Happiness@TheSpeedofLife: How Does Your (Happiness) Garden Grow?
Published: Thu, 05/21/15
|
 |
|
Edition 126: How Does Your (Happiness) Garden Grow?
|
|
1,198 words of content including 7 Happiness lessons from your garden and 4 Leadership tips for Corporate “Gardening.” Approximate reading time: 4.79 minutes. And isn't your Happiness worth it? This newsletter speaks to Leadership, Happiness, and Coaching in your life and work. If you received this from a friend, SUBSCRIBE now to get your own copy in the future. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
As I dug, watered, and spread manure, I found myself thinking about the many ways in which planting vegetables is a metaphor for growing an emotional garden. You Must Choose What’s Going to Work for You
Over the years we’ve experimented with many crops. There were the mutant broccoli wars of 2010-2013. The year of “what do we do with all these #$% tomatillos?” The discovery of heirloom tomatoes! The realization that peppermint NEVER dies. Ever. As a result, we’ve learned to plant ONLY what we can easily manage, grow with minimum hassle, and love to eat: peppers, beans, beets, cabbage, onions, juicy heirloom tomatoes, and tons of fresh herbs. In life, you can’t have it all either. You must notice how you actually spend your time and where your efforts net results. If you strive to meditate 20 minutes daily but feel stressed about the time, seek other paths to mindfulness. Or when you notice that a gratitude practice works better at night versus morning, make that shift. The experts — in gardening and lifestyle — may have great ideas, but they are not living your life. Choose what works for you. What You Take Care of Grows - or Not!
Our garden is well tended. We plant in raised beds in full sun, employ automated irrigation, rotate crops, and fertilize well. Some years we get bumper crops; other years, not so much. Eating from a garden has nurtured our capacity for saying "Yes, And…" to nature. We cannot guarantee outcomes, despite our best intentions. That’s how life often shows up. You plan a happy experience, but The Universe decides you need a “growth experience." You arrive for your beach holiday and it rains for a week. You land your dream job, and days later your new boss gets promoted and hands the department’s reins to your evil stepsister. Your Positive Emotion muscles will grow stronger when you embrace whatever shows up, even if not what you planned. Pay Attention to the Environment
If you’d asked me ten years ago, “When is the average Frost-Free’ date for Zone 6?” I would have offered you a blank stare. Now I pay attention to ground temperature in March, know the frost dates, and monitor local rainfall religiously. Environment is everything to a garden. Seek the human equivalent of sunshine and nourishing rainfall in your world. For Happiness, turn your face to the sun (the people and relationships that feed your soul) and soak up the rain that falls your way (compliments, positive practices, acts of kindness, and gratitude). You Will Have “Enemies” No Matter What You Do
I remember the discovery that pole beans attract huge swarms of brown beetles. There was the year the raccoons beat us to every squash blossom. Rabbits once took out our entire pepper crop in one night. Sigh!  We try to remember pests are just being who they are. They’re not evil, just hungry. All we can do is keep them at a distance. Netting frustrates rabbits and squirrels, while organic stinky spray deters raccoons and deer It seems that every family or organization has people who revel in challenging you, destroying your gains, or playing the pessimist. You can’t make them disappear, but you do have choices about how you react to them. Seek ways to create distance between you and the toxic people in your world. Remember, they are just being who they are, and that’s not about you. Different Plants Yield Different Results
You have in your life many options to engage your positive emotions. Some are one-offs, like a Popsicle on a hot day or a blessed hour of silence before the kids arrive home. Others are more enduring, like great conversations you have with friends or doing work that you love. Honor the Circle
Finally, gardens remind me both life and death are part of the circle of life. Every crop has a start and end of season. After the harvest, dead plants get recycled into the compost that next year will support an even healthier garden. Despite our cultural discomfort with death, it is part of the same circle. When loved ones die, we can cherish their memories and be grateful we had them with us for a time. When we fail, there is always a lesson we can take away to “fertilize” our future efforts such that we create even better experiences from the composted remains of what died. What’s the Lesson Learned from the Garden?
You have countless choices for gardening crops, and your success will depend on how well you balance the variables that affect your harvest. So too, you have many choices for strengthening positive emotions in your life, and your success depends on what you choose to nurture and how well you manage the environment. Just as there is no “ideal” set of crops for a garden—everyone has different tastes — there is no ideal set of emotions in which you must live. You get to choose, always. Do This For Yourself
Remember that in your Emotional Garden — just as in your vegetable patch — you can only harvest what you plant and nurture. So choose consciously, else the weeds will decide for you!
|
|
I spent the weekend getting dirt under my fingernails. The tomatoes and peppers are thriving, the beans and beets are in the ground, and baby spinach and lettuces fill our salad bowls.
Some plants blossom and/or bear fruit for months (e.g. rosemary, basil, marigolds), while others (e.g. daffodils and peas) give it up just once. We love them all. |
|
Years ago I met a gentleman whose business card read: “Corporate Gardener.” His job in the company was to PLANT seeds (ideas), NURTURE the environment (culture), FERTILIZE growth (innovation), and HARVEST what grew (outcomes). While his title was unusual, the roles he played are the domain of every Leader. Consider the many opportunities you have to serve as gardener during the employee life cycle:
It’s impossible to grow a great garden without getting your hands a little muddy! Remember, Leadership is not about a title: Anyone can be a Leader who plants great ideas, nurtures a positive climate for growth and development, and harvests the best of what emerges. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 
For a bit of wisdom every day, pull down the entire Leadership series now. Click here to download Leadership Is So Tweet: Tiny Tips To Be Outstanding In Your Field, the newest in my e-book series. Available in epub or pdf formats for your PC, Mac, or mobile.
|
|
|
|
Contact me to create more Happiness, Leadership, and balance in your life. If you received this from a friend, SUBSCRIBE now to get your own copy in the future, plus you'll get a valuable leadership report! All things Happiness Coach:    
View past editions at http://www.TheExecutiveHappinessCoach.com/resources/archives/. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Happiness is a decision, not an event.
How will YOU decide today?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
The Executive Happiness Coach® is a global provider of Executive Coaching and mentoring services. With clients on six continents, my passion is to help build a Happier world and workplace, one Leader at a time.