For a long time, I thought growth needed proof.
Something visible. Something measurable. Something other people could point to and say, "There it is—you've changed." Without that, it was easy to assume nothing was happening at all.
Now, I see growth differently.
Growth as Happiness
Growth, to me, looks like happiness.
Not the loud kind. Not the performative kind. But the quiet kind that settles into daily life. Relationship happiness. Family and children happiness. Financial happiness—not excess, but stability and peace.
If those areas are improving, even slightly, then I'm growing.
Growth doesn't have to be dramatic to be real.
Better Than Yesterday
The simplest definition of growth I've every lived by is this:
be better today than you were yesterday.
Not perfect.
Not finished.
Just better.
Sometimes that looks like more patience. Sometimes it's fewer reactions. Sometimes it's choosing presence over distraction. restraint over impulse, or peace over pride.
Those moments rarely earn recognition—but they shape everything that follows.
The Work No One Sees
Most growth happens quietly.
No one sees the conversations I don't escalate. The words I don't say. The emotional space I hold instead of filling with urgency. No one sees the effort it takes to show up consistently fr my kids, to remain grounded in uncertainty, or to choose calm when stress would justify reaction.
That work doesn't come with applause.
But it produces stability. And stability produces happiness.
Redefining Reward
I've learned that recognition is a poor motivator for lasting growth. When growth depends on being noticed, it becomes fragile. When it's rooted in internal peace, it becomes sustainable.
The reward isn't validation.
It's a life that feels more aligned.
A home that feels calmer.
Relationships that feel safer.
A future that feels less frantic.
Quiet Progress Still Counts
Some days, growth is obvious. Other days, it's almost invisible. But when I look at my life as a whole, I can see the direction.
I'm happier than I was.
More present.
More grounded.
That doesn't mean everything is solved. It means I'm moving the right way—even when no one is watching.
And that kind of growth doesn't need recognition to be real.
"Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else." —Galatians 6:4-5