5 Things That Matter in Your Garden and With Your Dreams
A Game, A Garden, and a Big Difference for your Dreams!
Some times life lessons come from the most unusual places. This one is no different. A Sesame Street game and my garden recently gave me a few important lesson on reaching for my dreams. Do you remember the game “One of these things is not like the other?” When we were children, it was a catchy song on Sesame Street, designed to cause us to think and play along. If you’re not familiar with it, they’d show four objects. Three were similar and one was different.
This weekend I could have easily played the same game with my zucchini plants. We have three incredibly large zucchini plants in our back yard. And, we have one rather petite plant in a second garden in our side yard. The striking difference in their size made me take notice – the three larger plants were more than five times the size of the other one. I found myself thinking through the reasons for the remarkably different outcomes. Then it hit me – the same factors at play in my garden also greatly impact the harvest of our goals, dreams, and even the purpose for our lives.
5 Things That Matter in Your Garden and With Your Dreams
Soil matters for your Dreams.
When we tilled the soil of the new garden, we turned nutrients into the soil in preparation for the vegetables. I skipped that step with the old garden space. The incredible difference in size between the plants now has been a powerful illustration that the soil matters. When it comes to our dreams, goals, or calling, are we creating an environment that provides the rich nourishment needed to cultivate success or provide effective growth? Our soil matters. If you’re not experiencing the growth you would like, check your environment. Are you marinating in negativity or allowing people or situations to stagnate your growth? Make changes as necessary so that your environment is healthy and nurturing. When you do, your dreams will reap the benefit.
Daylight matters.
My thriving plants in my new garden are exposed to much longer hours of sunlight than the other plants. They’ve flourished the most. Our dreams and goals given the most light of day do the same. When our hopes remain intentions rather than actions, they’re not given the light of day necessary to bloom. Why not write your goals somewhere that you see them regularly. Or create a vision board to capture your motivation and desired direction. Keeping your goals in the forefront of your mind and making them visible will help encourage decisions that support progress.
Time matters to grow your dreams.
We planted one garden first with the other lagging behind a few weeks. It’s no surprise that the one planted first has had a chance to grow and even start to produce way ahead of the other. The sooner we plant our dreams and goals, the sooner they can produce a harvest for us to enjoy. Conversely, the longer we wait, we delay the impact of our actions. But we should not forget that some aspirations will take longer. And, we need to resist the urge to compare to where others are in their journey. Their seasons, timing, and purpose are not yours.
Sowing matters.
You cannot harvest plants that are not placed in your garden. The same is true in life. If you have dreams and goals, you cannot harvest your vision without planting your feet on a path of progress. You never need to take more than one step at a time, but you cannot reap the benefit of your actions if they only remain wishes or items on your todo list that don’t actually get done. Take the next step. Water your garden and celebrate your growth. It’s even Biblical… we reap what we sow. There is no harvest if something hasn’t been planted.
The season matters.
We can’t just plant a garden whenever we feel like it. Living in New England, it would be fruitless and likely impossible to plant a garden in the cold winter months when the ground is frozen. The same is true with our aspirations. Each of us has been born with a purpose. But each season isn’t a season of planting or harvesting our dreams and purpose. In growing our dreams, we need to consider the season and pray for discernment.
A few closing thoughts.
Is right now a season of wait? If so, use the time to learn and grow so that when it’s time to plant you’re equipped. Is right now a season to plant? If so, dig deep to find the courage to start, even if the seeds are small. Maybe now is a season of weeding and pruning so that later the harvest can be richer. Then, weed and prune, they’re necessary steps. Or, maybe this is your harvest season. If so celebrate, be grateful, and encourage others to not give up so that they too can reach a harvest season.
All of these thoughts about my garden have reminded me that I need to spend some time in my garden this weekend. And, after doing so, I plan to look ahead to the schedule of an amazing conference that is coming up this week. I’m ready to be equipped so that I can take the next step with a few of my goals. I guess you could say that I’m ready to add some fresh nutrients to my soil to help me to continue to grow.
It’s your turn.
How about you? What’s your next step towards your dreams and goals? Or, are you in sorting out what your purpose might be, looking for direction? I’d love to hear from you.
If this post encouraged you, why not click to share it and encourage your friends too?
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:
- 5 Important Steps You Need Realize Your Dreams
- My encouragement on Instagram. Click here and click “follow” to join me there.
Until next time, be blessed!
What a great illustration. You have caused me to do some planning for my garden of dreams.
I’m glad you liked the illustration. It has me thinking a lot about my garden and the garden of my dreams too. 🙂