Sometimes, the life you built no longer fits who you are becoming. The old habits, the roles you played, the way you showed up in the world – it might feel familiar, but also a little tight, a little scratchy, like a favorite sweatshirt that doesn't quite belong to you anymore.

That’s not failure. That’s growth.

This short reflection explores what it means to feel the tension between who you were and who you're becoming. It's a quiet invitation to honor your past self – the version of you that got you this far – and gently let them go.

If you’ve been feeling the itch to evolve, the tug to shift, this is your permission slip to keep growing. You don’t have to stay the same to prove your worth.

00:05

Hey, this is It's Okay If, bite-sized permission slips. I'm Mac Yohouli, and today's permission, it's okay if you've outgrown the old version of you. You know the one I'm talking about. The you who said yes to everything. The you who played it safe because it felt like survival. The you who built a life that maybe doesn't quite fit anymore. And let's be honest, outgrowing yourself can feel awkward, uncomfortable.

00:35

pretty lonely. It's like wearing your favorite sweatshirt that used to feel like home, but now it's tight and scratchy, like it belongs to someone else. I've been there. For a long time, I told myself a story of who I was supposed to be, how I needed to show up in the world, how others wanted me to show up in the world, how I needed to work, how I needed to take care of everyone else's expectations first. But eventually, those old stories started to feel

01:05

suffocating, like I was trying to fit myself into a version of me that wasn't mine anymore. And maybe you felt that too. That tug. That itch. That knowing that something is shifting, and the old version of you can't come with you where you're going. But here's the thing. That old you? They're not mad at you for growing. They're proud.

01:30

They got you here. They kept you safe when you needed them to. They helped you survive. And now, you get to keep going. You get to evolve. You get to become. So today, if you're feeling that tension, if you're standing in the space between who you were and who you're becoming, that's not failure. That's growth. What's one part of the old you that you can thank today? And gently,

02:00

let go of. So if you want to tell yourself, I give myself permission to grow past who I used to be, to honor them and to become who I'm meant to be now.

02:13

That's your permission slip, friend. Tuck it in your pocket, and I'll see you next time.