photo: Partha Sarathi, jeeheon, and magnetic 70 on flickr
Hello Goofballs! Dr. Z here, ready to blow your mind with another powerful and persuasive theory!
We all know three is a magic number.
There are Three Bears. Three Wise Men. Three Blind Mice.
And, of course, Three Stooges.
But the Really Important Thing about the number three is how it shows up in our lives. Particularly when it comes to growth and change.
Check it out:
I was recently pondering my life and changes I’ve been going through. Yes, Dr. Z is ponderer. I can’t help it. (Just like I can’t help referring to myself in the 3rd person!)
In this case, my ponderings led me to a theory.
Yes, Dr. Z is a ponderer and a theorist. Watch out, world!
So now, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Z’s 3 Stages of Growth and How to Master Them.
These stages of life apply over the course of a lifetime as well as in smaller increments. In one area, you might go through all three stages in a day. In another, it might take years to move through them. The key is to be aware of which stage you’re in and proceed accordingly.
Stage One: The Innocent/Idiot
photo: Partha Sarathi Sahana and Nathan Jones on flickr
At the beginning of something new, we feel like we know nothing. Actually, we’re right. That’s why this stage is called The Innocent.
But it’s also called The Idiot, and here’s why.
Whenever something is new, it’s all too easy to give ourselves a hard time for not mastering it yet. This lack of mastery can leave us feeling scared and helpless. We think we’re never going to get it. It feels like this stage will last forever.
But we’re wrong. We will move forward, and we will begin to master whatever it is we’re learning or going through.
The key is to switch from feeling like an Idiot to recognizing that we’re an Innocent.
We can continually stay open to all the new, amazing things that Life is bringing us. We can ask for help, both human and Divine. We can be gentle with ourselves when we make mistakes. We can laugh, pick ourselves up and try again.
And, most importantly, we can slow down enough to enjoy the process.
Stage Two: The Master/Machine
photo: jeeheon and fringley on flickr
When we hit this stage, we start to feel comfortable. We’ve got this.
Time starts to speed up again. The confusion and panic of the first stage recedes as we begin to attain mastery of whatever it is we’re doing or experiencing.
That’s why we call it The Master.
The hitch here is not to let this phase become unconscious and automatic. When this happens, we become The Machine.
We stop noticing what’s around us. We stop being grateful for all we’ve learned and experienced. We take things for granted – our circumstances, ourselves, other people.
The key to the second stage is to shed the automatic and habitual nature of this part of the journey.
We can wake up, bringing the fresh eyes and wonder of the Innocent into this stage. When we are true Masters, we bring power and proficiency to our life circumstances and enjoy them at the same time.
Now that’s what I call Mastery.
Stage Three: The Releaser/Resister
photo: magnetic70 and hannapeople2012 on flickr
And then it’s over.
Just like that.
Whatever we’ve mastered, whatever our life circumstances have been, there comes the time to make a change. Or maybe the change comes without our apparent consent.
Either way, it’s time to Release the old and move on.
But what if we don’t want to move on? What if we don’t want to let go?
The Release/Resist polarity can keep us in this stage for a long time.
To move from the Resister to the Releaser, we need to feel all our feelings: the anger and grief and sadness and relief.
We need to take stock of what we’ve learned, and accept that the time has come to learn our lessons elsewhere.
Just as it’s important not to resist this phase and be willing to move through it, it’s also important not to rush. Otherwise, remnants of the Resister follow us into the next phase, making it more difficult to start anew.
When we take our time, feel all our feelings, and let go of resistance, we move into the power of the Releaser. We become renewed, refreshed and revitalized, moving forward with lightness and freedom.
photo: Julie B. Andersen on flickr
And that’s all there is to it! The 3 Stages of Growth! Easy, right?
Okay, maybe not so much.
There are challenges and confusions in each stage, no doubt. But do not fear, Dr. Z is here!
There is one thing that can allow safe passage, no matter which phase you’re in.
No, it’s not a pink mohair sweater or a poodle to match, though either of those can certainly help.
The one thing that can help you through any phase is this:
Be in it.
Yes, that’s what I said.
Just be in it.
You are where you are, and it’s perfect. Allow yourself to be an Innocent. Revel in your status as a Master. And when it’s over, Release and move on.
