Three Signs That You Are In Growing

As I look at the skyline of East Village SD in it’s skeletal, gestation state, I am reminded of those signs, painful as they may be, that remind us that we are in fact growing.  They usually involve a lot of noise, there are definitely cranes present but energy is in the air.

 1.  The general environment of our life seems loud.  I don’t mean that the decibel meter is actually clipping, but rather there are ideas, experiences and even relationships that seem disruptive.  Often these experiences are inciting growth, but so often we avoid them.  The problem is, growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum, disconnected from life, but happens through connection - connection to ideas, experiences and ultimately the others we encounter every day.  Staying safe and comfortable will never lead to change, we have to incite change with the noise of a inciting event.  

A friend of mine moved out to the West Coast in September.  This decision was an inciting decision.  An inciting decision is catalytic.  It starts something, whether it be good or bad.  The developers building the new skyline for East Village have incited change when they dug the hole for their 40 story buildings.  An inciting decision always results in the question, "what will happen next?”because they are intrinsically full of potential.  For my friend, his decision has resulted in what seems like chaos and noise.  The interesting thing is that to everybody around him, we see it growing him.  

2.  There are cranes present.  Cranes are incredible devices.  With ominous size and simplicity they hover above a project site with a unique perspective to see the BIG PICTURE and also have the ability to deliver helpful materials acutely to the needed areas of the project.  We all have people in our lives that are, or at least, could be, operating in the same way.  My friend Rome is totally a crane.  Our conversations are always personally stretching because it seems like he sees things I don’t.  That’s because he does, he’s not in my skin, my life, my issues.  His perspective sees more of the big picture whereas I am typically owned by the emotions, conflicts, and ideas that so often comprises my moment by moment existence.  Often being us overrides truly understanding us.  What’s also true about Rome is that because of this he can often see the area where materials are need in the project of my life.  Often these materials come in the form of information, encouragement or questions.  A crane knows what you need when you need it.  Everybody in a growth pattern inevitably has a crane in their life.

3.  There’s an energy in the air.  Surfing like any other sport that requires the submission of one’s livelihood into the control of raw nature, is exhilarating.  Why?  First, because you are moving, and movement, especially that which you can not control, is exciting.  It may feel terrifying, but what is fear other than the emotion evoked in a situation of pure potential, whether it be for good or bad.  We all know that if we are going to grow it will require some stepping out of the inertia of our comfortable places into new uncharted territory where it seems our well being rests on something, even someone that is far beyond our control.  Which leads me to the second reason why change is often associated to an abiding energy. Mystery: that place where we don’t know everything and can not control much.  Transcendence is a word that means experience that goes beyond the normal, or the physical realm we typically live in.  The normal and physical is that which we have some as-semblance of control, the transcendent is beyond us.  When we are in a season of growth the transcendent is inevitably present, and we have in some way surrendered to it resulting in energy.  The it I am referring to has many names but for now lets imagine that it is personal, more like a he or she.  Lets imagine that this transcendent presence is behind all that we know and see and as a result must have a corner on energy seeing as that all we touch, see and experience is energy at it’s most base form.  Wouldn’t it then follow that the more you are surrendered to this personal presence, the more you are experiencing an energy?  

Feel free to leave your comments and questions.                                                              Author Jason Denison