Spring has sprung, and I am blooming. Two page spread in Upscale Magazine, Feature in the AJC, One of three finalists for “Fitness Business of the Year” by the Association of Fitness Studios and Nominated for Best Self Magazine’s “Over 40 & Fabulous” all in the same month. As I read all the amazing well wishes and congratulations on social media, many people are also posting things such as; “This is your season”, “So Deserving”, “It’s your time to shine”. As I write this I can’t help but compare my success to that of a gardener planting a garden as a comparable metaphor for life, because trust me all of this did not happen overnight. I have been planting for a long time and I happy watching my harvest grow. It’s time for you to plant your garden and watch your harvest manifest.
Transform these gardening tips into life lessons.
1. Have a Vision for Your Garden?
When you decide to plant a garden, you must create a vision. You can’t just get some seeds and start throwing them around in a field and expect your harvest to grow. Instead you must ask yourself, what type of garden you want to grow, the purpose for your garden and how you want it laid out.
TIP: This year I made personal goals to increase my motivational speaking platform and enhance the “Tadda” brand. I wrote down my goals, specifically how many speaking engagements I wanted to do. What type of speaking engagements and where I wanted to see the Tadda brand manifest such as, stages, magazines and television. I enlisted some accountability partners such as my mentor, Women’s Leadership group and a PR representative. Write down your vision for growth, the underlying purpose and how you plan to accomplish it, then enlist you team.
2. You Need Good Soil
Whatever it is that you decide to plant in your garden, it won’t grow well unless you have “Healthy” soil and excellent hydration. A gardener spends a lot of time, energy and expense cultivating and creating healthy soil. They do this by adding compost, manure, watering systems and other nutrients to the soil to create an environment that is conducive to vibrant growth.
TIP: There are 4 cornerstone habits I feel you need to build a strong foundation for your dreams to manifest: Exercising, eating clean, getting enough sleep and praying. You are the soil and you must feed you all that is needed to cultivate growth of your dreams. If your temple is not well there won’t be a healthy environment for your dreams.
3. You Reap What You Sow
Gardeners knows if you want tomatoes to grow you must first plant tomato seeds. What you put in the soil comes out. Many people look at their lives, they don’t like what they see, and they wonder what went wrong. The answer is that they planted the wrong seeds.
TIP: You can’t expect your dreams to come true if you don’t put the work in. I can say I want more speaking engagements but unless I apply for them, work on my craft and work on that aspect of the business it will not happen. I often say, “Don’t complain about what you got if you didn’t put the work in to get what you wanted”
4. Build a Fence Around your Garden
All moochers love a good crop. If you want a pest-free garden, you need to build a fence around it. The last thing you want is to have furry creatures munching away at your crops. Similarly, you should build a fence around your vision to protect it. That is, set boundaries.
TIP: Keep naysayers and toxic people at arm’s length. Learn that “NO” is a complete sentence. Make sure to block out time to work on your vision and refuse to allow interruptions or distractions take your attention away from reaching your goals.
5. Be patient while tending to your garden
After you’ve prepared the soil and planted the seeds, there’s still lots of work to do in your garden. A garden requires constant care and attention. Pruning, trimming, fertilizing, and watering. Just as a garden needs constant tending, so does your vision.
TIP: When it comes to your vision you must be patient and trust the process. All you can do is take the action that is most likely to produce the results that you want and then patiently await the results. After all your hard work, your garden should start producing a bountiful crop, ready to be picked. A good life plan will produce bountiful rewards: you’ll have a career you love, financial security, good relationships, fond memories of trips and adventures and so on. On the other hand, if your harvest wasn’t as bountiful as you would like it to be, then come up with a different strategy and start planting again. No Mess
