“To see things in the seed, that is genius.”
~Lao Tzu
We can’t help but plant seeds. Every moment is bursting with potential, and everything we do makes a statement about what is important to us. Our lives go in one direction, or another. We choose suffering, or happiness. We are relaxed or stressed, awake or asleep.
A friend of mine has a strong tendency toward negative thinking. It’s remarkable, really, how creative he can be to see the glass as half empty. I asked him to bring his awareness into his body, and his immediate response was, “I can’t do that.” With a little coaxing, he agreed to try, and the sense of peace was palpable in the room. It was the beginning of planting a new seed.
This is what makes life so amazing! We don’t have to be resigned to the same old, same old. We don’t have to continue to be trapped, stuck, or limited. We are not required to play out the script of our lives as if it has already been written.
Here’s the truth: every moment is fresh and new. And this may be your moment to plant a new seed.
Weeds You Feed
If you are considering tapping into your inner gardener, it might be worth your while to see what weeds you have been fertilizing. What have you been feeding that doesn’t serve?
- Fear. Are you making decisions out of fear rather than from clarity and joy? Signs are boredom, discontent, and frustration. Take a look to see how you might be worshipping at the altar of fear and limitation.
- Old baggage. Are you looking at the world through the lens of your past? What would it be like to throw away these old mindsets and see things as they actually are?
- Victimhood. Are you playing the blame game while identifying yourself as the victim? This can’t possibly support the expression of your beautiful, bountiful self.
- Self-limiting thoughts. Do you believe that you are inadequate, less than, not good enough? These thoughts may appear in your mind, but believing them fertilizes the seed of self-judgment. And nothing good comes from that.
- Emotional drama. Do you choose a good story over enduring peace and happiness? Maybe the gossip, upset, and expectations about what people should and shouldn’t do don’t serve you or anyone else.
- Compulsive behaviors. An honest appraisal will show you where you are overdoing it or choosing a well-worn, but unsatisfying, even unhealthy path.
See how your choices matter?
Plant One Small Seed
By planting a new seed, you are starting small. There is no need to make a revolutionary change or have a huge epiphany. Simply survey your landscape. See what you are doing that detracts from your happiness and well being, and plant a new seed.
Be willing to be present to yourself and your life and trust that you already know exactly what is needed. It’s OK, I promise. I believe in you more than you will ever know.
Are you ready to garden? Maybe you will :
- Take a couple of breaths
- Make the phone call you have been putting off
- Take a nap
- Go for a walk
- Feel gratitude rather than self-defeat
- Tell someone you love them
- Meet yourself as you are
All it takes is one baby step out of your comfort zone and back to yourself. Test the waters, and you’ll be fine. Eventually your tiny seed will begin to sprout. You will find yourself more aligned with what you really want. Your life will sing your unique song.
I help people plant new seeds all the time, which is why I love the work that I do as a therapist. Someone comes in all tangled up. We set about identifying the beliefs systems they operate under that don’t reflect reality. They learn the intelligent approach to emotions. They discover the freedom that comes from simply being aware. They shed the pressures and misunderstandings they have taken to be true and reconnect with their aliveness. Step by step the knots unravel.
And it all starts by planting one small seed.
What seeds would you like to plant? How’s the gardening going? I’d love to hear…
