by Ricki Blanchard

The more I learn, the more I need to know. And the more I know, the more obvious it is how much I don't know. I guess this is how it works. The learning is exciting, but the not-knowing can be frustrating at times. You too?

Take "eating healthy", for example. I have studied at least a hundred diets over the years, and tried at least half. There was a time that I could rattle off the calorie count, carbohydrate and fat grams for any food you might name. All the diets made sense, at the time.

Now I'm getting into natural, organic eating. I am having to unlearn and relearn about food and nutrition all over again. Throw in herbs and essential oils and I become overwhelmed with new information. I walk into the store thinking I know something, then find myself standing in the aisle dumbfounded.

I have questions about what I really don't know, like "if the label doesn't say organic, but it's in this health food store, do I assume it's organic?" Then there's what I thought I knew, but forgot, like "is it long grain or short grain rice that's low glycemic?" Lastly, there are the so-called authorities that can't agree, like "canola oil is best" versus "canola oil is made from rapeseed, and that's bad" along with "canola oil is no longer made from rapeseed, a generic has been developed" with no more information on the generic.

So, sometimes I guess. Mostly I trust, myself and those who say they know, as I continue my research, take notes, dig deeper, and ask for help.

I look back on my personal growth and note that the process has been quite similar. Learning, unlearning and relearning. Doubt, guess, know, forget, adjust, correct, try again and ask for help. And just as I'll never quit eating, I'll never quit growing, personally and spiritually. I have no choice, really. I do have a choice in how I do it - consciously or unconsciously.

I have found, through personal experience and observation, that personal growth is most effective when approached organically. (Organic has several meanings. Don't you just love dictionaries?!). Following a natural path, flow, building level upon level, organized, if you will.

First, you have to want to. I want to eat healthy and organic. Why? It's a part of who I declare myself to be. What I chose to eat is not the first step on my path, though it may be yours. My flow will not look like your flow, how I build will not be the same as how you build. We each have our own organic expression.

Next, you have to ask questions. Mostly of yourself. Inquiring and digging deeper and deeper. You'll probably start out with the "whys". 'Why is my life like this?' 'Why do I do the things I do?' 'Why can't I have what I want?' You'll do a lot of guessing until you are ready to know the truth.

Then you'll move on to questions like 'Who am I?' 'Why am I here?' 'What is my purpose in life?'

We have all been polluted and poisoned with indoctrinated beliefs, often in the name of love. Getting to the organic you requires challenging the beliefs that you hold, especially the ones that have kept you stuck. Ask "Who said?" Ask "Why?" Ask if the belief is still relevant for you today. Decide what the truth is. "Pink is only for girls." Who said? "Girls shouldn't call boys." Who said? "That's a man's job." Why? "You can't", "You're stupid", "You're not good enough." WHO SAID??!

Okay, now what? Ask for help. I don't know about you, but I know I can't decide to speak Spanish and just do it. I need help. Books, tapes, a class, or a tutor. We can do the work on our own, yes, but why would we? I believe growth and learning are much more effective with at least one other person. Which course, which book, which person? You'll know. Or you'll guess. Either way, you will get there.

Take action, and don't quit. I have watched people take a personal growth course, get their "aha's" and breakthroughs, then go home and do nothing. There's nothing wrong with that. They just didn't go where they said they wanted to go.

I choose to go organic. I want to support the planet and support the people who support the planet. I want my family and me to be healthy and toxin free. I come home from the health food store with my organic potato, cut the potato open, and look - it is rotten in the middle! Do I blame it on "organics" and quit? I could, but then I don't get what I said I wanted.

Organic living, organic growth. It's your inherent (another definition for organic!) right to be healthy and happy, peaceful and joyous - body, mind and spirit. To be all that you truly want to be - one organic step at a time.