can we make lateral moves in our personal lives as well?

Perhaps the most prevailing, healthiest school of thought regarding personal progress is to not compare yourself to others. Instead, compare yourself to yourself. Seek self-improvement year-over-year or over other periods of time. 

I most definitely agree with this and try to measure my own growth in this way. Though I wonder, is it okay to have lateral growth in your personal life?

Professionally, especially after a few years into the workplace or once a person hits a steady stride in his or her career, lateral moves and growth should be expected and sought out. Personally I’ve already made two very decided lateral moves in my career.

When I moved from Richmond to DC a few years ago I remained at the same company, in the same department, but moved to a different team. I left what was a very sexy role that offered me significant exposure to very senior executives (I’m talking C-level). I know some people, especially in my own peer set, must have thought I was crazy. But it was thought-out. I was intentionally diversifying myself so to broaden my own experience, figure out what I liked and didn’t like, as well as what I was good at and what I wasn’t so good at. After about a year I made another lateral move. Again, I am sure there were skeptics and people who had strong perspectives about my choices. Again, it was all very thought-out. 

Sure, I took a risk in these moves. I could have most certainly realized that the first role was in fact what I should have stuck with. I’m sure my career and life would have been fine -- wonderful in fact -- had I done that, but I personally needed more. 

I believe 100% that while my lateral moves might have seemingly stagnated me for a few years they taught me an incredible amount, made me more well rounded and experienced, and set me up to be catapulted to where I am today.

I would think most professionals, provided they are comfortable taking thought-out risks, would agree with lateral moves at some point in a career. I wonder though, can we make lateral moves in our personal lives?

I have a friend who once told me when he broke up with a longtime girlfriend that for him life and relationships were about growth. He and this girl were no longer growing together, which meant to him, that they were growing apart. While I believe this to an extent in relationships, if you’re not growing [upwards] as a person is it not progress to grow in a different way?

I’m not talking about getting fat here. I’m talking about maybe taking two steps forward but then floundering, making some mistakes, and maybe taking one step, or sometimes two, or sometimes even three steps back. But learning from these stumbles, picking yourself up, and continuing on. We encourage this professionally, but do we -- can we, or should we -- encourage this personally or socially?

I'm all about progress. I consider myself a pretty driven, put together person. Though I'm human and I have my moments when I am a mess. 

Some of my close friends might have an idea what is driving me to consider this. I don’t know the answer and I am not making excuses, but if it’s all about growth why do we have to control the way -- upwards or outwards -- that we grow? If we’re learning we’re learning and to me that’s progress.