What experience caused the most growth?

That’s a tough one. After careful thought I would say there were three monumental experiences that marked epic growth:

• 1. Getting married- adapting to living with the love of my life was exciting, and full of adventures. But I had to step up to domestic life: cooking, keeping house, doing laundry and all that while learning to adapt to a different role of wife.
• 2. Death of my mother- sent epic waves of grief through my life for a long time. I had to learn to go on while desperately missing her every day. As an adult our role of mother and daughter deepened to best friend, and as she aged and had greater needs the role of caregiver deepened further our bond. While death comes to everyone I was only 33 years old when she passed. She was a confidant that offered deep wisdom which I cherished and have desperately missed since her passing.
• 3. Our economic collapse of 2010: loosing a job, the source of not just economic means but of identity was ripped away. We both had to start over. We dug deep to find a new path, started our own business and courageously leaned into parts of ourselves we never knew existed. We were stretched thin, on new territory, but we were brave and determined to not just survive but come back and better than ever. By the grace of god this has happened.

Those experiences each brought new depth to life. Some super joyous, and some cut to the quick, but that eternal spirit to rise to the challenge taught me that when it’s needed strength, courage and wisdom come.

Lean into your stretching experiences. Allow yourself to grow.