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important lessons from my garden

It’s funny isn’t it, how we can find so many common links and parallels between so many different areas in life.

So many ‘hidden’ or not so hidden ‘messages’ in the things we do that we often miss or ignore.

So I thought I would demonstrate this with what i’ve learned in lock down in my garden and have a little fun with you today.

I’ve developed quite the set of green fingers during lockdown and there’s a few key things i’ve learned from growing our own ‘stuff’.

From seeds starting in the greenhouse we’ve grown two types of peas. Mizuna greens (which is basically rocket!), lettuce, carrots, rosemary, thyme, radishes, Chard, Beetroot, sunflowers, borage, pumpkins, courgettes….and probably a load of stuff i’ve forgotten!

So what have I learned in the process that can help you in your business or other areas of your life...

You’ve got to clear out the weeds FIRST

If you don’t, the things you WANT to grow won’t or can’t! The weeds will just take over.

So what ‘weeds’ do you need to take out?

Are there some pesky thoughts and beliefs that need weeding out?

Some people that are holding you back?

What are the ‘weeds’ stopping you growing what you want to right now?

Everything blooms in it’s own time, patience, let go of control

This is a big one.

You don’t plant a seed one day and expect it to be fully grown the next day do you? No!

So why do we do this in other areas of our lives?

Delayed gratification is actually SO much more satisfying.

Good things take time.

They take patience.

You can’t rush through the process no matter how hard you want to.

Consistency is key

Oh goodness this is a big one!

When you’re trying to grow something from nothing you can’t just do it willy nilly, every so often.

Are you going to get more results watering your seeds one day, then leaving it for a week….or watering it every day?

There will be hot days where more watering will be required...but water is still needed on the colder days too.

Seeds don’t feed themselves and they can’t grow without water.

Nurture

Which takes me nicely onto nurturing.

This is so important, whatever stage you’re at, everything still needs nurturing.

Whether this is audiences, leads, relationships, tech, networks you’re building, clients you have.

It’s the same.

If the plant is a seed, seedling or full grown it still needs nurturing right?

It doesn’t get to a certain point and you just stop.

The needs may change slightly but they can’t flourish and reach their full potential without your nurture right?

Nothing grows on it’s own.

Sometimes you can do everything right but it still doesn’t work.

It’s the nature of the beast.

Sometimes, we’ve done everything the right way but it just doesn’t work out for some reason.

Take my Bergamot and Sweet William for example.

They got exactly the same treatment as everything else but they just didn’t grow.

There was just a sad two rows in my seed trays with nothing there.

It didn’t make any sense.

BUT, I can choose to feel like I failed, or blame the seeds for not growing...or I can research it a little more, see where I may have gone wrong and try again next year.

It may be they needed LESS water or MORE water. Or mabe they would have been better planted straight into the ground.

Just a little different treatment to the other plants.

Just because something doesn’t work the first time doesn’t mean it’s always going to be the case.

If it’s something you want, try again.

Work out what may have gone wrong, see if there’s a different way and go again.

Nothing grows bigger than the boundaries you give it

This was interesting for me and sooooo telling.

Once your seedlings get to a certain size you need to put them into a bigger pot.

It’s the only way they’ll keep growing.

And then again and again until they’re ready to be planted in the big vegetable patch or in the flower beds where they can REALLY find their feet (or roots!)

We have some amazing lettuces. All planted at the same time.

The ones in the veg patch are humongous and have kept us in Salad for months.

There were two that didn’t fit in the patch so we kept them in a big pot.

They are about a tenth of the size. They simply haven’t grown.

They are very much alive. Very much there. But tiny.

So we can’t eat them. They won’t fulfill their purpose!

So where are you boxing in your own boundaries or containers meaning you can’t grow?

Where are you not thinking big enough or allowing your thoughts to keep you playing small?

Certain plants live to choke other beautiful flowers.

They can look pretty but they aren’t everything they seem.

There’s a viscous side to them.

All they want to do is feed off other plants to make themselves feel better.

Are you catching my drift with this one? ;-)

There will always be the bad seeds who want to see you fail, to bring you down.

Don’t let them.

See them for what they are.

Have empathy for the fact they feel they have no choice.

They aren’t aware. But you can be!

Team work is so important

Tobes and I created our ‘crop’ all together.

I planted the majority of the seeds and I watered them every single day.

We ‘pricked out’ the seedlings together.

Tobyn got the veg patch ready with weeding and tending to the soil.

We built the frames for the peas together.

I tied up the peas as they were growing so they could grow in the right direction and have the best chance.

We netted so we could protect the plants from pests and keep things organic.

I water the veg patch every day.

Tobes weeds it.

I picked the blackcurrants and raspberries and put them in the freezer.

It’s been team work all the way.

Tobes cooks it!

You don’t have to do everything on your own.

It’s so much easier with someone on your side.

Whether that’s a coach, a mentor, a VA, a business manager, a membership community.

You need to be able to bounce things off other people. Stay doing the bits you enjoy and work with someone who compliments your skills.

Two heads are better than one and you will have MUCH better results.

Persistence is non negotiable

There may be certain things you don’t want to do that are necessary for the plants to thrive.

Push through it and just get it done rather than keeping it in your noggin…OR get someone else to do it!

It was weeks before I saw ANY results with my seeds.

That can make you give up, stop nurturing and watering….but what if they were JUST about to burst through the soil?

How would you know?

I had to trust they were coming.

Every day i’d go in with a little hope to see nothing.

Wonder why it was taking so long, if I was doing something wrong, how come other people have seedlings already and I don’t...etc etc!

There were doubts if I was doing the ‘right’ thing.

Was there something else I should do?

But I kept going in and doing what needed to be done.

Then one day there was one little green shoot, then another, then eventually I had an entire greenhouse full of seedlings.

I now have 3 vegetable patches full of food.

It’s taken time. Energy. Commitment. Trust. Patience. Experiments. Nurture.

Has it been worth it?

Hell yes! When I get to go outside, grab a pea pod, open it and eat the peas straight out of it.

When we eat our dinner every night and there’s something from the garden in there. It’s worth it.

It’s worth it for the sense of pride. It’s worth it for the knowledge that I grew it and we get to benefit from the fruits of our labour.

It means more!

It may not always be easy, you have to try different things to see what works.

But when you literally get to enjoy the fruits of your labour it’s worth every effort.

It’s worth the time, the trial, the errors, the failures, the lessons.

So stick with it and tend to that beautiful garden of yours ;-)

Fx

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The Positive Pants Podcast

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Important Lessons From My Garden