⏳ Erebus Growing | 0012 - Stagnation Leads to Growth

Welcome to Erebus Growing, a weekly email where I share little snippets of life to help you change and grow into your highest life.

It’s been quite a week. I’ve been dealing with the fact that potential further growth at my 9-5 may not be possible.

And with that, I’ve been wrestling with the question of do I remain where I am or do I prepare to move on.

Knowing my life the way I do now, I anticipate this is the beginning of the path for me to start moving on to a new environment.

Most importantly, this new environment will need to be closer to my vision of my highest life.

And it’s the first time in my life that I’ve been placed in this position. The first time I’ve been given the opportunity to choose as opposed to just following what others recommend for me.

This little town nestled in the Catskill mountains in lower New York has been a wonderful home for the past six years.

Who knows what comes next, but my life continues to move forward.

👨🏻‍💻 Meditation

All periods of growth in life are preceded by a time of slowing and apparent stagnation.

Like a plant growing its roots in the darkness of the soil, our lives also grow in the darkness before we explode into the light.

Growth in your life requires the development of a strong foundation first.

Who you are right now, in this moment, cannot sustain who you will become.

We first have to build a foundation for our new self to stand on—to support the weight of the challenges we face in this new life.

And oftentimes, the best way to build that foundation is to reinforce the new habits you’ve been cultivating.

How can you expect to write every day in your highest life if you don’t spend time writing at least once a week?

Our habits, simple as they might seem at times, are the cornerstones of our foundation.

It is hard to imagine living my highest life where I exercise every day if I don’t show up and exercise every day.

Let’s hold space for a moment on this idea—in order to be someone who exercises every day, you have to exercise every day.

I know that this sounds incredibly circular, and it is.

And it speaks to perhaps the most circular statement that I know of, but which helps me the most in personal development.

Meaning if, in your highest life, you have a daily yoga practice, then you have to start that by practicing yoga daily.

There is no other way.

Developing your highest life will not happen by accident. It is only through intentional actions that you change your life.

But at some point those small habits plateau—they feel like stagnation.

They leave you wanting more.

I experienced this when I spent time rowing last year. I had hit a point where I was easily rowing 10,000 meters and finished with energy left.

I had met that minimum level and needed more.

So, I pushed forward. I leaned on the solidity of my foundation and exploded upwards.

I hit my maximum rowing session of 25,000 meters.

I burst out from the dirt and into the sunlight after a period of apparent stagnation through reliance on my habits.

When you recognize stagnation, trust in the foundation that you’ve built and push with all your strength.

You might surprise even yourself.

📚 Inspiration and Resources
Every week we all consume content and I share my favorites here.

Read.
A new knowledge base that I’m exploring is the concept of “digital gardening.” A fantastic article, written by Maggie Appleton, shares an explanation of the term, its history, and its different applications. I’ve really begun exploring the idea of a personal knowledge management system, so this is a timely read that I had bookmarked a few months ago. Give it a read here.

Watch.
I watch a lot of YouTube videos, albeit they’re often on in the background. But one of my new favorites is this music video by the One Voice Children’s Choir of Go the Distance from Hercules. I genuinely am always inspired by people who perfect their craft or are just simply very, very good at what they do. Give it a watch here.

Listen.
One of my favorite podcasts is Your World Within by Eddie Pinero. I found him when I first started listening to podcasts in the summer of 2021 (a little late to the podcast game, but I’m here now!). This particular compilation is 3 hours long and comprised of some of his best speeches from 2023 so far. Give it a listen here.

📓 Journaling Prompt
Journaling is one of the most important things to do when exploring our own lives. A new prompt for you to use this week is below.

What are some areas in your life where you might be stagnant and ready for an explosion of growth?

Until next time, I wish you enough and send you off with love and a sense of urgency in your life.