I do a lot of reading in the personal growth arena. (I know shocking!) Recently I read a bit about Emotional Growth–this idea that we will always be driven towards learning more about ourselves throughout our lifetime. And within this drive for emotional growth exists two main components: Our need for connection with others and our need for self-expression. This makes sense to me. I see in both myself and my friends and my clients this “need” or intent to connect with one another. We seek to share love with well, lovers, but also friends and new acquaintances. Do you get that charge when you meet someone new who is incredibly interesting and you want to keep talking with them? I do. The need to connect is hardwired into our brains… keep connecting, keep knowing others, and you will really find that “love” feeling we are all seeking. It’s a moving away from loneliness toward a seeking of closeness. For most people on Earth, this is an essential drive for them. When we connect with others we have the opportunity to have an imprint on their lives. Neale Donald Walsh, author of Conversations with God, says we are all here, on this Earth, to touch others’ lives. Period. The impact we can have on any one person can be significant or minimal, but nonetheless we can have one.
The need for Self-Expression is how we externalize our creativity. We seek to constantly understand the values or quality of our mind. We want others to see and recognize our unique creative expression in this world. Whether this is through music, art, dance, or like me something more obscure: problem-solving, we are constantly striving towards putting this out into the world. We want to embody and live into what makes us special and different and to be “seen” for our contribution.
My take-away from this article I read was that we really need to honor our emotional growth. Emotional growth leads to greater wisdom, understanding, connection, and ultimately love of self and others. which is constantly changing and attempting to move us forward to be better human beings and to live a life of meaning.
