The Garden of Contentment- Taking Back Control Of Your Life

   In the beginning of the summer, my family and I decided to plant a big, and beautiful garden to have lots of vegetables to eat. We were so excited!
Yesterday, I was outside, looking at my garden, and immediately felt overwhelmed. Although we had done everything in taking the time to get the ground, the amount of grass, and weeds inside this space was overpowering. We took time and care in getting the soil ready, and planted each seed with loving care. However, now… I was standing there looking at this garden we had so many high hopes for, and although there were many fruits of our labor, I couldn’t see many of them under all of the overgrowth. From what I could see, some of the plants were doing well, and some of them had produced very little, and some had died from neglect.

   What happened? What happened was, that we had gotten so busy with other things that we forgot to take care of something that was so important.
So I stood there looking at this place, and decided to get to work, working one area at a time. While I was weeding, I started to go into deep thought about life. So often, we plant things for ourselves we have such high hopes for. We get the ground ready, and are excited to see the fruits of our labor-but often begin to feel over whelmed, and frustrated. Why?

   Each plant represents our needs as well as what we want for ourselves- our growth.  However, we often forget, grow impatient, and even find ourselves too busy to take care of what’s important. We get caught up in all of the madness, and unimportant things, that we allow seeds we don’t want into this beautiful garden of ours. Weeds come in all shapes, sizes, and they don’t take long to grow. Once they’ve been planted, they can often overrun, and even choke out the plants you had sewn all together.

   This garden represents your life, and it depends on the very care you give it. If you are not making yourself as well as those whom you love a priority, and allow negativity into your life, it doesn’t take long for weeds to manifest. This can leave anyone feeling overwhelmed, and frustrated… even feeling hopeless. But there is hope! The best way to fix this is to roll up your sleeves, and to begin eliminate everything in your life that is hurting you in some way. Pull out everything in your life that is negative, especially those that are choking the life out of you, or anything else really important. It takes special time, and care, but each weed eliminated from your life, is so incredibly satisfying, and leaves you with a greater sense of achievement and gratitude!

If you’re looking for hope, here are the best ways to get started:

1. EVALUATE YOUR LIFE- start looking at what doesn’t fill you up in some way. Take a good look at your life, and think about what it is you need, and want- make it basic at first (self-love, happiness, good health, a happy and healthy family, good supportive friends, etc… whatever it is for you.
2. DIVE RIGHT IN- start weeding out what doesn’t bring you peace. This may mean taking a good hard look at what you are doing to fill yourself up. It also means taking a solid look at the areas in your life that are toxic. Most times, the weeds are self-cultivated. That inner voice inside that tells you that you can’t do it, that you’re not good enough, or anything else that makes you feel bad about yourself. These roots are often the most solid, and deep. The best way to pull these weeds, is with patience, kindness and understanding. You are good enough, you are strong enough, you are smart, and you are worthy. Affirmations are key. Use these regularly, and not only will you begin to uproot those deep harmful roots, but you are nurturing the soil for those important seeds you have planted, Not only this, but you are planting, as well as nurturing new and exciting seeds for your future.
   
3. USE YOUR TOOLS- There are so many tools and resources out there. Use them. Use ALL of what you have. This will only help you.
4. ASK FOR HELP- This one is sometimes the hardest one for most people to do. However, one of the best things you can do for yourself, is to ask for help. Find people who have your best interest at heart, and can be most useful. You’ll be surprised at how many people will step up for you, and dive in with you, while bringing new tools you hadn’t even thought about. These can be professionals, but they can also be your friends and family… your support system.
5. TAKE CARE- You must take care to maintain your garden regularly! Regular self-care, evaluation, and maintenance is key to a healthy, happy, and successful life. YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR LIFE!
   

As I was contemplating all of this, before I knew it, I was surrounded by my family who had all come out to help in some way. Before we knew it, we were seeing ground again as well as many of the plants we had planted before shining through in all their glory!
YOU CAN DO IT!!!