Today, my foot is up and iced due to an injury yesterday, brought on by multi-tasking on my way out the door to an appointment.

Chick-Fil-A lemonade, phone, laptop, and purse in hand, I left my home while participating in a conference call. My ankle twisted and I fell, spilling my lemonade. My phone flew from my hand and landed in the bushes while I screamed in pain.

Good news: I can walk.

Bad news: I never got to finish that delicious lemonade.

This on the heels of a weekend spent moving my office furniture across the hallway into a (much) bigger space in our home.

To me, moving to a bigger office space is a physical outworking of a bigger reality: my company is growing. I am growing.

But it’s not always without pain.

Some pain is physical, like the throbbing of my right foot.

Other pain is emotional; as I work with new clients, I am stretched to interact in new ways, to communicate with increasing effectiveness, and to manage multiple projects, subcontractors, and priorities. I have crises of confidence. I have to remind myself I am not a failure. I have to remind myself that quitting is not an option.

Sometimes, I feel vulnerable and want to back away when conversations are difficult. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed.

Mostly, I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, for the ability to make a difference, and for the energy and drive to do great work.

I’m grateful for the mentors in my life who give helpful advice and gifts of empathy, understanding, and acceptance.

Those gifts are a salve to my growing (and other) pains.

Tell me something! How do you deal with growing pains?

photo credit j. reed