Hello GrowthPop readers!  Happy New Year to you!  I’m a new contributor here at GP and I’d like to introduce myself to you, and let you know what I’ll be writing about.  I’ll be writing under the name Lampyra, and sharing some of my recent personal growth experiences with you.

I’ve been dabbling in various ways of exploring my heart and mind over the past couple years, and slowly but steadily I feel that I’ve made significant strides.  Sometimes through huge leaps, sometimes through long treks, sometimes by sheer luck.  Sometimes by myself, sometimes with the guidance of others.  I will be sharing some of these forays into my head, and my thoughts about such experiences, with the readers of GrowthPop.  I hope to be an accessible reference for any layperson wanting to bring some personal growth and exploration into their own life.

The name Lampyra?  It is a scientific name for lightning bugs. One of the things I have learned to remind myself about is the power of one’s inner glow.  If you are happy about something, there’s that hint of a smile on your face, that twinkle in your eye, that glow of someone who is content with life.  Like any light source, it radiates warmth.  That glow attracts every human that passes by you.

Happiness is contagious – people want to be around happy people because it makes them feel good too.  Even if I don’t feel especially happy about anything, I find something to make me grin anyway because then I will kindle some of that glow.  I know I become a much more attractive, but more importantly, much more approachable person, when I do.  We all do.  So, like the lightning bug, remember to glow brightly as you fly about your life!