Becoming the Person You’re Growing Into

Letting Go of Old Versions

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about sitting comfortably and staying rooted.

We’ve talked about knowing your values.

Defining success for yourself.

Living in alignment instead of chasing expectations.

But once you begin to see clearly who you are and what matters to you, something else begins to happen.

You start noticing what no longer fits.

And that can feel unsettling.

Because staying rooted does not mean staying the same.

It means being secure enough in your foundation to grow.

When You’re Rooted, You Can Release

There are many people who are physically present in this season of their lives but emotionally still attached to who they used to be.

They compare themselves to their younger self.

To the more energetic version.

To the one before the setback.

To the one before life shifted.

And quietly, without realising it, they stop owning where they are.

But you cannot fully step into what is ahead while clinging tightly to what was.

Even Scripture reminds us to forget what lies behind and press toward what lies ahead. Not because the past did not matter, but because it cannot lead you forward.

There is a difference between honouring your past and living in it.

Seasons Shape You — They Don’t Define You Forever

As I concluded reading Just as I Am, I was reminded how powerful seasons really are.

Cicely Tyson lived many seasons. She was different things at different times in her life. Each season demanded something different of her. Yet through all of it, she remained grounded in who she was.

She evolved — but she did not lose herself.

That is what rooted growth looks like.

You are not meant to remain who you were ten years ago.

Or even five.

Growth is layered. And every season adds something to you.

But not every season is meant to stay.

Growth Requires Release

Here is where this becomes practical.

Some of the versions of you that once served you were necessary.

The version that pushed through.

The version that tolerated more than you should have.

The version that stayed silent to keep the peace.

The version that chased achievement to prove something.

The version that survived.

Those versions were not mistakes.

They were responses to a season.

But if you remain attached to them long after the season has shifted, they can limit you.

You cannot grow upward while dragging yesterday behind you.

Just as a caterpillar must enter a cocoon and surrender to transformation before becoming a butterfly, there are seasons where change feels uncomfortable, even painful. But transformation is not punishment. It is preparation.

Sometimes the restlessness you feel is not dissatisfaction.

It is evolution.

Staying Rooted Means Owning Where You Are Now

Rootedness is not stubbornness.

It is stability.

It is knowing who you are deeply enough that you can release what no longer aligns.

If over the last few weeks you have clarified your values and defined success for yourself, then the next natural step is this:

Let go of what no longer supports that alignment.

That might mean:

Releasing an old mindset.

Releasing an outdated definition of yourself.

Releasing guilt about growing.

Releasing comparison to who you once were.

You are allowed to evolve.

And evolving does not mean you are ungrateful for the past. It means you trust the growth happening within you.

A New Season Begins

Today is the first day of March.

And perhaps that is not a coincidence.

New months often bring new clarity.

New resolve.

New intention.

But they also bring new challenges.

As you release old versions of yourself and step into who you are becoming, there may be resistance. There may be moments where you question yourself. There may be deterrents that try to pull you back into comfort or familiarity.

Growth does not happen without friction.

But rooted people do not break easily.

And over the coming weeks, we are going to talk about what it means to overcome those deterrents — and build the resilience you need to keep rising.

Because becoming is one thing.

Sustaining that growth is another.

And you are capable of both.

Reflection

What old version of yourself are you still carrying?

And what would it look like to bless that season… and release it?

Prayer

God, thank You for the seasons that have shaped me.

Help me honour where I have been without clinging to it.

Give me courage to release old versions of myself that no longer fit.

Teach me to trust the growth happening within me.

Let me remain rooted — even as I evolve.

Amen. 💛

An Alignment Check

I will allow myself to evolve without guilt.

Ready to Step Into This Season?

If you sense that a chapter is closing and another is beginning, you don’t have to navigate that shift alone.

Through my RISE coaching approach, I support you to:

Reclaim your identity.

Ignite your purpose.

Strengthen your resilience.

Elevate your confidence.

So you don’t just endure seasons — you rise through them.

I. Arise & Shine | iarisenshine.com