Evaluate and DIG IN!
Evaluating and digging into yourself and your life is the first step to changing your life. Call it a pillar, phase, season, whatever resonates with you. I like calling it the “DIG” phase because you have to DIG into your mind and do the dirty work. Think of your life in garden form. Is it lush and beautiful or empty and full of weeds, or a little of everything?
Think of the plants as all the behaviors, beliefs, thoughts, and stories in your life. What do you have planted? Do you like what it is or where it's at or do you need to replant the whole garden? There are plants that have been there for YEARS. They have some really deep roots and you are going to have to dig them all up if you don’t want them to grow back. Like any plant, you can trim it up or hack it off, but if you don’t get to the root of it, it is just going to return. (Hence the patterns you keep repeating in life!)
Now, I am not a plant expert. I have no idea what kinds of plants you have or how or why they are in there. Take a look at what’s growing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so no judgment here. I’m here to help you look at those plants with honest authentic eyes and tell me do you TRULY love it and want to keep it planted? How is it serving you? Is it in the way for growth of other things you would like to plant? (I mean why would you protect and let dandelions grow when beautiful roses could be planted there??)
When we evaluate the plant life in your garden, what does that bring up for you? Are you aware of the meaning and attachment of what’s currently growing? What are you going to have to let go of if you decide to dig up that plant? What are you going to find beneath the surface, deep in the dirt? There might be worms and bugs buried down there, EW!? Critters, snakes, dead bodies??? You’ll never know unless you choose to start digging.
Regardless of what you find, part of the evaluation process is just accepting the challenge of choosing to plant a new garden. Many people look at their garden and say “someday” I will work on it. It needs “weeding” but who’s got time for that?? If you are anything like me, I got sick of looking at the brown grass, dirt, and weeds. I had a few pretty flowers that have been growing since childhood, but not the extravagant colorful garden I really wanted! The plants in there were mostly of my family and friend’s choosing because those were the only plants I ever knew. NOW, I want juicy fruits, flavorful vegetables and herbs, and amazing bright flowers! I’m happy to rip out the daffodils and irises that have been planted since I was a kid. (Those were my parents' favorites.) I have great memories of them in our garden, and I’ll probably even keep a few for memories sake, but my garden will be much grander than the one I have been nurturing my whole life.
Are you ready to evaluate what’s been growing for you? Have you built a garden that you once loved, but now have new plants that bring you joy? Let’s do some digging and design a garden you will love and be proud of now.
