Plastic Plants

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

For every project you start, make a list of all that needs to happen and then cross off everything that you have no control over.  You won’t be surprised to learn that most of the list gets crossed off.  We CAN control our actions, responses, thoughts and emotions.  But pretty much everything else is out of our control.  We can deal with issues as they arise, but we cannot control most of the process. And we can never be 100% certain of the outcome whether we are in control or not.

Seeds are much the same way.  When planted, they control when they germinate, how deep their roots grow, and when they decide to bloom.  But their growth is also limited by where they are planted, the quality of the soil, and the amount of sunshine and water they receive. The farmers that planted the seeds can guess at what fertilizer they will need or what pests might show up that year, but they too are limited by the “not knowing” of what will be needed for the seeds to reach their full potential. 

Seeds oversee their internal timing, but cannot control any external factors.  They can either adapt or die.  Farmers can plant with the best of intentions and nurture the growth, but they cannot predict the outcome, no matter how many years of “practice” they have had.

In addition, seeds take time to grow.  Nothing is popped into the ground one day and in full bloom the next.  In large part because seeds need to understand their environment first and decide if they CAN grow.  No seed is placed in “perfect” growing conditions.  They need to understand the lay of the land.  Likewise, the farmer, once the seed has started to sprout, must analyze the crop and determine what is needed for optimal growth and how to best nurture, feed and protect it.

I love the seed analogy but struggle with how humans try to incorporate it.  We “get” what is needed when we are talking about flowers or trees, but when it comes to planting seeds for what we want to do differently in our own lives, it takes on different meaning.  We seem to live under the delusion that if I say I want change, I plant a seed in my mind and tomorrow when I wake up, change should be magically blooming.  We are sold a world of instant gratification, but no such thing exists.  At least as it relates to change. 

My friend Carol used the analogy of “growing” plastic plants.  We can plant them, and they instantly look pretty, but no matter how much we water them or expose them to sunlight, they will never change.  No amount of fertilizer or love or proper soil will make them look any different.  Plastic plants are instant gratification.  Bright and pretty, but no substance. 

When we plant seeds, we also need to build in the opportunity for them to bloom.   The expectation that they will take time to come to fruition.  When we expect instant change and it doesn’t happen, we set ourselves up for failure.  And we lose trust in ourselves. 

We are capable of change, great change.  But, like plastic plants, we need to move past the immediate beauty that has no opportunity for further growth and find the patience to watch our lives blossom.  Slowly.  Steadily.  Gracefully. We cannot control 100% of the outcome, but we can nurture ourselves every step of the way until we reach full bloom.

What seeds can you plant today? And how will you help them bloom?

Much love

Lisa

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Lisa Hamil is a founding member and host for The SOS Collective, an online international women’s recovery and support group.  However, this blog and any classes or coaching offered by Lisa Hamil LLC are separate from and not affiliated in any way with The SOS Collective.