As far as I can tell, this is how life-long growth happens.
Fantasy: We want it to be linear and predictable. It isn’t.
Growth Wave: Over the short-term, it oscillates like a wave. Sometimes smooth, like a sine wave, sometimes harsh, like triangle, sawtooth, square or complex waves.
Life Spiral: Over the long-term, we tend to spiral upward, often encountering the same challenges from different vantage points. Ideally, also with and increasingly wider comfort zone.
Combined, the growth (height) and expanded comfort zone (width) allow us to overcome what we once saw as un-overcome-able. What once nearly destroyed us becomes a small scrape; which then becomes just another thing we notice.
So learn, expand your comfort zone and travel upward.