Personal Growth: Flower Where You're Planted

Personal growth doesn't necessarily only happen when the conditions are perfect. Seeds tend to develop only when conditions are right. A seed will remain dormant, or inert, until moisture and temperature are favorable for growth. Unfortunately, as humans, we don’t always have the luxury of growing when conditions are just right. Sometimes you must cultivate personal growth and flower where you’re planted, often in spite of external circumstances.

Being Dormant Does Not Promote Personal Growth

For much of my life, I let external circumstances dictate my happiness. If things weren’t going well, then I wasn’t well. I told myself that I would be happier if conditions were right. If I had a different job. If I lived in a different city. If I had more money. If I had more friends: if, if, if.

With this mindset, I gave myself tacit permission to stay emotionally dormant. I was waiting for things around me to change before I would do the work to become a better version of myself. In other words, I made my personal growth conditional on external circumstances.

Personal Growth Means You Flower Where You're Planted

The problem with waiting for change outside of yourself is that you might have to wait a very long time, maybe even forever. And if you stay dormant while waiting, you aren’t growing. You’re simply stuck in place. You certainly aren’t becoming the better version of yourself that you want to be.

If you choose to flower where you’re planted, you stop waiting and you start doing. You recognize that you don’t depend on anyone or anything else for your personal growth and happiness. You are the active creator of the life you want.

Cultivate a Mindset of Personal Growth

If you want to engage in personal growth, like planting seeds, you have to do some work to make it happen. You can't wait around for everything to fall into place.

Start with pulling up your emotional weeds. Examine yourself and remove the negative thoughts and behaviors that are holding you back. Then, work on the foundation that you have. Practice life affirming rituals that build your self esteem and happiness.

Personal growth is something you can strive for. It may not come naturally, especially if you live with depression, but when you cultivate this mindset, you will flower no matter where you’re planted.

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Image from Pixabay user klimkin.