Morgan Harper Nichols' Blog

Tag: personal-growth

  • Making space to gather possibility

    Making space to gather possibility

    There are so many reasons why looking ahead can feel too abstract, too daunting, and too uncertain. So, instead of trying to think about it all at once, let yourself think for a moment of a new memory you’d like to create.

    The idea of a “memory” can have a lot of strong emotions attached to it.

    For instance, you might have memories associated with people you are no longer around to or close to anymore. There could be grief there and at times this can also make it hard to imagine — what will new memories look like?

    So give yourself permission to create space to explore what new memories might look like. What new things have you not been able to do? What things might you like to try alone, and what other things are focused on other people joining in?

    Make a list. Look up pictures and make a mood board. Ask a friend: “What kind of new memories would you like to make?”

    It is not selfish to try this, for the language and images that you end up finding can become points of inspiration and even templates for others to join in on, too.

    This doesn’t have to be the only thing you do when looking ahead, but it can be one of many. Find a space (even if it’s just one page in a journal or one mood board) where you can explore the possibilities of new memories.

  • There is space to try again

    There is space to try again

    I hope after everything, you feel free to write it again. Even if it’s nothing more than a few words for the beginning of a message you may never send. Even if it’s just to create just enough space in your life to say: I was here. And I’m still here. And here, in the wild of June, this story has not yet reached its end.

    And you do not have to wait to know what the next chapter will entail for this to be true: you are allowed to keep returning to the spaces that allow you to breathe and explore the possibility of what could be. Even if it just begins with one line at a time.

    “Here’s what I’ve been meaning to say…”

    “I don’t have perfect words for this for here’s what I know…”

    “I used to hold so much in. But now…”

    Even if it’s just nothing more than a few words, allow yourself to create space this June. You never know what small beginnings (even if in the form of a sentence) can teach you.

    -Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Grace for Unfinished Chapters

    Grace for Unfinished Chapters

    When you are able to cultivate gratitude in the present, you are also laying the foundation of contentment that you can carry with you, toward the future.

    This can especially be true when it comes to how you relate to other people. In moments where you find yourself being compared to others or something was said to you that doesn’t reflect who you fully are, it’s in moments like this where you can remember what’s actually true about you, and how that’s something worth being grateful for.

    If there is a moment in the future where someone says, “Oh, you’re still working on that? I thought you’d be done by now.” In that space, you can reflect on all the ways you’ve been learning to be grateful for your own pace and growth.

    There might be times when others tell you (or you tell yourself), “It’s surprising you haven’t moved on to bigger things yet.” And in those moments, you remember how you’ve been learning to be grateful for your unique journey.

    When you’re hearing, “Are you still doing that? I thought you’d have found something else by now,” You can remember the small ways you’ve been learning to be grateful for your own strengths and progress.

    There is no way to perfectly prepare for everything that will come, but you can still take moments right here in the present, learning to be grateful for what you have, what you’ve learned, and what you’ve been becoming more aware of each day. On this last day of May, may today be a day filled with gratitude that sets the stage for all that is waiting to be discovered. May there be grace for unfinished chapters. May there be spaciousness in the journey of becoming. – Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Possibilities of Hidden Potential

    Possibilities of Hidden Potential

    At times, what might seem like nothingness might just be rich soil waiting for seeds to be sown and watered. Closer observation opens up the possibility of hidden potential.

    Sometimes, what looks like nothing might actually be soil full of potential, waiting for seeds to be planted and watered. Think about a garden: at first, it might just look like a patch of dirt. But when you look closer, you realize it can become a place full of plants and flowers. This is like the quiet moments in our lives where it may seem like nothing is happening. However, if we pay attention, we might find that these moments are full of possibilities. So, just like in a garden, take the time to see the potential in what seems like nothing. These quiet spaces can help you figure out important things that become part of the larger blooming of what matters most.

