place where I can speak about what I know without immediately hearing a voice in my head asking, “Who do you think you are?”

That voice has been with me a long time. For many years, I listened to it.

The Quiet Work of Becoming

The courage to grow rarely arrives all at once.

For me, it began with very small steps.
First came the work of quieting my inner critic—learning to recognize that voice and not let it dictate my choices.

That alone took years.

Then came the next step: writing my book, First Create Happiness and the Rest Will Follow.

Even when the idea first appeared, I wasn’t sure I was worthy of writing it. Who was I to write a book about happiness?

But eventually I realized something important:

You don’t wait until the inner critic disappears before you act.

You act when your inner voice becomes just quiet enough to take the next step.

So, I wrote the book.

Not perfectly.
Just honestly.

And then came the next step.

Creating my website.

Sharing my work publicly.

Teaching classes.

Writing newsletters.

Posting on social media.

And now—appearing on a podcast.

Each of those steps required courage.
Not the dramatic kind we often imagine.

The kind that simply says:

Take one more step and trust the process.

The Courage to Be Seen

At some point, growth asks something of us.

It asks us to be seen.

To speak.

To share what we’ve learned.

To trust that our voice matters.

That doesn’t mean the old voices disappear completely. Even now, they still visit from time to time. But they no longer make the decisions. Instead, I remind myself of something simple:

Growth does not require perfection.

It only requires the courage to take the next step.

One Small Step at a Time

 If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this:

Growth rarely arrives in dramatic leaps.

It comes in small, aligned steps.

One honest conversation.
One boundary.
One moment of speaking up.
One decision to trust yourself just a little more than you did yesterday.

Those small steps accumulate, and over time they create something remarkable.

They create a life that feels more authentic.
More grounded.
More aligned with who you truly are.

Trusting the Process

Looking back, I can see that every step of my journey required something I didn’t fully understand at the time:

Trust.

Trust that quieting my inner critic would eventually create space for my own voice.

Trust that writing a book—even when I didn’t feel ready—might help someone.

Trust that sharing my work publicly might connect with people who needed to hear it.

Trust that each small step was preparing me for the next one.

There were many moments along the way when I wondered if any of it mattered. But growth often looks like uncertainty while you’re living it.

Only later do you see the pattern.

Only later do you see how each step prepared the ground for the next.

And that’s what we’ll explore together next month. April’s theme will be Trusting the Process.

Not forcing outcomes.
Not rushing the timeline.

But learning how to stay present with the unfolding of your life—one step, one choice, one moment at a time.

A Reflection for You

As this month comes to a close, I invite you to ask yourself a simple question:

What small, aligned step feels true for you right now?

 Not the perfect step.

Not the most impressive step.

Just the next one.

Because becoming is not a race.
It’s a lifelong unfolding.

And sometimes, the most courageous thing we can do is simply keep moving forward.

One small step at a time.

And trusting that the path will reveal itself as we walk it.

Listen to the Podcast Conversation

If you’ve ever struggled with that inner voice that asks, “Who do you think you are?”, I think you may recognize parts of your own journey in this conversation.

In this conversation, I talk about that voice, the quiet work of learning to trust ourselves, and the many small steps that led me to share this work publicly.

🎧 Listen to the episode here:
COMING SOON

Thanks to Freepik for the images.