This is Day 9 of My Personal Transformation. I am seeing progress this morning. I am very excited and want to add more to my plate. Not a good idea. This article explains why.
I tried to grow tomato plants this year. My wife told me she wanted a man who could grow heirloom tomatoes. One day, I walked into a nursery, and they had aisle after aisle of seedlings from different areas of the world. This was a sign. So I bought two of them. The next day, I found a spot in the backyard and started the process of planting. Now I thought I knew how to garden. After all, I was taught by my great-grandmother. I was humbled quickly; I know very little about organic growth.
This is a problem that many people face. We think we understand growth or how things grow. Still, we are too impatient, missing critical components, and misunderstand the relationships required for organic growth to thrive. Growth always appears to be slow on a micro level. Change is also chaotic, making it hard to understand the end result. However, once we know the key ingredients for growth, growth does indeed happen. That is if we let it.
This is where impatience comes in. Intervention is usually a bad idea once something is growing. Organic growth always occurs at a natural rate. If you meddle with that by trying to accelerate things, you will usually cause decay, disease, or death. This is true on a personal level. This is true at a business level. Take action to restore the critical components required for growth; do not take action to meddle with something that is already growing.
You may want something to grow faster, but take that shortcut at your peril. You may get the desired result in the short term, but that usually comes with a price tag. Rarely do we want to pay that invoice when it comes due. You should only try to grow something as fast as it will grow with the right circumstances. If you’re going to change the pace of growth, find something else to grow. However, here lies a critical misunderstanding.
We often need help understanding or knowing the correct pace of growth. The rate of growth will occur if the proper prerequisites are in place. Your business may grow slower than it should because the right amount of an ingredient is missing. Additionally, external factors may hurt, halt, or harm the ability to grow. This is also true on a personal level. We need to get comfortable with the correct pace of growth. Expecting too much or not understanding when doing too little is difficult. This is the primary reason to seek outside advice.
Organic growth is also always inconsistent. We expect always to see that line going up and to the right. We always expect that scale to show fewer pounds. We tend to overreact when growth pauses, slows down, or regresses. Usually, we do the worst thing possible. We introduce a new ingredient. Or worse, we apply an excessive amount of one element to fix the problem. What you learn when gardening is sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing.
We cannot make things too easy. Actual organic growth always requires resistance. Make water available to your tree, and the roots will not grow deep. That tree will fall when the branches get too heavy. Growth is shaped by the resistance and challenges experienced. Too much interference will cause you to lose the beauty and fantastic resilience characteristic of all things organic.
The key takeaway is that on any journey to grow, be patient with yourself. Stay calm when progress stalls. Do not give up when facing a little resistance. Do not meddle with your plan once you know it is working. Do not try to take unnecessary shortcuts to make things go faster. Add on slowly. You will get excited when you see it grow and improvements begin to be seen. This is not the time to add or change. This is the time just to let it be.
Work on the ingredients, getting the correct elements in place. Keep things growing, and wait to see how beautiful your creation becomes. I did finally get one beautiful orange and red heirloom tomato. There were a few bugs and a slight rash from too much Nitrogen, but I got a solid tomato. Wife happy.
I recorded a video on this subject. You can find that here.
I have written about lessons we can learn from gardening or nature a few times. Here are some other articles to read:
“The Weeds of Change“: This article delves into the therapeutic nature of pulling weeds and reflects on the connection to gardening, inspired by my grandmother’s influence.
“The Law of Significant Enclosure“: This article discusses the concept of the law of significant enclosure in gardening, which explores the ratio between distance and height of objects to create a sense of safety and freedom in a garden space.
“As the Garden Grows“: In the article, I reflect on my experiences with my great-grandmother, who was a lifelong farmer. These experiences taught me valuable lessons about patience, determination, and the art of nurturing a garden. It’s clear that in today’s fast-paced digital age, there’s a dwindling appreciation for these qualities.
