“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions,” Oliver Wendell Holmes. Ironically this was on my calendar as well as in The Leader Who Had No Title on the same day.  They say the timing of the universe is impeccable and everything happens for a reason when it is meant to.  Clearly this message is meant for us now. When we talk in terms of inevitability and creating momentum that can’t be stopped, we need to know that once we have opened the flood gates, we cannot close them again.  Once we have seen the other way we can’t unsee it. We aren’t meant to play small once we have seen the expanse of our imagination and our place to use it.  We are designed to grow and create and it is for that reason that once we see other options and know what the possibilities are that we are forever changed—unable to go back to what we once knew.  It is new experiences, new thoughts, new actions that shape and mold who we are.  Why would we ever want to step in the puddles when we know there is an ocean that awaits us?  That isn’t to say there isn’t a time for everything, a time when we need to walk even though we can fly—but this isn’t about discernment.  This is about continuing the path of progress and not forcibly shutting our eyes to drown out what we now know exists. 

The very point of growth is to experience new things—new is the catalyst for growth.  Big ideas don’t come from small minds so we need to ensure that the goal is to constantly learn and explore and find new things to be curious about.  That curiosity leads us to possibilities.  What is this world without possibilities?  How do we know what is out there, what we have the option to become if we are repeating the same experiences every day?   For those who are content on their path and find their purpose/fulfillment in a particular pattern, it can be challenging to discover new options.  Not only is this about frame of reference, this is about shifting belief.  Stretching the mind means being open and learning to accept not only our fallibility, but the fallibility of the entire construct we’ve been raised with.  It requires letting go of fear and taking steps to find comfort or trust in something new—or trust in our ability to handle something new.  There are the lucky few who truly find contentment on a particular path, they are aligned with a goal and they continue to expand on that front.  That’s how we create the masters we spoke of the other day. 

The real test of growth is when we continually and consistently seek out those opportunities to stretch the mind.  We seek the experiences to create growth.  So not only are we allowing change, we actively seek it because we know we will find more opportunities as we go.  We seek growth because we know it expands our foundation.  This isn’t to say we are seeking to destroy what we have built—we are simply working on new ways to add to what we’ve built.  We always have the choice to ignore things we’ve learned.  But making the choice to stay small not only prevents our growth, it can inhibit the growth of others.  We are meant to be a light for each other and if we keep our light dim, then others won’t find their light.  Once we see that light we can’t go back to the dark—we want to expand the light.  Once we know there is more out there, we feel the hunger for it.  We can only feed it through new action.  I hope when those tests come in our lives that we all choose to grow.  I hope we all choose to keep our eyes open and I hope we all choose to believe that we can handle whatever comes our way.  Embrace the shape of the new and learn to fill the space we are given—learn to create the space we need.  There are no limits.