If you find yourself in Idiot or Machine or Resister mode, be there too. Smile. Take a breath. And gently relax back into Innocence and Mastery and Release.
And if all else fails, you can dress up like a pink poodle and watch the Three Stooges!
photo: Beach Comber on flickr
How do you relate to the 3 stages of growth? What has helped you move through them? Share your comments below!
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Love this weeks Blog Post Z. I even noticed that I even embraced your greeting warmly, without any resistance to the term of fellow goofballs.. I am making peace with my own goofy, innocence, and yes, even, it’s companion, ignorance. No longer does the once auto pilot resistant reaction to the term get activated. In fact, knowing I am not alone…. and am in the company of other great goofballs…. connection overrides any former sense of separation associated with the term. Hallelujah!
As unexpected circumstances, (yet somewhere created in consciousness), has changed the trajectory of my life, in regards to my creative expression in the world. I am allowing the feeling of innocence to return, not avoiding the false or empty sense of feeling like an Idiot, nor no longer being flooded by race consciousness beliefs, but rather, accepting and seeing it as an opportunity, to reframe.
Thanks for the review and lightness. I am re-minded I can trust that mastery of this next phase of life will occur, be alert and compassionate if the tendency is to become a machine of mastery, and then NOT hold tight to this next expression either, resisting, the natural change and evolution, but rather invite it’s release and expansion, each step of the way! Yeah!!
Thanks Z…your humor is most welcomed, and once again, for conveying a simplistic, yet powerful snapshot of of the stages of growth. You rock
Your fellow goofball
Diana
Hi Diana!
It sounds like you are in a rich and exciting time. I appreciate that you are allowing that innocence to return, embracing it and allowing it to guide you.
I also appreciate that you were able to soften into an embrace of the noble title of Goofball!! You are in good company – I know that there are lots of us in the world, and it’s important that we stick together and encourage each other as we move through all the different cycles of life.
Rock on!! 😀
XOZ
Hi Z!
I love this weeks post…while I have not always been a Three Stooges fan, I am beginning to warm up to the idea of spending more time in ‘goofball land’. Your blogs always make me laugh, something that I appreciate since I have lived a very serious life, until now.
Your suggestion of…
“The one thing that can help you through any phase is this:
Be in it.
Yes, that’s what I said.
Just be in it.”
…really hit home for me, not so much in regards to resistance to the challenges, but more so in the good things, the triumphs. So much of my life has been spent in challenging situations that I have come to feel at home with challenges, yet when I am in the energy of triumph, of overcoming some limitation or obstacle, I find that my first instinct is to flee because the energy is foreign to me.
There’s also been those words of warning, “don’t brag, don’t boast, don’t make a spectacle of yourself,” roaming around inside my head. Yet, as I read your message I see that allowing my innocent to revel in her triumphs and accomplishments, even in small doses, makes for a kinder and wiser Master who is then able to release the struggle and enjoy a more balanced life!
And be a bit more open to spending more time in ‘goofball land’. 🙂
Many Thanks & Bountiful Blessings to You!
Kat
Hi Kat,
I have to admit, I’m not a Three Stooges fan at all! I just couldn’t resist adding them to the mix.
I LOVE what you say about allowing “just be in it” to include all the wonderful parts of life. Kudos to you for being willing to simply stay in those moments of triumph and accomplishment. And I love the link back to the innocent when you allow this practice to come full circle. Wise words for all of us to ponder!
Thank you for such an insightful comment! 🙂
XOZ
Thank you for this wonderful post, Z.
I have a tendency to feel foolish a lot of the time, and others call me innocent when I don’t feel as such, but it may be a good time for some humility-for having a sense of humour at my own human foibles and silliness.
What looks like a groan to one may be a giggle to another, in exactly the same way that where I am could be an inspiration to someone somewhere.
It’s just a way to look at where I am on my own path and say, “That’s okay for now, and keep going.”
From one Z to the other!
Another Z!! Now that’s just cool.
I like what you say about being an inspiration for someone else. I know that I try to tell others when they inspire me, instead of just talking about it behind their backs. 😉 And i’m always grateful when someone lets me know the same, as I usually have no idea.
From your spelling of “humour” I’m wondering if you are you a “Zed” instead of a “Zee”?
Thanks for stopping by!
XOZ