Getting By is Not Enough

Creativity never dies. It just gets stunted or tangled up when one doesn’t cultivate or nurture.

Outside my beautiful flower pots had become a tangled mess of live and dead flowers. As I began to separate them, I remembered the importance to prune. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to do that and it hurt the flowers in those pots.

As I began to untangle the flowers that became intertwined, I noticed several things that automatically translated into some life doings.

I had planted too many flowers in my large pots.

The nurseries recommend that you leave a few inches between each flower or plant. The reason they say this is because it gives the plant space to grow healthy, deep roots and flourish comfortably sideways.

•  Sometimes we get so excited about different ventures that we take on way too much and do not slow down enough to ask ourselves if it enhances our current gifts or talents or hinders them. It gets further complicated because we tend not to learn any one thing well or let it take deep root and flourish correctly. 

My flowers looked like they needed attention (badly).

Don’t get me wrong, I watered them almost everyday as needed. So they were getting the nutrition that they needed. However, water and fertilizer is not enough. A lot of flowers need to be pinched and pruned. This promotes the continuity of healthy growth. I neglected to do that although I knew I had to, and it was apparent by looking at them that they needed it.

• As we get older we learn that getting by is not enough. We understand that the investment of time and oneself is what ultimately brings desired results. If your life garden remains the same, it’s because you’re not doing enough to change it. Change is uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Sometimes it’s necessary to cut back or drop certain things, habits and people so that the manifestation of your gifts and talents can flourish. 

Dead Weight

As I untangled the flowers, many fell out automatically because they were unable to establish good roots. There were some that had become so long they looked straggly. Some had very dried leaves although they continued to flower. As I began to cut and search for all the dead sections, I noticed that they had become a negative weight to the healthy ones in the pot. The unhealthy and dead flowers were detrimental to the live ones.

• Just because something worked a certain way in the past to bring good results doesn’t mean that it will necessarily work in the present. When you look at successful people, there is one trait that you’ll notice. They’re not afraid to try the same something a different way which means whatever didn’t work gets filed away and used only as a learning reference.

Where did all the flowers go?

I should be sad to report that my pots look pretty miserable right now and although it’s true, the pots look pretty pathetic, I know from experience that in a few short weeks, those pots will be filled with gorgeous healthy flowers. And…if that doesn’t work, I can always put new pretty ones in.

• Less for the most part is always more. One thing that maturity in age teaches you is that when you slow down, it provides you insight and perspective you cannot get when you’re in a constant blaze. You appreciate more therefore your output has quality and not necessarily quantity. Your craft becomes polished and achieves what it was destined for in the first place.

When I looked at the heap of dead flowers on the ground, I was reminded of one of my new friends and online business trainer who we affectionately call Tazy. He constantly reminds us the importance of learning something well and successfully before taking on what’s next.

Challenge yourself into growth today. Look at your life garden and see what needs to be pruned and pulled. Once you do, patiently nurture, cultivate and wait for growth. You may have to add new plants but that’s the beauty of the garden of life. We can always change what we want to see grow.