  • Write down a few plans in pencil

    Write down a few plans in pencil

    Take the pressure off by writing down a few plans in pencil. Make room to dream while also creating space for change. There is nothing wrong with desiring for a goal or plan to feel concrete and real, but at the same time, you are free to consider: that if something is started to feel like a lot of pressure, could this be something you keep on the list but know it’s okay if it changes later? This is not a way of ignoring all commitments but instead, recognizing that adaptability and flexibility can be a part of meaningful progress too.

    Questions to consider:

    -How can I celebrate small victories along the way, even if my plans change?
    -Are there any commitments that I can prioritize differently to reduce pressure?
    -Where in my life can I put up a lot of different ideas and explore options openly?

    Even if it’s nothing more than a mood-board where you allow yourself to move things around or a journal where you brainstorm freely, allowing yourself to have some free space is a way to create a little breathing room.

    -Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Courage comes in many shapes

    Courage comes in many shapes

    Courage comes in many shapes, and strength can look different day by day. So remember to pay attention to what this might look like in small ways. Sometimes courage is pressing “send” on that one message. Sometimes, strength is saying “no” and sticking to it. Sometimes courage is having a brief moment where you remember that you are proud of yourself for letting go or walking away. Sometimes strength is gentle, and it sounds like a single deep breath that you took today. May you never discredit the courage and strength that might appear more subtly, but still matters in significant ways.

    – Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Small Practices for Intentionality

    Small Practices for Intentionality

    For all of the things in life that require a sense of urgency, it can still matter to create space for making the kind of connections that turn passing details into reference points. Not only does a brief pause allow real rest, it also builds new links that matter for the journey ahead.

    Some of the most profound connections and understandings emerge slowly. It might not feel like it in the moment, but a year from now, you will be able to look back on the notes you took today. The small things that you captured that seemed mundane. The lessons learned, the wisdom gathered. You will be able to realize that even in small ways, you have been allowing yourself to continuously engage in life, one day at a time. Focus on taking note of the small things and give yourself something to look back on.

    Here are a few ideas of things you could try:

    – Open up your notes app or your notebook and write down five things you’re grateful for. However, make an effort to write down the kind of things that would normally be overlooked.

    – Record a voice memo that is a note to your future self. If you find that listening to your own voice is distracting, you can use a transcription tool to just read it later, too.

    – Take five photographs of something in your environment––no matter if they have a beautiful aesthetic or not. You know those nostalgic photos from the 80s and 90s? They were taken in moments like this, oftentimes when someone was just testing out a disposable camera. Embrace the spontaneity and document, even when it seems unremarkable right now.

    Let small practices like this become a part of intentionally allowing some things to grow slowly in your life. Even if you don’t use what you’ve created for some kind of final product or creative project, it is still something you can try to practice noticing the details, right, and allowing this to be something that can grow with time. In other words, do them with the intention that they will gain significance with time in their own unique way, and as you grow, you will recall it all in new ways, too.

    -Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Emerge from the chrysalis

    Emerge from the chrysalis

    Emerge from the chrysalis,
    come into the sunlight…
    after all of the waiting,
    now is the time to fly.

    I hope you can find at least one area of your life where you can say, “now is the time. After all the waiting, now is the time.”

    Of course there are many things in life for which we cannot control how long the waiting will take, but at the same time, it can still be worth it to identify where we can say “now is the time,” anyway. To say:

    “When will I stop waiting on approval from others? To stop thinking I have to have it all figured out perfectly before again? Now is the time.”

    Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, let yourself begin to look for ways to come alive, beyond the waiting. And even if it’s subtle, know that it matters to come forth into the sunlight this way. This too, is transformation.

