Close-up of flowing water. Photo by Roberto Velardi on Unsplash.

Flow Like Water: A Journey Into Personal Growth and the Unbreathable Spirit Within

Desalegn Terecha

There’s something quietly majestic about water. Watch it trickle down a stream or crash against a shoreline, and you’ll notice—water is always becoming. Never stuck. Never stagnant. It just flows. And in that flow lies a deep lesson for every one of us trying to grow, evolve, or simply make sense of life.

A few months ago, while hiking in the mountains outside Addis Ababa, I stood by a narrow river, watching the water slide over jagged rocks, smooth and unfazed. I thought: this is how I want to live—not in resistance, but in rhythm. That moment became the seed of this reflection on personal growth and the unbreathable spirit of water.

What is the “Unbreathable Spirit”?

The term may sound poetic, and that’s intentional. To me, the unbreathable spirit of water is that silent, relentless inner power—the part of you that refuses to be boxed in, to be dried up, or to stop moving. It’s not something you can grab or define. It just is. Like water, it keeps you in motion even when the path is unclear.

We often think of personal growth as a straight line—a journey from “here” to “better.” But in reality, it’s more like a river. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Sometimes clear, sometimes muddy. And yet, it always finds its way forward. That, to me, is the essence of becoming.

The Ancient Wisdom of Water

Water has long held sacred meaning in cultures across the world. The Tao Te Ching, written over 2,000 years ago by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, praises water as the most powerful force precisely because it yields:

“Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”

Think about that for a second. We often try to force change. Push through. Dominate. But what if we learned to flow around obstacles instead of crashing into them?

Similarly, in African philosophy, water is seen not only as life but as a spiritual bridge. In Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, holy water is used to cleanse, heal, and transform. It reminds us that purification doesn’t always happen through fire—it can happen through gentle immersion.

Water Teaches Us to Adapt

Have you ever noticed how water takes the shape of whatever holds it? A cup. A riverbed. A cloud. It doesn't resist its container, yet it never loses its essence. That adaptability is something we all need in today’s chaotic, fast-changing world.

Sometimes life puts us in situations we didn’t choose—unemployment, heartbreak, loss, failure. I’ve been there too. But water doesn’t protest when the terrain shifts; it simply finds a new way to flow. That’s what it means to be resilient without being rigid.

Reflection and Stillness

Water also teaches us the value of stillness. On a calm lake, your reflection is clear. In stormy water, it’s distorted. The same applies to the mind. In silence, in moments of rest, we see ourselves more clearly.

We live in a noisy world. Notifications, deadlines, opinions—all constantly rushing at us. But personal growth doesn’t always happen in action. Sometimes, it happens in pause. In reflection. In giving yourself permission to just be.

Emotions: The Tides We Must Respect

Let’s not forget: water can also drown. And that’s a truth worth acknowledging. Just like our emotions, water has calm phases and turbulent waves. Growth doesn’t mean avoiding your feelings—it means learning to swim through them.

I used to suppress sadness, thinking strength meant silence. But water taught me something different: to release, not to hold. To cry when I need to. To express joy without guilt. To feel everything without shame.

Art, Beauty, and the Creative Flow

Artists have always turned to water for inspiration. Its light, color, movement—water speaks a language that isn’t logical but emotional. Whether in poetry, painting, or song, water invites us to create from the soul, not the script.

And isn’t that what growth is too? A kind of art. You don’t follow a blueprint. You follow your current. You experiment. You mess up. You make beauty out of chaos.

Letting Go, Like the River

One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is letting go. Of plans. Of control. Of who I thought I was supposed to be. But rivers don’t cling to the past. They move on.

And the truth is, holding on often weighs more than what we’re afraid to release.

“You cannot step into the same river twice, because it’s not the same river, and you’re not the same person.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

How to Flow Like Water

So how do we embody water in our daily lives? Here are a few gentle practices:

• Practice reflection – Journal, meditate, or simply sit by a body of water.
• Let go of resistance – Stop fighting every obstacle. Ask, "Is there another way to move forward?"
• Honor your emotions – Don't suppress the tide. Learn to surf it.
• Adapt and stay true – Be flexible in form, but firm in essence.
• Rest deeply – Even oceans have calm days. So should you.

Final Thoughts

Water doesn’t rush. It flows. It doesn’t force. It adapts. It doesn’t pretend. It reflects. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the kind of life we should strive for—not perfect, but present. Not rigid, but real. Not loud, but deep.

So, next time you drink a glass of water, or hear rain tapping at your window, or watch a river run—pause. And ask yourself: Am I resisting… or am I flowing?

Let the unbreathable spirit of water remind you: you were made to move, to grow, and to keep becoming—quietly, powerfully, beautifully.

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