You do not have to suffer to grow, not always

By Shreeja Guha

There once was a girl who was told,
“If you never suffer, you will never grow”
And she took these words to be the best advice,
But how long should one suffer, and at what price?

She reveled in being someone to always pick a challenge.
She didn’t know peace; her life was constantly off balance.
And no matter how many people told her how brave she was,
She wouldn’t stop dwelling in discomfort, even with the loudest applause.

Some described her as “impatient, moody & perpetually frustrated”,
But what more can you expect when you willfully make your life ill-fated?
No one told her that growth doesn’t always have to come from pain,
There are other ways to grow & be better, ways that she could sustain.

Her nights were restless, her body was running out of fuel,
Her strength was waning beneath the weight of self-imposed rules.
A turmoil within her heart reasoned, trying to get her to see the bluff,
But she kept asking herself, “What if I stop being good enough?”

In pursuit of being the best version, she lost sight of her soul,
Now trapped in a cycle she once believed was fully in her control.
She feared, “This is life now, no breaks and never any peace,”
“I’ll keep chasing standards of greatness that never seem to cease.”

The bravest thing she could do right now is choose to stop,
To release the burdens that came with her self-imposed laws.
For growth is not found solely in fighting battles & enduring the race,
But also in moments of vulnerability, weakness & taking life at your own pace.

The bravest thing she could do right now is to let it all go,
Releasing the need to constantly strive, to always put on a show.
What a life she could have then! unburdened and free,
Doing what feels right and embracing life’s unpredictable journey.