Hey everyone – as you can see this week I’ve been doing some MAJOR spring cleaning on my website. Do any of you have articles or ideas written down that have been sitting in your draft folder for ages? Or maybe you’ve left them on your computer in hopes of posting it on your site “some day”. (Or maybe it's just me…?) Well, this week, I’ve decided to kick resistance’s bootay and pull these articles out of the closet. (Yep, I just said my articles are coming out the closet…)
Anywho, this is something that I wrote a while back. Now more than ever – given the “state of the economy”, job layoffs, career changes and more – many of you may need to hear this. If you’ve always had a dream to start your business, website, blog, or simply make a change – look around you.
The things you are searching for are probably already in your hands. You just need to pick them up and start doing something with them. *wink*
Stay blessed,
~Thea
P.S. – Now back to the regularly scheduled programming…
Don't Get Rid Of That Crusty Plant…Yet!
I'm sitting here looking at a plant I thought about throwing away in the winter because the leaves dried up, the stems looked like dried twigs, and the flowers looked like dry ash. NOT a good look for home décor, I know.
(Hey – I forgot to water the little thing. Sue me!)
But, since I saw a LITTLE bit of green – a sign that there was a little LIFE left- I instead decided to chop off all of the dead pieces of the plant, leaving only the root.
Throughout winter and spring, I keep watering it – little by little. There were times I thought, “Girl, why are you wasting your time with this crusty plant. Just throw it away. Your mom can just add it to her compost!” But I just couldn’t bring it to myself to get rid of the pitiful looking thing. Instead, week after week, I watered away.
One warm day – I woke up and opened my window blinds. I glanced down at the plant. Guess what? This formerly-crusty-lookin-thang was FULL of life, the leaves were bright green and it was even bearing flowers! It kind of caught me off guard! I mean, I had been watering it and all, but hadn't really paid attention or noticed its growth throughout the weeks until BAM – pink flowers were shooting EVERYWHERE.
As I went to do a little more pruning this evening (I forgot to water it this week, so some pieces of crust snuck in, he he) – a thought came over me: (And yes, I often get inspired by physical occurrences in my everyday life– strange and all. I’m weird like that.)
What would’ve happened if I had thrown that plant away because it appeared to be dead, even though there was a sign it had a little bit of life left? What if I had stopped watering it throughout the winter because it was cold, showed little sign of progress, and appeared to be a waste of time (and water!)? I never would’ve been able to see the beautiful flowers it was going to produce in the spring!
Then it hit me: this flower “incident” was symbolic of my own life. Seriously – it was. How many times have I given up on something too soon because it didn’t pan out the way I thought it should’ve, or maybe there were aspects of it that were pretty hideous.
Of course there are times when I know I have to let something go, but I’m talking about those opportunities that have come my way (or are STILL in my hand) that I didn’t really give enough effort to succeed.
You see, sometimes we blame circumstances, or people, or things, etc… for giving up or for causing us to fail. But if we take a moment to be honest, and we “keep it real” – we would realize that sometimes the only person to blame for our lack of success is the reflection you see in the mirror each and every day.
Sometimes we can see a little green (a little LIFE left) in that opportunity; but rather than watering it (being diligent and giving it our BEST shot), we either get lazy, do nothing with it, or are inconsistent with putting forth the effort it needs to grow, until we finally throw it away.
I know I have.
And if I’m TRULY honest, I at times STILL do.
What about YOU?
But that can change. We’ve heard over and over that the first step to recovery is to be completely honest and to admit an addiction. So often we attribute that to drugs, alcohol, sex, food, etc… But what about failure? Laziness? Disobedience? Inconsistency? Fear? Have you ever thought that perhaps these can be addictions too? I don’t know – all I know is some of the first steps to success is an admission of truth, making a decision, and then following it up with an ACTION. Sometimes that action can be simple as breaking a usual cycle that causes you to make the same mistake. For example:
• If you know you have a habit of overeating or eating junk late at night, go to bed earlier. Or, if you wake up and HAVE to eat something, only eat fruit.
• If you have a habit of watching too much TV, then make a decision not to turn it on AT ALL that day.
• If you drink too much soda, stop buying it. If it’s not in the house, you are less likely to overindulge with it.
• If you started a website (or twitter or facebook account), but you aren't happy with its graphics (or lack thereof), get help.
And the list goes on and on.
These may seem like “common sense” solutions, but really – how many of us KNOW we should or shouldn’t do something, yet we set ourselves up to fail by placing ourselves in the exact scenario each day to guarantee our failure?
If you think or sense you SHOULDN’T do something, DON’T do it. If you think or sense you SHOULD do something, and then DO it.
I’m writing this to you, but I’m really writing this to me too. I just thought I’d share it with you too. In fact, writing this very “blog” post is something I often put off doing because I think I’ll either “do it later” while I help someone else, or my ego thinks it is not something someone else may want to read.
But quite frankly, all of these are excuses.
(See, I don't cut myself any slack either *smile*)
In closing remember this: if you have a dream, a clear goal, a desire, etc… and opportunities come – take them. If you are spending money getting training and mentored, follow the stinkin’ directions and put those teachings into action. If you are nervous and scared – that’s ok. But as it is said, “feel the fear and do it anyway.”
Keep moving forward. Be diligent. Be consistent. Give it your absolute BEST shot. In other words, keep “watering the plant.”
And one day when you least expect, you’ll bloom! *wink*
~Thea a.k.a "Ms. Tryna-Help-A-Fellow-Human-Out"
