Grace for the growing

In this episode of You Have a Dream:Living with Purpose, Coach Brandy discusses how you can offer yourself grace by learning to love yourself through the process, because growth is messy, sacred, and worth celebrating. 
Follow me on Facebook/Instagram: You Have a Dream  Living with Purpose.  
TikTok @LifecoachBrandy

www.FOH.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Hi, it's Coach Brandy here. Somewhere inside you, there is a dream that refuses to let go. A quiet whisper from God reminding you that your life has purpose. This is You Have a Dream Living with Purpose podcast. Hi peeps! Life Coach Brandy here. Welcome back to You Have a Dream Living with Purpose. Today's episode is all about something we all need to practice more. Grace for the growing. Because growth doesn't always look graceful, but grace keeps you grounded through it. And it's easy to give grace to others, but forget to give it to ourselves. Today we're going to talk about how to stop being your hardest critic and start being your biggest encourager. So while we're right here before we get into the episode deeper, so you don't miss future episodes, make sure that you click on the follow button or subscribe button so you don't miss future future episodes. So this is comforting assurance that spiritual and personal development takes time and that making mistakes along the way is part of the growing process. Offer yourself grace. Emphasizing, learning, or leaning into yourself, compassion, patience, and divine support rather than striving for perfection. Remember, we continually to talk about being perfect. We don't have to be perfect. We can be perfectly imperfect. The Bible encourages believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3.18. It's not about working harder, but continually deepening your understanding of God's love. And understanding that self-love is very, very, very important. This is relief from perfectionism. We often experience anxiety, self-doubt, and self-criticism when measuring our worth solely on our accomplishments. Grace allows you to shed the burden of perfectionism, find peace during difficult seasons, knowing you are loved unconditionally and you are enough. So while we grow in grace, we cultivate patience, just like a seed that takes the time, the seed to send right, so you can't see what's going on underneath the dirt. So the seed has to take the time to send down roots and sprout. Personal growth requires intentional care and space to make a mistake. It's okay if you're not who you were or who you're becoming yet. It's okay. We're gonna grow and we're gonna get there. You're in the middle, and that's where Grace meets you. Grace says you don't have to have it all together to be moving forward. Every stumble is still a step toward who you're meant to be. The messy middle is a reminder that growth isn't always neat and tidy, nor is it perfect, right? We're not perfect, and our houses, all right. So think of it like this. Our houses aren't always perfect, they may be tidy and they may be neat, but they're not always perfect. We still have to clean, right? We still have to um straighten up because sometimes we you know forget to pick up like right now downstairs, I have all my nail stuff out. I haven't put up yet because I'm not I'm not done. I need to soak my nails, so my house does not look perfect, and you know, when I was probably in my um 20s or 30s, I would panic if somebody showed up because my house wasn't perfect, so I have grown enough, and we always learn and grow from all our mistakes, right? So my house doesn't always have to be perfect, but it's clean, it's neat. I just you know every week you still need to vacuum up the dirt. I mean, it's been raining a lot here in Oklahoma, so the dogs coming in and out getting mud and just grass, so you still have to clean up every week, but the house is neat and tidy, it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to look like a home and garden house all the time, right? So we're not perfectionists and we're not gonna be perfect, we're perfectly imperfect, is what we are. It's often when we're growing and messy in the middle, it's often uncomfortable between the start and the finish line. This is sacred. It's sacred in this season, right? You you you show up, you show your grit, you have to learn patience, and where you need to extend yourself and give yourself grace, that's what you need. It's profound compassion, and you can tend to show others compassion and grace, but we find it difficult to offer ourselves grace or show ourselves grace because again, we're trying to be perfect and we're not perfect. Sometimes the messy in the middle is draining. We need to reframe the mess. You're not failing, you're growing. Your motion is proof that you're moving forward, and you need to do it with grace. You are learning and you are intentional and authentic in your journey. Recognize how amazing you are because you are, you're amazing, and offer yourself grace because you are amazing, and recognizing that you are growing and being intentional should bring you peace. Continue to practice your self-compassion. You don't have to have everything figured out, you continue by just moving forward, celebrate small and everyday victories, don't wait for the grand finale. You need to enjoy the journey as you're going along from start to finish. So I want you to reflect for a moment. Ask yourself, am I giving myself grace for the season that I'm in? So the difference between guilt and growth as you're you know, as you're going through your journey, you don't need to be guilty. Alright, so guilt says, I messed up. When grace says, I learned. When you choose grace, you turn mistakes into lessons and setbacks into setups. And remember, growth isn't linear, it's more like a dance. Two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes a twirl in circles. The key is to keep showing up. So guilt focuses on the past, right? While growth corrects our steps and builds character for our future. Grace is like a bridge that lets us acknowledge, forgive, and move forward. So we acknowledge our mistake, forgive ourselves. We're not perfect, we're not gonna be, and then we can move forward. Guilt looks at the past and says, you burned it. Or I'm a failure, and