“It’s Okay to Outgrow People You Thought Would Make It to the End”

Growth is a natural part of life, but one of the hardest lessons to accept is that not everyone is meant to walk with you forever. We often assume that the people we start with (whether friends, mentors, or even family members) will be with us through every season of life. But as you evolve, your relationships do too, and sometimes, that means outgrowing people you once thought would be permanent.

Outgrowing relationships doesn’t mean you’ve failed or that the connection wasn’t real. It simply means that you’re moving in a direction that no longer aligns with them. And that’s okay.

Here are a few things to remember:

• Growth isn’t abandonment: Letting go of people who no longer align with your journey isn’t the same as discarding them. It’s recognizing that your paths have diverged.

• Some relationships thrive in certain seasons: Just because someone was significant in your past doesn’t mean they’re meant to be in your future.

• Outgrowing people doesn’t make you superior: It simply means you’re evolving in a way that requires different energy, experiences, or connections.

• You can love people from a distance: Not all relationships need a dramatic ending—sometimes, space and evolution naturally create distance, and that’s part of life.

Embrace change, honour your journey, and trust that the people meant to walk with you will keep pace. Your growth shouldn’t have to include feelings of guilt. You can still appreciate the time shared without having to shrink yourself or minimize your feelings. Ultimately, you do not have to maintain a relationship that no longer serves you. Sometimes you have to put YOU first. Not every relationship is meant to last forever, and that doesn’t make them any less meaningful.

- Intisar Farah