Bloom wherever you are planted

Sometimes, we find ourselves in less-than-desirable circumstances. It could be a job that pays little and isn’t fulfilling or a business struggling to make ends meet. In such situations, it helps to bloom wherever you have been planted.

You see, a seed thrown into the dirt doesn’t sit around wondering whether to sprout or not. It simply starts germinating in whatever soil conditions it finds itself in. When the ground is dry, it will grow deeper roots to tap into more moisture below. When the light is low, it will bend its stalk towards more light. When the conditions are too adverse, the seed goes into dormancy and delays germination until the right conditions are present.

We can learn a few lessons from these tiny seeds that seem to bloom wherever they are planted. Understand that sometimes you are not in control of the place you find yourself in. The seed doesn’t plant itself. You really may not be able to do anything about the company or business you work in. But there are many things you can do to bloom wherever you are planted.

The first is to adopt a growth mindset. This is the idea that you can learn and improve your skills and abilities with some effort. Learn as much as you can from peers, coaches, mentors, books, courses, etc. Become a learning machine and go to bed a little wiser every day. Be deliberate in studying yourself, your business, your industry, and the world at large. Dedicate at least one to two hours every day to your personal education. When the seed is in dormancy it is actively preparing within to sprout when the conditions are right. This study is your preparation for better opportunities to come.

The other strategy is to reframe the situation you are in. Your job may not be as terrible as you imagine. Your struggling business may just need a little change in direction. The law of polarity states that there are always two sides to every situation. Every bad situation has a positive side. The trick is to look for the positive side. Your terrible boss may actually be a good mentor if you only look beyond their harshness. Your difficult customers may be giving you valuable feedback to change your service offering. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. You just have to find it. Deepen your roots and search for the good within your environment.

When you find yourself in a difficult spot it helps to dream of a better future. What is your dream career or business? How do your finances look like in this imaginary future? Dream and meditate on this future. Write it down and describe it clearly. Think about it every day as you work. Come up with strategies to achieve it, and each day, do something to get you closer to this future. The dream is like your guiding light, which will bend your stalk towards it. As you bloom in your current place, you will start to gradually bend to this better vision. Bloom wherever you are planted, but bend towards what you want.

Finally, be grateful for everything you are facing today. Every circumstance is working for your good. The difficult job is hardening you for more challenging things because calm seas never made an excellent sailor. Hold onto that seemingly bad job because a small salary is better than begging. Life often resembles a wrestling match more than a dance. So, fight your way through difficult circumstances so you can dance later in better times. And always, be grateful for the ability to bloom wherever you have been planted!