Life unfolds in levels. To move forward, we have to pass the one we’re in before the next can be revealed. In many ways, it’s just like Candy Crush.

Sometimes, the level deals you a bad hand, no matter how prepared you are. Your data is on. You’ve stocked up on boosters and special effects. You enter confident, yet you still fail. Other times, you step in casually and, with a single move, break through the very level that took you days or even weeks to clear.

Life doesn’t always give us what we want, but it always gives us something to work with. We play the cards in front of us. And even when we’re fully prepared and still fall short, it isn’t defeat—it’s feedback. Another opportunity to learn. Another chance to grow.

Not necessarily to do better, but to become better.

Growth is the essence of life. While some people measure progress by the number of levels they pass, others measure it by how they’ve grown along the way. And perhaps that’s the truest measure of all—growth, defined on your own terms.