“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
~ Martin Luther

Maybe it’s because spring is finally hitting its stride here in southern Oregon, or maybe it’s because I was just talking with a gardener, but recently I’ve been thinking in terms of gardening metaphors: seeds, plants, and trees, which offer so many great lessons.

For instance, consider some of the qualities of an apple tree that can also apply to our lives:

• It starts as a tiny seed…just like each one of us! And it’s not just our body that starts off small. World-changing inventions and artistic masterpieces start with a tiny kernel of an idea. Epic journeys begin with a single step. Lifelong friendships and romantic relationships begin with that first split-second encounter. In all areas of life, magnificence arises from humble — and often tiny — origins.
• There’s far more to it than meets the eye. In order to grow tall and stand firm, a tree requires a vast structure of roots below the ground. The essential growth processes (photosynthesis, nutrient absorption, etc.) take place largely out of sight. The visible part of a tree (or an iceberg or a business or a creative project or a person) is just a small part of the whole.
• It gains strength as it grows. A tiny sapling can easily be injured or destroyed by a person, an animal, or a storm. So it might require a little extra nurturing and protection in the early stages of growth. The same is true for a newly budding idea, relationship, or project, which is why I often advise people not to share their personal “saplings” prematurely (except with those who will also nurture them).

The lessons from a single tree are seemingly endless, but the one that’s been coming up the most recently for me is this:

You give the world an abundance of gifts just by being yourself and expressing your true nature!

Again, let’s think of an apple tree: Simply by being an apple tree, it provides shelter for birds and other animals, beauty for humans (especially this time of year, when the spring blossoms start to bloom), and apples for everyone — year after year!

And in order to provide these lavish gifts to others, all the apple tree needs to “do” is to simply BE itself!

And that’s really all it can do! At the risk of becoming absurd (or anthropomorphic), an apple tree couldn’t turn turn itself into a pear tree or a rose bush or a tomato plant…no matter how hard it “tried”! Nor does it need to put forth supernatural effort to create apples (or buds or leaves or branches).

Again, it simply needs to be itself.

Yes, an apple tree provides many gifts, such as nourishment, oxygen, and beauty. But it’s not trying to be giving or altruistic or even good. It’s simply expressing the fullness of its nature. It’s just being itself. And by doing this, its natural beauty and gifts overflow — abundantly, naturally, and continuously. It shares its greatest gifts simply by being who it already is!

Just like you.

…

(Photo by Denis Kadackii.)

P.S. I’m excited to introduce our  Soul Connection Kit!

It includes Soulful Journals, Soul Clarity Cards, and other fun ways to get in touch with your higher self, listen to your inner voice, and connect with your soul.

Right now we’re having a huge special on the whole kit — over 55% off all month! Click here to learn more.

How many times have you heard this story?

Someone is living a more-or-less “normal” life…

Maybe things are going fairly well, or maybe they’re not going so great. But basically, they’re just going. Things are just kind of chugging along. Time is passing. And while their life isn’t necessarily terrible (although it might be), they’re certainly not living up to their potential. They’re not fulfilling their life purpose. They’re not living each moment with passion, joie de vivre, and personal/spiritual fulfillment.

But then…

The “unthinkable” happens. Everything changes in a heartbeat. Tragedy strikes.

It could take many different forms:

• They get into a car accident.
• They’re diagnosed with cancer.
• They lose a loved one.
• They develop an addiction…and hit rock bottom.
• Their partner leaves them.
• They have a near-death experience.

In one form or another, they feel like the rug is pulled out from under them. And there’s no going back to the way things were.

And while these tragedies are indeed tragedies, there’s often an upside:

• They start to turn their life around.
• They stop taking life for granted.
• They go after their dreams and live the life they know they’re meant to live.
• They realize and experience the holiness of life.
• They appreciate each moment for the gift it is.
• They’re completely transformed.
• And, perhaps for the first time ever, they start to truly live.

Yes, these stories are beautiful, amazing, awe-inspiring, moving, and motivational. (Or at least the endings are!)