    – Morgan Harper Nichols

    A colorful digital illustration of a butterfly emerging from a pink chrysalis hanging on a branch. The butterfly’s wings are vibrant shades of blue, green, and yellow, with black edges and orange dots. The background features a pastel mountain landscape at sunrise or sunset, with a gradient sky of pink, blue, and orange hues. Beneath the butterfly, white handwritten-style text reads: "Emerge from the chrysalis. Come into the sunlight. After all of the waiting, now is the time to fly."
  • Let today be what today needs to be

    Let today be what today needs to be

    as you move through the day,
    may you know it’s okay
    to create a little space,
    to let this day be
    what it needs to be.
    and however you can,
    create room to simply breathe.

    for you have already been through
    so much,
    and to simply breathe
    through this moment
    is more than enough.

    inhale,
    exhale,
    and pace yourself
    through the landscape
    of the day,
    gathering what you need as you go.

    grace,
    gratitude,
    space,
    hope,
    joy,
    love,
    rest,
    room to feel what you need to feel,
    room to grieve,
    room to embrace gentleness,
    slowness,
    room to learn what it means to be free,
    room to breathe,
    room to
    breathe.

    in your stillness, in your motion,
    in your silence, in your song…
    breathe.

    -Morgan Harper Nichols

  • You Are Allowing To Try Again In A Different Way

    You Are Allowing To Try Again In A Different Way

    There are many ways to begin again. And you can find this to be true when it comes to what growth looks like over time. Growth in nature often begins with some kind of roots, and there are many different kinds of roots. There are taproots, which go deep into the soil. There are fibrous roots, which spread out wide and near the surface. There are also aerial roots, which can grow above the ground. But what they all have in common, despite their differences, is their vital role in providing nourishment and connection.

    Remember this diversity in the moments where things aren’t quite connecting in the way you hope. Whether you’re trying to connect with others, trying to connect ideas, or something else, there is room to explore how different connections might be made that are meaningful and supportive. Consider how, even if there has been a disconnect somewhere, it doesn’t mean you’re no longer worthy of connection. If you can observe how the trees outside need connection, then perhaps, it is okay for you to say, “I need that, too.” Even if it takes time to find, like a root finding its way through rocky soil, you, too, are free to explore the possibility of what deep and lasting connection might look like in your life. It might change from season to season. It might look different as you move from landscape to landscape. And yet, it is something worth nurturing all the same.

    Let this be one way among many to stay open to what connection might become.

    -Morgan Harper Nichols

  • The Importance of Sharing Your Story

    The Importance of Sharing Your Story

    Imagine buying a pot with soil for a plant to grow. The entire experience of going to the store and selecting the pot is an important part of the process, even before the plant begins to sprout. This experience is a part of the story, just as significant as the growth that will follow.

    Now, picture meeting a friend later that day and they ask you about your day. You share the story of going to the store, choosing the perfect pot, and picking out the seed. As you recount the details, you express your emotions and excitement about watching the plant grow in the future. This narrative can be complete and meaningful story even without the plant’s growth.

    Perhaps, in some ways, your life, as it is right now, has parts that can be shared like that. It’s a story unfolding, filled with experiences, emotions, and anticipation for what’s to come. You might not have the exact details of how everything is going to turn out, but you’ve been fully engaged with the steps of the process not because you have all the answers but because you’ve lived it…and it’s something you can share with others.

    Pay attention to the moments of your life where you start to tell the story of where you are and who you are. Notice how there might be storylines unfolding in your life right now that quite have this easy-to-explain metamorphosis moment, but it’s still something worth telling because it’s real, and it also reminds others that they don’t have to have every storyline figured out before it’s something worth telling.

    There are moments in life when advice is given, but perhaps, there are even more moments in life where stories are untold. But who says they have to be perfectly polished stories? Who says there can’t be places for stories to be shared, even while they’re still in the making?

    Even before the next chapters are written, your current story is valid, significant, and worth sharing.

    An illustrated image of a small potted plant with green leaves, centered against a background of radiating teal, dark blue, yellow, and peach beams that resemble stylized sunlight or energy. The pot is terracotta-colored and sits on a dark shadow. Below the image is handwritten text that reads: “This life, right here, tells a story as it is… even before new chapters have been written.” The overall style is painterly and contemplative.

    – Morgan Harper Nichols