Yesterday, a friend caught me off guard with a simple yet powerful question.
What does it mean to grow?
I didn't have a ready-to-use answer.
Thankfully, I have this little reflection corner in my mornings, so I thought it was a good idea to use it to reflect on that question.
It looks like "growing" is a must almost in every context.
Kids have to grow. Students have to grow. Employees and professionals must grow. In short, everyone is expected to grow.
But also companies must grow. Communities, movements, ideas. Everything must grow.
But, what does it mean to grow? And is it growth the same for everyone and everything, or does it have different meanings?
The word comes from the PIE root *ghree- meaning "to become green". It was initially used to indicate the flourishing of plants, and it was later extended to human beings acquiring a broader meaning.
Becoming green and bearing fruit is the full realization of plants—the fulfilment of their purpose. So, when it comes to human beings, both at the individual and collective level, I would say that growth is the process through which we fully realize who we are.
To grow doesn't mean to become bigger, brighter, or in general, more of what you are now. It means to become more of who you are and can be. And that requires an expansion of awareness first so that you can see the infinite potential within you.