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Rooted or Reflected?

 

We spend a lot of energy trying to prove.
Prove we’re capable.
Prove we belong.
Prove we’ve earned our place.

 

For many of us, proving became survival. It was how we made sure we were accepted, safe, or respected. And it worked - for a while.

 

But proving comes from pressure. It’s about reaching outward for acceptance. And even when people nod, it never feels enough. Because the need behind it was never theirs to fill.

 

Improving is different.
It isn’t about being seen.
It’s about being steady within yourself.
It’s the quiet choice to grow because you want to - not because you’re afraid not to.

 

Improvement feels lighter. It builds trust in yourself. And over time, it softens that old urgency to keep performing for worth.

 

This isn’t about judgment. We’ve all lived in proving mode. Sometimes it was the only way we knew to get through. But there comes a point where proving drains more than it gives.

 

And when you shift from survival to growth, something changes. The urgency begins to ease. You stop needing every nod of approval, and start trusting yourself more. Work feels less like performance. Relationships feel clearer. And your energy has room to breathe again.

 

So here’s the pause for this week: Notice where you’re still proving - and ask yourself if it’s time to shift into improving instead.

 

One is survival. The other is growth.

 

This week’s pause is not a reflection by question, but by perspective.

 

 

✍🏼 Written by Abigail Richard

Founder of arickard | Coach & Consultant | Author of Self-Love Blueprint & Unbreakable. Supporting leaders and changemakers to regulate their nervous system, gain clarity, and find calm - so they can lead with presence, purpose, and emotional depth.

 

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