Weed Your Mental Garden
I’ve grown a vegetable garden every summer for most of my life but it is only recently that I have fully appreciated the true bounty it has provided me. And, the bounty I refer to is in addition to the food I grow.
Like most people in my personal sphere, I live my life at a fairly rapid pace, have a healthy social life, connected in far too many ways and am almost constantly thinking about the next strategic move in one of my four simultaneous careers. Yet, when I am weeding my garden, I am totally living in the present and, because I am living in the moment, my stress level drops, my worries disappear and my subconscious creative problem-solving mechanism kicks into high gear.
As I tug and pull, I realize that every weed I have eliminated was, in some way, stealing the nutrients needed to nourish my tomatoes, peppers, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, beans and herbs. And, as I’m weeding and watering my living 20’ X 12’ green wonder, I absolutely know that I am also nurturing myself.
Walking back from the garden to my house today, a thought flitted across my consciousness. I know I take very good care of my garden but wondered, “Am I taking the time to identify and pull all the metaphorical weeds that may be draining my own nourishment?” So, I ask myself, “Am I spending enough time with and nurturing those relationships that stimulate my curiosity and feed my spirit or have I fallen into the trap of ‘guilt’ and continue to hang on to people who sap my energy. If so, do I have the courage to weed out those individuals? ”
Does what I read stimulate my thinking or dull my creativity? Does what I watch on TV and at the movies enhance my creativity or fill me with unrecognized negativity and numb my mind? Does the food I put in my body nourish me like the rich soil in my garden enriches my vegetable plants? Or, does what I take into my body tax my system and deplete my physical energy?
I’ve arrived at some conclusions – and that makes all the work I put into having a beautiful garden worthwhile in more ways than one. Whether you have a garden or not, I think it’s good food for thought.
James Mapes is the founder of Quantum Leap Thinking™, creator of The Transformational Coach™, expert on the psychology of “applied imagination,” best-selling author, highly acclaimed business speaker, consultant, seminar leader and personal excellence coach.