What Are You Planting?

It’s spring and it seems like everywhere we look there is something growing and people are talking about planting. Today at a Toastmasters International meeting the word that speakers were encouraged to use during the meeting was “cultivate”, which means to “improve growth by labor or intention”. It made us wonder, what are you planting?

When we returned home we noticed some plants growing in front of our house. Little green tender shoots of lily plants had worked their way up through the rock landscaping, peeking their heads up to say, “We’re still here”. With labor and intention, those bulbs were planted years ago and the plants survived year after year. We realized that what you plant and nurture, grows. What you have planted can also remain for years. Those realizations fit in with our life lesson today, so let’s explore further.

Growing up on a farm, Doug shared this philosophy on planting, “What goes down must come up”. This is a little twist on a famous saying.

Over fifty years ago, Earl Nightingale made a recording called The Strangest Secret in which he talked about a different kind of planting. You can find versions of the recording on YouTube.com. It has had millions of views since that time because it contains universal truths that apply as much now as they did then. Many thought leaders are still embracing his same principles today.

He said that the mind is similar to the soil. The soil doesn’t care what you plant; it just returns what you plant. If you plant corn, you are going to get corn. If you plant nightshade (a poisonous weed), you will get weeds. Likewise, the mind doesn’t care what you “plant”; it just returns what you plant. Just as it’s important to plant good seeds in soil; it’s also important to plant good thoughts in your mind. What you plant can be good for your mind or it can poison your mind. Plant good “seeds” of joy, happiness, love and caring so all of those things will grow and blossom. If you plant poisonous weeds, such as anger, bitterness and unforgiveness, they will grow, also. Nightingale also said, “You become what you think about.” So be careful!

Just like the bulbs which produced lily plants that have lasted for years, the thoughts you put in your mind can stay for years, too. Sometimes situations will trigger thoughts and you might be surprised that they are reminding you, “We are still here”. If those thoughts have grown from “poisonous weeds”, then pluck them out so they don’t have a chance to grow and spread. If those thoughts that appear are positive, then nourish them. Yes, it takes some labor and intention to plant, cultivate and nurture the good thoughts you want to grow in your life, but it is worth it. We invite you to let us know what happens in your life with “farming in your mind”. Happy planting!

Here’s a Challenge: What are you planting and cultivating? Take time to recognize what you are planting that will grow in the “garden of your mind”. We all have negative thoughts that drag us down at times. Say to yourself, “Will this thought do me any good?” and if it won’t, then get rid of it or change it in to a positive. We wish you the best as you pull out the negative “weeds” and plant lots of positive seeds so good thoughts can grow, blossom and bring you joy.

© Lynn Nodland 2017
Chanhassen residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are owners of The Balance Center. They can be reached at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com