Growing Makes Strength

My name...
Is Kat.
I have been through many struggles in my life.
And at this moment, all I can do is look back and in an outside perspective thank the universe that those hardships happened.

Life is about growing.  Growing takes time, it is not something that happens in the span of a few minutes, hours, or days, maybe even a year or two.  No. Growing takes at least a few years.
I believe that we do not appreciate the growing pains until a few years later.  Even when we are going through the process, we do not necessarily see our growth.  It's only when we look back that we acknowledge how much we have grown.  Often times, it is too late and we begin to have regrets.  We miss the opportunities that were given to us in those moments.  We often take them for granted.  Maybe we even don't think that we deserve them. But trust me, you do.  Everyone reading this. You deserve to acknowledge that you are growing.  Even if you don't see it yet...even if the people around you don't see it yet, just know that you're growing.  You may stumble in moments in life, but that does not mean that you haven't grown! It means that you have forgotten just how much you've grown and are not in the headspace to see your growth.
Looking to the future can be scary and it's definitely easier to stay living in moments in the present.  I have been told that it is important to look to the future.  While this is true, I must admit that I have a harder time with this, because I live my life in the present moments.  I am usually positive about the future, however. I try to work things out in the present so that the future can reflect my positive mentality. It is difficult, but it is not impossible.
Change comes rapidly and refuses to pass.  Things are always changing around us.  Again, because of these changes, this means we are consistently growing whether or not we choose to see it. We grow in little ways unknown to the eye.  We become wiser, smarter, more intuitive, and more connected to our surroundings. Maybe our personality changes a bit and it isn't necessarily noticeable to others, but it is noticed by you.  For instance, instead of talking without thinking, you begin the challenge of thinking first, and then talking to add more quality to your conversation.  Then we have a bigger growth, which to me classifies as things that others can see.  Usually, this means a life change or a major personality change.  Perhaps you have grown tired of living a certain way and have decided to change your life for more improvement.  This would certainly be noticed by others! 
Don't ever let someone tell you that you aren't growing.  They don't know you and even if they do, they don't know you well enough to know that you are growing every day without realizing it.  When we realize things, this means that we are growing because we are able to see the other side of the situation.  That's what growing is to me. It's realizing the differences.  Putting those differences into action is a different level of growth and is often the hardest step.  But it is possible! It takes concentration and patience. Without these, you can grow in one sense, but can not further your growth to the next level (which I believe is the goal).
Growing makes strength.  Growth adds something to us as human beings whether we see it or not. I feel that I have been repeating myself in this post.  If I am, it is to stress that growth is constant. We just have to be open to it to see it's full effects.