What Sanding A Table Taught Me About Personal Growth

The finished product

This week, I spent some time sanding down a butcher block cabinet. I have never done this in my life. I had an idea of what to expect but not entirely sure about the process.

At first, it took a high-grit sandpaper to make any real progress. Because it is a butcher block, there are knife cuts everywhere. Those areas needed that extra effort to break through the surface. Instead of seeing those knife cuts, I started seeing the under layer of the wood, the smoother, lighter, less cut up part. It made me pause and think about how that hardness of the grit and sanding led the way to uncovering the softness and beauty of how it once was. And as I worked my way down, layer by layer, the paper got finer. The changes became smaller, more subtle—yet each pass brought the table closer to a smooth, beautiful finish.

The different sanding discs that I used.

It struck me how much this process mirrors our own personal growth. We start off in life with a clean slate. As we continue on through....life, people, family, work...puts "cuts" in us. Over time,

if we don't address those they get bigger. When we start working on ourselves, we often have big, obvious “rough spots” to address—habits, mindsets, or situations that need major change. Those first steps can feel uncomfortable, even gritty, but they create the foundation for everything that follows.

As we keep going, the changes might seem smaller. We’re no longer making giant leaps, but refining. We’re noticing details we didn’t see before. We’re smoothing edges, softening patterns, and polishing the life we want to live.

That’s where intuitive life coaching comes in.

Coaching helps you know which “grit” to use at which stage. It helps you work through the deep layers when you need to, but also guides you through the finer adjustments that make life feel aligned, intentional, and authentically yours.

Just like sanding the cabinet, it’s not about rushing the process—it’s about taking the time to reveal the beauty that was always there, just waiting to be uncovered.

I am here to help you uncover that beauty within and live your best life! Click here to schedule a call so that we can start on this journey together.