Discomfort Is a Sign of Growth — Not a Signal To Stop

Last weekend, my daughter graduated from college. A proud, emotional, heart-tugging milestone. As I cheered her on, I couldn’t help but return in my mind to the day we dropped her off in Texas four years ago.

It was August 2021 — peak COVID uncertainty. Move-in day was rainy, chaotic, masked, distanced, and heavy with emotion. At the end of it all, as her dad and I prepared to leave, she cried and asked me not to go.

Last weekend, she cried again — not because we were leaving her, but because she was leaving a place she had come to love, grown strong in, and made her own.

That’s the thing about change — it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes it brings tears. But it also brings growth.

This year has brought its own discomfort for me, too.

In the fall, I moved to Minnesota to support my son in a new opportunity — playing hockey for the school year. A new place, a fresh experience, and a chance to show up for someone I love.

In reality, it was hard.

Like really hard.

I was surprised at my own resistance. I kept thinking, People go through much more difficult changes than this. What is wrong? Why is this hitting me so hard?

But I knew deep down that my discomfort had something to teach me — even if I didn’t understand it yet.

So I grieved the change. Dug deep. Then I got curious.

I asked myself: When have I felt this way before? What is this discomfort here to teach me? How can this experience help me grow? What gifts might be hidden inside this change?

The answers didn’t come all at once. But slowly, I realized I was being stretched — emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

I was learning how to be okay in the unknown. How to find peace without a routine. How to let go, support, and stay grounded — all at once.

Just like my daughter’s first year away, this season has changed me. I’m not the same person who started the year — and I’m thankful for that. I’m a better version of me.

Here’s what I’ve come to know: Growth rarely feels good in the moment. It often comes dressed as frustration, loneliness, doubt, or resistance. But that’s not failure. That’s the work. That’s transformation happening in real time.

Discomfort is not the enemy. It’s a signal. A sign that we’re stretching past our comfort zone, moving into the next version of who we’re becoming.

So if you’re in a season that feels like too much or not enough, remember: growth often feels like falling apart before it feels like coming together. And we’re always, always learning — even when our school’s name is the University of Life.

Here’s to change. Here’s to discomfort. And here’s to what’s waiting on the other side of both!

All my best,

~Rita

P.S. Have you ever resisted a change that ended up being great or helped you grow? I’d love to hear your story — just hit reply. 😃