Jennifer Blacklock

I’m already halfway through this pregnancy, believe it or not; I believe it, because I’ve been in it the whole time- first trimester fatigue, morning sickness, my body starting to change, feeling a little mango-sized baby wiggle around in there. But from the outside it doesn’t look like I’m halfway, I mean, knowing how much more change there will be by the time I deliver (when everyone will be saying, “wow, you look ready to pop!” 😆)

The growth in pregnancy is kind of compounded. Slower at first and more noticeable near the end.

Actually a lot of growth is like that- when you’re making progress toward a goal or moving in a good new direction, the first half is often less noticeable than the last. And I guess that’s why it’s easy to give up in those early stages (like New Year’s resolutions, right?)

We have these little tomato plants that have been growing on our window sill for like, a month, and they’re only a couple inches tall. Weak and thin, they look like they’d never be capable of bearing even a single fruit. But I know, because we grow tomatoes every year, once we get them in the ground and give them another month or two, they’ll be these massive bushes loaded with so many tomatoes we’ll hardly know what to do with them all.

Sticking with the growth when the results are still small in that beginning phase is the important thing. It would be ridiculous for me to despair at 20 weeks pregnant, worrying my baby won’t be big enough because I don’t have a huge belly yet (trust me, it will come). Or to throw out our little tomato plants thinking they’ll never be big enough to produce.

The same is true if you’re working on increasing your energy or losing/gaining weight or reducing inflammation or finding stability in your mental health or clearing up your skin. Sticking to the slow initial growth is the only thing that will allow for greater future growth.

So don’t be discouraged if you’re seeing only small growth from implementing habits and practices you know will benefit you; you’ll have that fruitful, productive tomato bush (or a huge belly, in my case 😂) before you know it!

What goals are you working toward right now? Let me know in the comments!