I am a keen gardener. I love the feeling of my bare hands touching the soil. It connects my inner soul with the earth. Being outside with the warmth of the sun on my shoulders, the rich smells of the humid soil brings joy to my soul. I love planting seedlings in the lap of mother earth, knowing that in time these seedlings will blossom into full bloom, rewarding my hard work and my commitment with a splendid spell of visual color.
Our lives are our gardens. We are each given a patch of soil to work with. Each patch comes with a unique type of soil, a different layout, different seeds and plants and different climates. Some gardens are traditional and conservative in layout and some gardens are wild and free in growth. Every garden has the potential to be very beautiful. Seeds must be planted and watered. Weeds must be removed. You must shine light on your garden, and make sure that it is loved and nurtured. The universal truth of all gardens is that it will flourish if looked after, despite the choice of layout or plants. In order for a garden to deliver on splendor it should be fed with the right fertilizer and foods, it should be watered regularly and should be weeded timeously.
If we want our lives to deliver splendid results we should be committed to tending to our gardens daily. Right now, you have a garden. The garden that is your life. Maybe it is a bit dry and weedy. Maybe it could do with some watering and tending. The point is, work with what you have right now at this moment. There’s no use wishing you had a different garden. This is the one that is yours. Be a good steward to your garden. The following life gardening tips have delivered on beautiful results in my garden: Have a Life Vision “To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe.” – Anatole France
A gardener visualizes the beauty of the roses, the blooms, the colors and the patterns of the plants first before anything else. Having a clear picture of your desired outcomes for your life is the starting point of a successful life. It will serve to motivate you in times of difficulty. A clear vision will focus your efforts and it will assist you to be clear on your goals. No successful garden has ever been planted without a vision first.
Plan and set goals “A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.” – Liberty Hyde Bailey
When a gardener starts working the soil of the land, it is with a clear plan in mind. A successful gardener is informed on where the seedlings are to be planted, how long it will be before the seedlings bloom and how much of nurturing and time is needed before the results will be visible. Planning and setting clear goals for your life in order to achieve your vision is part of working towards your life’s success. As with a garden, your life goals should mirror the cycles and seasons. In order to plant and reap success you need to plan. In order to plan you need to be informed on what it is that you want to achieve and what is needed to achieve the required results. One is never too old to renovate your garden.
Nurturing “The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.” – Alfred Austin
A committed gardener takes care of his/her garden. The successful gardener guards the young seedlings, looking out for pests, disease and weeds. In order to live and achieve the life successes that you envisage you need to take accountability for your life and yourself. You need to be committed to your dreams and goals. You need to work hard at keeping a positive attitude and taking ownership for choices. In order for your life to be fulfilling you need to safeguard your thoughts and your values. Be aware of what you plant inside your mind, because whatever the choice of seed is so will be the bloom. In other words be mindful of negative beliefs and thoughts. Root it out as a gardener will root out weeds. Feed and nurture your life with positive affirmations and actions. Guard your dreams.
Resilience “The garden is growth and change and that means loss as well as constant new treasures to make up for a few disasters.” – May Sarton. Successful gardeners know that not all seedlings will bloom. They do get disappointed when after all the effort and dedication some seedlings are lost, but they never become despondent. Life’s journey is long and the road may be bumpy at times.
You might even be derailed of your plan by life’s challenges, but the secret to living a successful life and achieving once vision is resilience. So many people give up when life becomes difficult. As with a garden one must expect and accept upsets. Seedlings will die, soil will dry out, a hail storm or an unexpected disease may ruin the blooms. The gardener that can manage and accept disappointment as part of the process and still continue working towards his dream garden is usually the successful one. Most successful people have had to endure great challenges and disappointments in life. They chose to embrace the lessons, but not to ever give up.
Do not expect to transform your garden all at once. Do not become paralyzed or disheartened because it seems too big a task. Just start somewhere. Take one little corner of your garden, and work with that. All beautiful things are created little by little, piece by piece. They do not appear all at once. The main thing is just to do a little bit every day. In this way, all seeds sprout. A little every day, with water, light, and good soil.
Tend to your life like a garden. Be good stewards of the gift of life.
