{"id":51716,"date":"2024-09-22T07:00:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-22T12:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/?p=51716"},"modified":"2024-09-30T10:01:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T15:01:44","slug":"from-struggle-to-strength-planting-the-seeds-of-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/blog\/from-struggle-to-strength-planting-the-seeds-of-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"From Struggle to Strength: Planting the Seeds of Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"51716\" class=\"elementor elementor-51716\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-574d2fae e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"574d2fae\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-142eb72f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"142eb72f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p>This past summer, I had so much fun traveling to different parts of the country and pouring into teachers. One of the coolest trips I took was to New York City. It has been a bucket list item of mine.<\/p>\n\n<p>Why?<br \/>Well, when I was a freshman in high school, I dreamed of attending Indiana University, earning a business degree, and moving to New York City to work in a big building downtown. I could see my office full of windows overlooking the city. I was full of confidence and had zero doubts about my ability to chase my young dreams.<\/p>\n\n<p>However, by sophomore year, my \u201cbig world\u201d got really small. In fact, it began to feel like a cage. I ended up going to a college closer to home and quitting after one year because an undiagnosed anxiety disorder left me trapped in a body and mind that didn\u2019t feel safe for years.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>My big dreams turned into:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cCan I drive the 5 minutes to work today and be ok?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWill I be able to stay at home by myself for 15 minutes each morning when my husband leaves for work earlier than me?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCan I make it through one more day feeling like this?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I spent the better part of my late teens and twenties battling thoughts like this, and every day was a struggle.<\/p>\n\n<p>I didn&#8217;t know if I&#8217;d ever really have a &#8216;normal&#8217; life, and my big goals turned into making it through another day without feeling like I was going crazy or something was terribly wrong with me.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-51724\" src=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Kim.png\" alt=\"-Kim-pondering-realizations-\" width=\"450\" height=\"603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Kim.png 670w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Kim-600x804.png 600w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Kim-224x300.png 224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So when I found myself in New York City this July to keynote a conference, it was a bit surreal. One morning, I found myself sitting on a rock in Central Park, meditating and reflecting on the journey that brought me here. How I could have never imagined I&#8217;d be sitting in Central Park in New York City having traveled there by myself.<\/p>\n<p>It hasn&#8217;t always been easy. There were times I didn&#8217;t know how to get out of my darkness, where I would end up, or how I would ever be relieved of my pain and suffering. But I knew I couldn&#8217;t accept my life as it was and how I&#8217;d been living it. I had to start doing the work of a lifetime on Kim Strobel and it became the fight of my life.<\/p>\n<p>I also didn&#8217;t know&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf31 That struggle was the seed. <br \/>\ud83c\udf37 And that seed had a purpose.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back, I now understand that those struggles shaped who I am and why I do this work\u2014to empower you to unlock your potential.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Because when we work on our <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">inner<\/span> selves, we begin to get the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">outer<\/span> results.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t expect to get emotional that day during my meditation on that rock in Central Park, but something came through me.<\/p>\n<p>As I meditated, I saw a younger version of myself\u2014struggling, unsure if she\u2019d ever be able to fully function as an adult.<\/p>\n<p>Then I saw the 50-year-old me\u2014traveling to NYC on her own, standing in the exact place she once dreamed of living.<\/p>\n<p>What a full-circle moment.<\/p>\n<p>I sat there feeling so thankful that I had nourished that seed that was planted in my time of struggle all those years ago.<\/p>\n<p>I forced the younger me to grow in ways that felt really uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>Darn, it was dark and took a lot of hard work.<br \/>(and in all honesty, it still does in certain ways.)<\/p>\n<p>But today, I honor the young, struggling me who committed to this journey so many years ago.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I still struggle at times, but I have learned that I can embrace the struggle and do the work needed to get me through it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I share this because I see your journey, too. Wherever you are\u2014whether you&#8217;re still in the darkness or seeing the first signs of light\u2014know that every step matters. Growth is uncomfortable, but it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n<p>Keep going because your future self will thank you.<\/p>\n<p>As always, I&#8217;m cheering you on!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-50863\" src=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kim-cursive-300x100.png\" alt=\"name-in-cursive\" width=\"200\" height=\"67\" srcset=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kim-cursive-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kim-cursive-600x200.png 600w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kim-cursive-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kim-cursive-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kim-cursive.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/online-courses\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-51690\" src=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Online-Courses-1024x512.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Online-Courses-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Online-Courses-600x300.png 600w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Online-Courses-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Online-Courses-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Online-Courses.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/onsite-training\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-51725\" src=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/onsite-training-1024x536.png\" alt=\"-training-onsite-\" width=\"800\" height=\"419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/onsite-training-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/onsite-training-600x314.png 600w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/onsite-training-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/onsite-training-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/onsite-training.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This past summer, I had so much fun traveling to different parts of the country and pouring into teachers. One of the coolest trips I took was to New York City. It has been a bucket list item of mine. Why?Well, when I was a freshman in high school, I dreamed of attending Indiana University, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":51722,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joy-drop"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51716"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51740,"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51716\/revisions\/51740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strobeleducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}