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The Hardest Part of Growth Is Letting the Old Version of You Go

There are versions of ourselves we become attached to.


The wrestler.


The top performer.


The person who had all the answers.


The version that seemed unstoppable.


The problem is that life doesn’t ask permission before it changes us.


A layoff changes you.


An injury changes you.


A loss changes you.


A season of burnout changes you.


And yet many people spend years trying to become who they used to be.


I know because I’ve done it.


After I left wrestling, I spent a long time looking backward. I wanted to feel the way I felt when I was performing, traveling, and chasing something bigger than myself.


What I didn’t realize was that version of me had done his job.


He got me here.


But he wasn’t supposed to come with me forever.


Growth often requires grieving a version of yourself that you loved.


Not because that person failed.


Because that chapter ended.


Confidence returns when you stop trying to resurrect an old identity and start building a new one.


The next version of you is waiting.


But first, you have to let go.


If you’re navigating a major life transition and trying to rebuild confidence after a setback, learn more at kinneyconfidence.com.


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