And while no one would ever wish for a tragedy, the outcome is often so beautiful that they might not take back the experience even if they could.

But what if you didn’t have to choose? What if you could have a happy ending without the tragic turning point? What if you didn’t need a brush with death in order to fully live? What if you could transform from home…rather than from the hospital? What if you could wake up without the wake-up call?

Maybe it’s because I just finished the Rewrite Your Story ecourse, but lately I’ve been thinking of life in terms of a story — not just writing but also editing your story! So when I hear a tale of triumph-from-tragedy, I can’t help but think of how the story could be “edited” — how someone might be able to soar to great heights without first hitting rock bottom.

I think that it comes down to two things:

1. Conscious Living – Most of the stories boil down to this: Someone was living semi-consciously, but a tragedy caught their attention and made them live with heightened awareness…and passion, purpose, and zest for life.
2. Choice – Oftentimes, a traumatic experience (such as a near-death experience) doesn’t seem to leave us much choice — it pretty much forces us to change the way we live! But perhaps voluntarily making this choice and this change could preempt the need for a tragic wake-up call.

It’s almost as if the Universe says to us:

“I’m going to teach you some important lessons. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way.”

And we often take the hard way — learning from the proverbial “brick in the head” rather than the soft whispers and gentle nudges. And while learning from the “brick” is better than not learning at all, I’d personally opt for the gentle nudge — heeding the “still, small voice” rather than waiting for a violent yell.

Now, just to clarify, none of this is meant to detract in any way from the dramatic, life-altering experiences that so many people have undergone. To be certain, they are powerful and profound. Nor do I mean to suggest that they brought tragedy upon themselves or were somehow “less than” in terms of consciousness or in any other way. Also, I fully acknowledge that lessons often come to us in exactly the form that will have the greatest impact on our lives — which may sometimes involve tragic circumstances.

So, rather than diminish the powerful experiences of those who have gone through life-altering tragedies, I hope to honor them — in part by learning from their hard-earned lessons and, hopefully, helping others avoid the suffering that they went through to gain those lessons!

So, how can we preempt tragedy…and still gain valuable life lessons?

One way is to learn from others. Take their stories to heart. Give thanks that they lived to tell of their experiences…and to share what they learned from them.

Another way is to imagine yourself at the end of a transformational story (the inspiring part, after the tragedy)! Imagine how your life might be different because of your experiences. Imagine what lessons you would have learned, how you see life differently, and how you live differently. You paid a heavy price, but you gained an invaluable lesson.

Then imagine that life gives you a reprieve: you get to choose to gain the lesson without paying the tragic price. And that’s what you decide to do…right now! You decide to use this moment as a gentle wake-up call. You decide to learn from others’ painful experiences in order to preempt unnecessary pain, suffering, or the regret that can come from a life not fully lived.

By doing this you’re not just preempting tragedy, you’re preempting regret! And you’re beginning to live a fuller, richer, and more rewarding life than ever before! You’re stepping into your purpose and living your dreams! And, perhaps best of all, you’re doing this without a tragedy!

No, it might not make for such a dramatic story; but, hopefully, it will make for an incredibly fulfilling life!

…

How can you incorporate the lessons from transformational stories WITHOUT waiting for a tragedy? What can you do STARTING TODAY to live more fully, consciously, and appreciatively?

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read this. I hope that it touched or inspired you in some way! If you enjoyed the post, feel free to share it — by clicking on the share buttons…or in any other way. Thanks! 🙂

…

Photo by frugo.

Imagine that you’re walking through an enormous garden. It overflows with roses, tulips, lilies, and dozens of other flowers. There’s also a huge section dedicated to vegetables: lettuce, tomatoes, squash, and almost every other veggie you can imagine — an entire salad bar in the making!

And you stroll through this amazing, abundant, richly varied garden, holding a watering can, trying to decide which of these plants you’d like to water.

Unfortunately, you can’t water them all. After all, you’ve only got a limited amount of water in your can, so you’d like to choose something you really want to nurture. Something you really care about. Something you want to help grow. Something you really love.

