Keep Going and Growing: The Gift of a Growth Spurt

I was speaking with someone close to me recently who admitted they weren’t feeling confident. They were anxious, unsettled, and generally not themselves. No wonder—this person was navigating a brand-new environment, facing new challenges, meeting new people, and making decisions that stretched them in unfamiliar ways.

We’ve all been there. Change can feel unnerving. And as science tells us, our cells actually “eavesdrop” on our thoughts—so what starts emotionally often manifests physically. In those moments, the question we ask ourselves is: What’s wrong with me?

The instinct is to look for a fix—a therapy, a release, a thing. But as I listened, what I saw wasn’t a crisis at all. I saw growth.“You’re going through a growth spurt,” I said. Not the external kind that leaves kids with aching legs and bottomless appetites. This was an internal growth spurt—the kind that comes when you’re blazing new trails, outgrowing patterns or relationships that once fit, and moving into uncharted territory.

Growth spurts feel uncomfortable because they stretch us. But they’re also the gift that moves us forward.

How to Recenter During a Growth Spurt

When we feel unsettled, it’s often a call to realign. Here are some simple questions we can ask ourselves:

• Am I out of alignment with my core values?

• Where am I getting my energy, my counsel, my information?

• Do I need less scrolling and more reading, reflecting, or journaling?

• Could I benefit from building one meaningful relationship that connects me back to real humanity?

• How can I give to others, rather than focusing only on what I’m receiving?

Re-centering reminds us that lasting gratitude is always more powerful than present stress.

Growth in Business and Beyond

Boats weren’t meant to stay docked in the harbor. The very challenges that stretch us are the ones that strengthen us. That’s why I often sign off messages with the phrase: keep going and growing. Because pain doesn’t always mean you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes, it’s simply the alarm clock reminding you to recalibrate, refocus, and step boldly into the best days still ahead.

-Andy Peters