Happy Monday! Sarah and I are back with our recap and thoughts on Part 2 of Growing Boldly by Emily Ley (you can find my Part 1 recap here) and don’t forget to head to Sarah’s recap.

Part 2 of the book is all about “Utilizing What You Have”; your grit, your past, and the people around you. It helped remind me that no matter what has happened in the past, its up to us to determine our future. To use our strengths, the lessons we have learned and the support of those around us to better ourselves and move forward.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes, lessons and messages from this section of the book:

• “Successful women have the gumption to believe that they are deserving of a live they love, the grit to dig in and make things happen in the face of whatever life has thrown at them, and the grace to roll with the punches and accept their own imperfections.” (pg. 61)
• “Your childhood is not your identity. It’s the path you’ve already walked. You can move forward to purposefully build a life you love.” (pg. 76)
• “Beauty is often born out of brokenness.” (pg. 77)
• You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” -Jim Rohn (pg. 79)
  • “External influences affect how- and sometimes whether– you achieve your goals.” (page 79)

This section was filled with words that cut deep, words I needed to hear to get me moving. We can come up with all kinds of excuses about why we aren’t able to move forward, better ourselves or find success, but really the only thing holding us back really is ourselves and the lies we believe. We cannot use our past as an excuse for our future. No matter the experiences of your childhood, you are able to make changes to the present. Surround yourself with people who will support you, use your past experiences to drive you and push you forward, dig down and find your strengths.

If you are reading along with us, what did you think of this section? What were some of your biggest takeaways and do you feel like you have it in you to let go of the past and move forward?