Prune What's Already Been Planted
Prune What’s Already Been Planted
I’m sure you’ve heard the “Grow Where You’ve Been Planted” sentiment. Which to me means something like, make the best of what you have or perhaps focus on your growth with the situation you’re currently in. But I’d like to explore the idea of pruning what’s already been planted. It feels a little more inspiring to me.
Sometimes we think that a big sweeping change in our business is necessary for us to grow, but what I’ve realized is that it’s the much smaller and more frequent adjustments that make all the difference.
Sometimes we just need to do a little pruning on what’s already been planted in our businesses and in life. If we think about a plant that’s been overgrown, maybe it’s looking a little sad and surly, maybe it has some dead branches or wilting leaves, would our first thought be to uproot it and take it away? No! I’d like to think we would do what we can to save it first.
Over the weekend, my husband and I dedicated some time to do some Fall planting and cleaning up the yard - giving a once-over to some trees and bushes that had been left alone for the Spring season. I don’t know if you do this, but I talk to my plants. As I was trimming and pruning, I said to some of them, “Now, don’t worry this is for your own good. It’s going to hurt a little but then the rest of you will feel much better. You’ll bloom and have more energy to grow the stuff you were made to grow.” And it hit me, we (as in humans) need this too.
What happens to a plant when it’s pruned of its dead branches, overgrowth, or spent flowers is that the plant suddenly has more energy to spend on its healthy flowers. Pruning away the dead or sick part of the plant, allows it to redirect the energy it was using to keep the sick part alive and it’s almost immediate that that plant will look and even feel happier in the near future. It will have more blooms, bear more fruit, or have a growth spurt all because of a little adjustment that made an impactful difference.
One of my favorite celebrity gardeners, Monty Don, calls this act “deadheading” the plant to allow the plant to breathe. It’s really a nice idea to think about what can I prune out of my business with the purpose of allowing it to breathe:
Are there subscriptions or systems I pay good money for that are draining my financial resources rather than rejuvenating them? Maybe I should plan to deadhead them out of my plan.
Do I have some clients who are pulling more energy away from others? How can we make some adjustments?
Am I spending too much time trying to make the dead branches green again rather than cutting them away and letting the rest of my business flourish? What’s actually working for me?
Oooo and to take it one step further into my personal life. Are there behaviors, thoughts, or attitudes that could be pruned away to make sure that I’m facing life with a healthy outlook? Gossip, media, news, etc.? Could there be people or conversations that are draining me? Is there just some habit I have that can be pruned away from the day that will allow me to breathe a little easier?
How about you? Do you have things that could be pruned out or back that might be draining you?
#LettingYouShine