From Struggle to Strength: Planting the Seeds of Growth

This past summer, I had so much fun traveling to different parts of the country and pouring into teachers. One of the coolest trips I took was to New York City. It has been a bucket list item of mine.

Why?
Well, when I was a freshman in high school, I dreamed of attending Indiana University, earning a business degree, and moving to New York City to work in a big building downtown. I could see my office full of windows overlooking the city. I was full of confidence and had zero doubts about my ability to chase my young dreams.

However, by sophomore year, my “big world” got really small. In fact, it began to feel like a cage. I ended up going to a college closer to home and quitting after one year because an undiagnosed anxiety disorder left me trapped in a body and mind that didn’t feel safe for years.

My big dreams turned into:

• “Can I drive the 5 minutes to work today and be ok?”
• “Will I be able to stay at home by myself for 15 minutes each morning when my husband leaves for work earlier than me?”
• “Can I make it through one more day feeling like this?”

I spent the better part of my late teens and twenties battling thoughts like this, and every day was a struggle.

I didn’t know if I’d ever really have a ‘normal’ life, and my big goals turned into making it through another day without feeling like I was going crazy or something was terribly wrong with me.

So when I found myself in New York City this July to keynote a conference, it was a bit surreal. One morning, I found myself sitting on a rock in Central Park, meditating and reflecting on the journey that brought me here. How I could have never imagined I’d be sitting in Central Park in New York City having traveled there by myself.

It hasn’t always been easy. There were times I didn’t know how to get out of my darkness, where I would end up, or how I would ever be relieved of my pain and suffering. But I knew I couldn’t accept my life as it was and how I’d been living it. I had to start doing the work of a lifetime on Kim Strobel and it became the fight of my life.

I also didn’t know…

🌱 That struggle was the seed.
🌷 And that seed had a purpose.

Looking back, I now understand that those struggles shaped who I am and why I do this work—to empower you to unlock your potential.

Because when we work on our inner selves, we begin to get the outer results.

I didn’t expect to get emotional that day during my meditation on that rock in Central Park, but something came through me.

As I meditated, I saw a younger version of myself—struggling, unsure if she’d ever be able to fully function as an adult.

Then I saw the 50-year-old me—traveling to NYC on her own, standing in the exact place she once dreamed of living.

What a full-circle moment.

I sat there feeling so thankful that I had nourished that seed that was planted in my time of struggle all those years ago.

I forced the younger me to grow in ways that felt really uncomfortable.

Darn, it was dark and took a lot of hard work.
(and in all honesty, it still does in certain ways.)

But today, I honor the young, struggling me who committed to this journey so many years ago.

I still struggle at times, but I have learned that I can embrace the struggle and do the work needed to get me through it.

I share this because I see your journey, too. Wherever you are—whether you’re still in the darkness or seeing the first signs of light—know that every step matters. Growth is uncomfortable, but it’s worth it.

Keep going because your future self will thank you.

As always, I’m cheering you on!