So you walk up and down the rows of flowers and veggies, trying to decide what to water…and then you see it! Growing in a far corner of the garden is the plant you want to water! So you walk over to the plant, tip your watering can over, and pour all your water on…the poison ivy!

Sounds ridiculous, right?

But how often have you seen someone do basically the same thing? In other words, how often have you seen them spend their limited time, energy, and attention on something negative — essentially “watering” something that you wouldn’t think they (or anyone else) would want to grow?

We’ve probably all fallen into this trap at one point or another. I know I’ve been guilty of it (and may even be doing it right now to an extent — so I’ll make a shift as quickly as possible!). It might take the form of repeating something negative that you heard about — and getting worked up about it all over again! Or jumping into the fray of a mud-slinging discussion board. Or sharing (or even just clicking the “Like” button for) a cynical or mean-spirited poster making the rounds on Facebook.

This is totally understandable. In this day and age, it’s so easy to have your attention sucked into something that isn’t really worthy of your time.

But it’s even easier to find things that ARE worthy of your time — people, stories, pictures, and ideas that you care about deeply, that want to nurture, that you LOVE!

Anyway, getting back to the garden… It’s like you’re walking past all those beautiful plants and deciding which ones you’d like to water. And the truth is, you can’t water them all. Yes, you have an unlimited supply of some things (such as love and spirit and goodness), but on a practical level, your resources are limited:

• You only have so many hours in the day.
• You only have so much attention that you can give.
• You only have so much energy.
• You only have so much “water in your can.”

So the question becomes: How are you going to use it?

• If you only have about 20 minutes per day for commenting on blogs or interacting on social media, do you want to spend it complaining, tearing others down, or uplifting everyone who reads your words (and senses your spirit)?
• If you only click the “Like” button a few times a day, wouldn’t you rather voice your support for something that raises you up?
• If you only have enough energy to devote to a few projects per day, don’t you want to make sure that they’re worthy of your energy?

This gardening metaphor reminds me of a quote that a life coach once told me:

“Thoughts are like seeds; do you want flowers or weeds?”

She was making the point that habitually negative thoughts lead to negative results, while positive thoughts lead to beautiful results. It’s just a matter of which thoughts we “plant” and nurture.

And the same could certainly be said for externals — for other people’s thoughts, words, and actions. Unlike our own thoughts, we can’t necessarily control what other people think, say, and do; but we can choose whether or not to lend our energy to these words and deeds. We can choose to nurture them with our attention, or walk on by to something that nurtures US as well!

Yes, some people will spend their time trying to remove (or at least contain) the “poison ivy.” And that may be quite noble, but you have to be careful not to infect yourself in the process! Also, there’s a fine line between giving something energy in opposition and giving it energy in support. In either case, you’re giving it your energy — which can be like an infusion of fertilizer!

And wouldn’t you rather give your energy to something/someone you love? Wouldn’t you rather water the yummy vegetables or the colorful flowers? Wouldn’t you rather see those bloom and fill your life with health and beauty?

Clearly, the watering can is just an analogy. In most cases, you’re not literally pouring water on things you want to nurture — you’re pouring something much more valuable: every time you give your time, energy, and attention to something, you’re pouring YOURSELF into it!

And you deserve to have your energy go into the most life-affirming, soul-affirming, YOU-affirming places possible. You deserve to nurture your own highest self. You deserve the best!

…

What do you want to “water” with your time, energy, and attention? What “plants” are so important to you that you’d like to nurture them and help them grow? What do you feel is worth pouring your heart, your soul, and yourself into?

Thank you so much for being here and “watering” me and my blog with your attention. I realize that you only have a certain amount of time each day for reading, so I especially appreciate you spending some of that time with me. I’ll always do my best to make it worth your while — to plant “seeds” that I feel are worth your time and attention — to offer words, ideas, and perspectives that I feel are worth nourishing…and will hopefully nourish you in turn. 🙂

…

Photo by Viktor Gmyria.