Meaningful Progress

Build: Forging the Path

June 6, 2016 By Uncoveries

The destination is a marvelous sight to behold.

When we’ve set sight on a direction of growth and genuine excitement, it’s time to build, forging the path to our goal. Whether it’s trying out a new fitness regimen, changing careers, or embarking on a new relationship—building a new part of our life is when enthusiasm gradually gives way to muscle, mindset, patience and perseverance.

Moving from Explore to the Build phase is the beginning of a trek that can last from months to many years. This is where you hone intent, lay out a plan and execute the steps. It’s the practical, hardworking and laborious part of the journey. Build generally starts off with high energy and optimism with a dash of necessary foolishness. In new territory, we’re bound to be naïve in certain areas as we research, learn and figure things out as we go along.

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Explore: Growing into the New

May 25, 2016 By Uncoveries

Signs of growth eventually emerge from the space we’ve erased.

After a pause that’s almost always longer than we’d like, we find ourselves squinting in the brightness of possibility. We’ve had to grieve and erase a part of us that was no longer fitting, and the heaviness has slowly subsided. Through erasing, we’ve created space for the exploration to come.

Where we saw ending and loss, we now see hope for the new.

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Erase: Clearing Space for Change

May 19, 2016 By Uncoveries

It doesn’t get any easier once the awareness sets in. We often know deep down what’s next—but very few of us like to erase.

The muddled sense of restlessness, the shock from an unexpected event, the suffocating heaviness of stagnancy—these are sorted through in reassessment. After embracing the discomfiting pause in the Reassess stage, we’re faced with a grim decision.

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Embracing A Life of Experience and Freedom

April 10, 2016 By Uncoveries

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in the Dominican Republic with my husband. We’ve been here since the fifth, and it’s been so amazing that we’ve extended our stay an extra four days.

The weather is perfection.

It’s 80 degrees every day with a breeze that rustles the palm fronds and balances out the heat and moments of stillness. The Airbnb condo we’re staying at is modern and gorgeous, and located in a small town near La Romana on the Caribbean side of the Dominican Republic.

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Lessons Relearned: Allowing the Unknown to Unfold

March 23, 2016 By Uncoveries

I thought it’d be easier this time around, but I was wrong.

These past two weeks, I’ve found renewed value in an article I wrote about the year after my sabbatical. This comes at a time as I’m transitioning into new possibilities in contract work.

It turns out, I could use some reminders of lessons I’ve already learned to be true.

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The Truth About Struggle and Meaningful Progress

March 3, 2016 By Uncoveries

“There is scarcely any passion without struggle.”

– Albert Camus

Struggle has a bad rap. If asked, most of us would likely opt against struggle, preferring to avoid it if we can.

Yet, at the same time, we can’t seem to escape it. Struggle is everywhere. Unavoidable.

Many of us are familiar with struggle as a part of our lives. We understand that anything worth having requires a level of hard work and consistency. Much more, it’s reinforced through our parents, authority figures and general society.

We’re told to work hard and put our nose to the grindstone. 52% of us are dissatisfied with our jobs yet we still stay in them. When something takes longer or more work than we expect, we’re told it’s part of the game and that dues need to be paid.

But for what? Is it worth it?

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Uncovering Meaningful Progress In Your Life

February 16, 2016 By Uncoveries

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

– George Bernard Shaw

I’m not a big fan of change, but I’ve made many over the past year and a half.

Being blessed with a well-paying job, comfortable home and loving husband wasn’t enough. I was grateful for what I had, but an inner part of me needed more.

I needed a sense of progress.

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7 Surprising Takeaways From People In Late Life

January 27, 2016 By Uncoveries

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”

– Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Growing old isn’t something that I generally have positive feelings about. Every year as my birthday rolls around, I cringe a little bit. It symbolizes the end of another year of being on this earth, and I feel compelled to think back on what I’ve accomplished.

I recently read a book that studied the sources of meaning according to 60 individuals between the ages of 70 to 97. While the book was more academically focused, it was illuminating. I teared up from reading some of the stories and perspectives shared, and reflected back on my own life.

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