🪞 Cut Your Dead Ends for Growth (And We’re Not Just Talking About Hair)

We talk a lot about growth — new chapters, healing journeys, starting fresh —

but let’s be honest… most of us don’t want to let go of what’s no longer working.

We’ll see the damage, feel the snag, know the ends are split —

and still say, “Maybe if I hold on a little longer, it’ll get better.”

But that’s not growth.

That’s fear dressed up as faith.

Growth doesn’t always look like adding more.

Sometimes it looks like trimming what’s been holding us back — even when it used to look beautiful.

And the truth is, we all have a few dead ends.

✂️ We Gotta Stop Trying to Save What’s Already Split

We know when something’s run its course.

That friendship that feels one-sided.

That job that keeps draining us.

That goal that doesn’t even excite us anymore but we’re too scared to admit it.

We keep showing up, hoping things will change,

but deep down we know — it’s time to cut it loose.

Because here’s the truth:

When we hold on to what’s dead, we block what’s next.

When we refuse to prune, we slow down our own progress.

We can’t pour life into what’s already expired.

And we can’t call it loyalty when it’s really just fear of loss.

We love to talk about trusting the process,

but sometimes the process requires scissors.

🌱 We Can’t Blossom Without Pruning

Even plants know when it’s time to let go.

A gardener doesn’t keep every leaf.

They cut the unhealthy ones off — not out of cruelty, but care.

That’s how we should treat our own growth.

We’re not cutting people or habits out because we’re bitter.

We’re cutting because we’re better.

Better at protecting our peace.

Better at recognizing when something’s not serving us anymore.

Better at giving ourselves permission to evolve.

We’ve got to stop seeing endings as punishment.

Sometimes endings are protection.

Sometimes the goodbye is the growth.

 

💭 When the Roots Are Healthy, the Growth Is Real

The only reason we hold on to dead ends is because we confuse length with health.

We want things to look long-lasting, connected, or consistent — even if the foundation is weak.

We’d rather say, “I’ve been friends with her for 15 years,”

than admit the last five have been full of tension and quiet resentment.

We’d rather say, “I’ve been at this job a decade,”

than face the truth that we’ve been underpaid, underappreciated, and uninspired.

We keep measuring our progress by how long something lasted,

instead of how well it’s been nurturing us.

But we’re not meant to just maintain — we’re meant to flourish.

And flourishing requires honesty.

🪞 Let’s Talk About What We’re Still Holding On To

So here’s the real question:

What are we still holding on to that’s holding us back?

What version of us are we still protecting out of nostalgia, guilt, or comfort?

Because healing doesn’t mean holding it all together.

It means having the courage to release what no longer fits.

Sometimes that looks like ending a friendship that feels forced.

Sometimes it means closing a door you prayed would open.

Sometimes it’s just admitting — “I’ve outgrown this version of myself.”

And that’s okay.

That’s necessary.

Because if the roots are healthy, the growth will return —

but only after we cut the dead weight.

💬 Closing — Trim It, Don’t Tuck It

So maybe it’s time to stop tucking damage under a new hairstyle or hiding pain under fresh goals.

Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and say,

“Yep. This right here? It’s got to go.”

We can’t heal what we keep holding on to.

We can’t grow what we’re afraid to prune.

We can’t become who we’re meant to be while protecting who we used to be.

Cut it.

Cut it clean.

And trust that what’s meant for us will grow back healthier, stronger, and softer than before.

Because just like hair — when we finally release what’s dead,

the growth that comes after is something divine