When Growth Feels Invisible

(tech music) Headspace Studio. (cool music) Hi friends, it's Rosie here. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Friday. There was a challenging phase in my life that I went through, one that left a lasting impression. It was a time when I felt like nothing in my life was moving forward. I was meditating, I was working out, I was showing up for my routines, but I wasn't seeing any big results. I wasn't suddenly more patient, more successful, or more at peace, and honestly, it was frustrating. I started questioning everything like, is this even working and what is the actual point of all of it? So we've spent this week talking about anger, how to pause before reacting, how to let go of resentment and how to have compassion for others. But today, I wanna talk about a different kind of frustration, the kind that comes when we feel like we're working so hard on ourselves, but we're not seeing any progress. I remember venting to a mentor about this once, and they told me the story of how bamboo grows. Apparently when bamboo is first planted, it spends years growing its roots underground, years where nothing seems to be happening. And then one day, almost overnight, it shoots up growing feet at a time. The thing is, all that time when it looked like nothing was happening, that's when the real growth was taking place. And I think about that a lot when I feel stuck, but I also think, did this said bamboo also have bills to pay? Did it struggle with setting boundaries with family members, and did this very resilient bamboo at any point have a deep desire? I don't know, to be an oak tree? So many questions. Just because we can't see progress doesn't mean it's not happening. I get that for sure. Sometimes growth is happening beneath the surface in ways we can't measure yet. I get that too. I even get that the key is learning to trust the process even when it feels like nothing is moving. Absolutely. But here's the thing, knowing that doesn't always make it easier when you're in it, when you're putting in the work, showing up day after day and not seeing the results you were hoping for, it's frustrating, it's disheartening. It makes you question everything. Am I on the right path? Is this even working? Should I be doing something else? I think about this concept a lot, especially when I look back at some of the most challenging times in my life, when I was trying to build my career in wellness, working on my craft, saying yes to every opportunity, putting in the hours, but feeling like I was going nowhere. I would see people around me getting their big break, and I couldn't help but wonder why not me? I was putting in the time, but it felt like I was running in place, and there were so many moments...