it just leaves you stuck, stuck in negative thoughts, and we are trying to change our thoughts into being positive. We need to encourage ourselves. We don't need to talk bad about ourselves or talk down about ourselves. Get that negativity out of there. We need to be positive. So, growth, this outlook allows us to look forward. What did I learn? It honors the fact that progress isn't instant or perfect, it takes time, it takes intention, and it requires you to learn from your missteps. Grace looks upward, it reminds you you are so much more than your worst mistake. It provides you with compassion, patience, authenticity, and it's needed to be replaced with those harsh, you need to replace those harsh, negative, Nancy self-punishment with many with meaningful change and positive reinforcement. Being authentic to yourself, be give yourself grace because grace is when you let grace in, you give yourself freedom to learn, to stumble, and change without the pressure of perfection. You need to be intentional in the shift from the harsh self-critical criticism to offer yourself self-compassion. When you are when you recognize authentic and intentional growth, it requires time, and it also is gentle self-care. When you have compassion for yourself, when you offer yourself grace for making a mistake. So grace allows you to accept your mistakes and understand they are a part of your journey. You can't force the seed to sprout overnight, right? We can't force the seed. If we planted the seed, it's not gonna grow overnight. So we can't force it to grow overnight. So letting grace win allows mind, spirit to heal at their natural pace. Just like you're letting the seed grow at its natural pace. We're not hurrying it, we're not asking for perfectionism, we're letting it grow at the perfect pace. Letting grace in can foster compassion. When you're gracious with yourself, it becomes easier to spread it and extend it again. Little seeds spread and grow in all parts of your life. So remember, every little misstep, every step that you take, every authentic and intentional step that you take to become your best self and who you want to be in the future, we need to offer grace and we need to understand that even each mistake is part of our journey and it's part of how we grow. So when we lay let grace in, we just you'll notice the peace. You'll notice how you find joy in the little things, and that's why you celebrate. The little the little wins that you have daily, you need to celebrate them because they are also part of your journey. So let's go into our guided reflection. Before we continue, it's time to take a dream moment. Take a breath for just a second. Think about the dream that's been placed in your heart. Maybe it's something big, maybe it's something quiet, that only you and God know. But if that dream is still there, it's there for a reason. So keep walking in faith, keep taking the next step, and trust purpose grows one day at a time. Now, let's get back to the episode. Alright, so close your eyes and take a deep breath. Think of one area of your life where you've been so hard on yourself. Now whisper. I forgive myself for not being perfect. I want you to say that a couple of times. I forgive myself for not being perfect. Picture God's light surrounding that part of you. Warm, kind, healing. Breathe in grace. Exhale that judgment. You're growing, and that is beautiful. So acknowledge small steps. Remember to celebrate your minor victories and quiet and unseen progress. But you can feel it. Even though it's unseen, you can feel that you are growing. Redefine what failure means to you. Instead of viewing setbacks as failure or inadequacy, see them as the necessary lessons that guide you to growing into your true authentic self. Speak kindly to yourself. Instead of being your biggest critic, fill your thoughts with words. I am enough. I am exactly where I need to be. I am amazing. I am awesome. I am on the journey to becoming my true authentic self. Make sure you're resting when you feel overwhelmed. Take a step away. Recharge. So if you do get overwhelmed, that's when that critic can come out. Just take a step away. Understand that you are amazing. You're on this beautiful journey. And sometimes we just need to step back, take a break, and refocus. Because if we get overwhelmed, it's not fun. So I want you to take out your journal and let's reflect reflect. Where have I been growing? Even if it's slow. Be proud of yourself. You know you're growing. So where have I been growing? Even if it's slow. Acknowledge that. What am I learning from this season? What have you learned so far? How can I show myself more grace this week? Write yourself a love note. Not about what you've achieved, but about how far you've come. Let that remind you, grace is the soil where growth blooms. And revisit that note. Anytime you feel like you're falling behind. I give myself grace to grow, space to change, and love to begin again. That is our affirmation this week. So repeat after me. I give myself grace to grow. Space to change. And love to begin again. Thank you for joining me this week for uh grace for the growing. Remember, progress is holy, and grace is your permission to keep going. I'd love to hear from you how you're showing up for yourself with grace this week. Email us at you haveadream.living with purpose at gmail.com or share with the hashtag GraceForGrowing. And if you're ready to walk through your growth season with guidance and faith, I'd love to support you. Email me or DM me to book your one-on-one coaching session. Let's walk this beautiful journey together, one grace-field step at a time. I'm on Facebook, you have a dream living with purpose. Instagram, you have a dream living with purpose. Uh, TikTok is Life Coach Brandy. And so you can DM me on those. Let me know if I can help you, and we can schedule that one-on-one coaching session and get you started. Because grace makes growth possible. I hope you have a great week, and I will see you next week. Life Coach Brandy out of here. Bye. Before we go, remember this. You have a dream, a dream that matters, a purpose that matters, and when you walk in faith and live with courage, that dream becomes a light for the world to see. Until next time, keep living with purpose. Be blessed.