⏳ Erebus Growing | 0022 - Growing into yourself, part 2

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

Today, I had my first day at Lowe’s. I’ve picked up a part-time job because money is tight and the quickest and easiest way to earn money is trading my time.

It’s not ideal, but it will help with getting out of a tight spot for now.

Most importantly, even though I picked up a part-time job, I picked it up with intention. I’m working in the lawn and garden department, which means I get to spend time with plants and learn more about them.

Bonus points for my future aspirations with a greenhouse!

Even if I’m taking a step back, I’m taking a step forward too.

Never feel defeated, you’re just maneuvering around the board, placing yourself in a better position to succeed.

👨🏻‍💻 Meditation

When you’re born, you have nothing, are nothing, and only exist.

Then, your parents and family begin to imprint on you the beliefs you hold.

You learn that boys wear blue and girls wear pink.

You learn that certain things are good and others bad.

When your circle expands as you interact with more people (most often through some type of schooling), you begin to internalize more things.

Being smart makes you a nerd. Liking comic books and anime makes you a geek. Playing sports makes you a jock.

And we dive deeper into gender roles too. Boys don’t wear dresses or skirts. Girls can’t go without shirts.

From the moment we are born, we are programmed—whether intentionally or not.

However, something happens as you get older still.

At some point that changes. For most people in the United States, it happens around 19-24 years of age.

I see it time and time again with college students.

They discover, often away from their families for an extended period of time for the first time, that they aren’t who they thought they were.

If they are careful, that growth doesn’t stop after the 19-24 age range. If they are lucky, it continues.

They continue to change and grow.

— ⏳ —

Growth is also stripping away the outside that has been provided to us and rebuilding it in our own life.

When we are younger, we are taught many things. Some that are us, some that are not, all of which should be questioned.

If we explore what we want our life to be, knowing that it’s all within our grasp, we will likely find that we do not have it.

Our life will require change.

So, we start with that which is not us.

Identify those things we don’t want in our life and replace them with things that we do.

Alternatively, identify that which we want in our life and replace the things we don’t.

But it is a constant measure of stripping away and rebuilding.

For example, I used to constantly drink soda.

Years ago, I would finish a 12-pack of soda in less than 3 hours, without even thinking about it.

An unhealthy habit, to say the least.

It was my own undergrad college years when I stopped drinking soda so much.

I replaced it with water.

And the taste bored me at first, but then, I came to enjoy it.

I still drink soda, but now it becomes a treat for me, instead of a norm.

I didn’t really know of this concept back then, but it’s clear to me that’s what happened.

It follows the one-in-one-out principle of minimalism, in a way.

The idea here is if you want to purchase a new item, you have to get rid of an old one.

It seems reminiscent of if you want to break or build one habit, you have to build or break another to keep from going backward.

When you strip things away, it is important to build up as well.

That way, you hold a firm foundation regardless.

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

Watch.
This week, I watched a video about a barbeque joint in Texas. A filmmaker followed the restaurant for a week and made a short documentary that I found absolutely fascinating. I love learning about “simple” things. We all know that nothing is as simple as it seems, and running a restaurant is no different. Give it a watch here.

Read.
I’m about a week and a half out from finishing the 14th and final book in the Wheel of Time series. I started it way back in September 2021. I read a few books in between then (I’m no slow reader!) and now, but it’s hard to believe I’m finishing it so quickly. As a fiction reader who grew up with Tolkien and Rowling and a handful of others, I’m surprised on I slept on Robert Jordan for as long as I did. So comes the end. Give it a buy 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 is one area of your life that you want to strip away and replace? What about something you want to add that you need to remove something for?

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