This is another in a series of articles about renewal. We have discussed The role of Core Values in Self-Renewal as well as renewal through Recharging and Relaxing This stop on our renewal journey is Replanting. Should you replant yourself to grow strong?
What is Personal Replanting?
Whether you are a gardener or not, I’m sure you know that every so often house plants need to be repotted. I f you don’t repot it but just continue to water and care for it, chances are the plant will survive, but it eventually it will fail to get taller or broader. It usually will stop flowering or blooming. It will not grow.
On the other hand, if you repot that plant and put it into a bigger pot with plenty of rich soil, the growth will restart. Here’s the catch though, repotting that plant can be dangerous because it’s susceptible, it’s vulnerable. Even if you take good care of the roots give them plenty of room to spread they could be traumatized. Be gentle patient with it and you will soon see growth and strength returning.
Who beat me to the punch line? The idea of replanting ourselves is the same as repotting plants. When we see that our growth has stopped, it’s time to move on. Just like plants we pull free of the space we are in, shake off the old and move on to something new, a newer pot with fresh soil. Sure, we can stay where we are, safe and secure, but how long before we become tired and bored? We need a chance to bloom. Just like a plant, maybe change, REPLANTING, can give us the best opportunity.
Replanting is Often Hard
Change, as everyone knows, is hard. New circumstances often lead to a period of disorientation so instead of thriving we appear less alive as we adjust. Overtime, the new opportunity afforded by personal replanting allows and encourages growth and we will eventually bloom, perhaps in a way we didn’t think possible. That re-blooming would not have happened without our personal replanting.
As John Gardner wrote in Self-Renewal, only by intentionally replanting ourselves can we grow into our fullness as humans:
“Most of us have potentialities that have never been developed simply because the circumstances of our lives never called them forth. Exploration of the full range of our own potentialities is not something that we can safely leave to the chances of life.”
It is not always easy to face a change. Sometimes we find change thrust upon us and that circumstance makes the choice for change hard. If you find yourself not growing, not taking advantage of opportunities what should you do?
We need sunny environments where we get adequate nourishment. We need places that will help us grow and reach our potential. Replanting ourselves could be uprooting everything and moving on, but it does not have to be traumatic.
Replanting doesn’t have to be an extreme life change. If you are happy and still growing but need more out of life, think of ways you can expand and broaden your current horizon. Think of things you can do. Take an inventory of what’s working and what’s not and replant those portions of your life that need replanting.
Replant Yourself & Grow Strong?
If you need a new challenge at work, look around and see what’s possible. Can you take on a new challenge? Get some training in a new aspect of your job. The idea is to give yourself a new perspective, a new environment to grow in.
Dust off that vision board and take a look at a dream you have had. Is there a spark of that inspiration still alive? Take a new look with fresh eyes. In your current situation, what can you do to make that dream come true?
Are you facing a major life change and need a change of habit or behavior? What can you do? Start with a goal and a plan, and then replant yourself from inaction to action. Get healthy, find a new hobby, reconnect with friends.
Having a crisis of confidence? What can you do? Replant your self-esteem. Bring out your can-do affirmations. Reflect on past successes, and what you did to achieve them. Talk with a friend.
If you think a total or partial replanting is what you need, start out on sound footing.
- Why are you make a change? Evaluate the upside versus the downside.
- Is replanting doable? What are the costs financially, emotionally and physically?
- Is there a collateral effect? Are there friends or family members affected?
- Is replanting yourself worth the risk? Can you adapt? How will you feel leaving your comfort zone? Will there be a support group around you after replanting?
On the other hand, if you decide you can’t replant, can you refocus and change your attitude. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Maybe you Should Replant Yourself
Replanting yourself can expand your horizons and give you room to grow. If you are successful, replanting can give you what’s missing from your life right now. Only you know if you can and should replant yourself now or in the future. Either way, one thing is certain, “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Hermann Hesse
