What’s in Your Garden?

I was out on my patio the other day looking at my little garden and I noticed my neighbor diligently working in her beautiful fruitful garden next door. She was smiling and whistling as she worked. I see her every day consistently working in it, and on it, and it shows. She has gorgeous flowers and she often shares with me the extra vegetables she harvests.

Have you ever noticed that the people who have beautiful, successful gardens are tending to and paying attention to their gardens most all the time?

They take great care in planning it and are consistent and disciplined in their daily schedules to work in their gardens each and every day regardless of if they feel like it or not. Hmmmm. Does this sound familiar to you…do these sound like characteristics of successful people who produce successful results in their business life as well?

One of my favorite quotes is: Successful People do what Unsuccessful People won’t do. (I can’t find who said this, however I am sure one of you will tell me.)

So as I watched my neighbor, Sally, work in her garden, I realized that many of us try to manage many gardens at once. As a result, some of our gardens don’t produce as much fruit or look as pretty as the others. We try to do too much in a half–cocked way, producing a lot of medium or half dead gardens, instead of one harvesting one.

Let’s look at what it takes to have one garden that produces a bountiful harvest:

The gardener must conceive of the garden, where to put it, decide, how to prepare the soil, rake it, put fertilizer in it. Then she must dig the holes, space the holes perfectly a part, then she must plant her seeds, or small plants and then patiently wait for the seeds to break through the surface. Then she must continue to nurture the little plants and soil as they grow and mature till the harvest time, by watering daily, more fertilization and of course weeding; pulling out the unwanted invaders, those little buggers that disturb the flow of the intended plants. If she waits patiently and does her daily tasks, she gets to harvest and enjoy her garden’s gifts, the fruits of her labor. Time to celebrate!

Does this sound like a familiar process to you? No? Let’s see…

My steps for a bountiful garden are my steps for successful goal and dream fulfillment:

1.  Decide what’s your garden going to look like? Decide where you’re going to put your garden?

• Dream, visualize, brainstorm, and plan-out what you want your life to look like. Write it down, sketch it out, write out every detail, every goal and dream as if it is happening right now, give yourself completion dates.

*Research shows that people that write down their dreams, plans and goals are much more successful in achieving those goals than those who fail to do so.

2. Prepare your garden’s soil: fertilize, weed and rake the soil:

• Prepare the foundation for which your dream is going to grow in and become real. Do you want a shaky foundation or a solid one? A table with three legs or four? Your choice, as to what quality of fruit (your dream) you want to produce. When you build your dream with a solid foundation: research and preparation (mentors, coaches to guide you) you are much more likely to achieve your dream in the vision in which you first conceived of it.

3. Dig holes, space them apart, plant your seeds:

• Doing the legwork, taking action towards your ultimate goals and dream. This is a time for making sure that everything you do is consistent with the goal you want to accomplish and the dream you envisioned in step 1. You now know the right techniques and actions to take daily, weekly etc.; because you know intuitively, or have received guidance from certain resources (books, internet, a results coach like me, mom & dad, friends.) This is the important step towards establishing the million dollar habits that will help you accomplish your goals and dream.

4. Wait patiently for your seeds to sprout, but continue to water and nurture them, making sure they get adequate sunlight and vitamins:

• Continuing your daily habits established in step 3- planning and carrying out the action steps consistent with successful and fruitful production of your dream.

**Using visualization, positive self-talk and feelings rehearsal to nurture yourself, accomplish your goals and attract your dream.

5. Continue to water and nurture the plants. *Now weed-out any unnecessary weeds/invaders that may impede the harvest:

• Again, continuing your daily habits established in step 3- planning and carrying out the action steps consistent with successful and fruitful production of your dream.

**Using visualization, positive self-talk and feelings rehearsal to nurture yourself, accomplish your goals and attract your dream.

ALSO: Do an inventory of what may be blocking you at this time, or slowing down your plan of accomplishing your goals or dream on-time. Are you skipping certain steps necessary to harvest a better dream? Are you procrastinating? Are you avoiding something? Or are you taking on other projects and forgetting about the project you already started and committed to? Work with a coach to help you process and work through these blocks so you can move forward towards harvest.

6. The plants grow and mature, You harvest the plants, You enjoy the fruits of your labor:

• The day has come you know it because; you have sketched it, you have visualized it, you have felt it, and here it is in front of you- it feels, tastes and looks so familiar. You jump with joy! You CELEBRATE! You dance around singing. People praise you. You smile ?…you know you’ve done what it takes to attract, manifest and grow your goals and big dream.

Daily life gardening is my secret for a successful life. I have found that my consistent daily practice of certain ritual activities and planned out tasks carried out on time allow me to have the life of my dreams. As I get better and better at tending to my gardens, my life gets better and better and richer and richer!

NOW THE QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF IS: WHAT’S YOUR GARDEN LOOK LIKE?