If your work/life was a garden, how would it look?  What would it grow?  Is it overrun with lots of garden projects, plants fighting for space, and weeds?  If so, overwhelm can look like that too. 

I remember at the start of my coaching career I created a vision board of what I wanted to achieve and experience in my life.  It was a wonderful work of colour, excitement and grand ideas and dreams.

When I finished, I proudly looked at it, took a breath, then immediately felt overwhelmed and disappointed as I noticed…..I do not  have enough time to do all of this!  My list would have taken several lifetimes!!

Then I  felt crestfallen, because I really wanted to make a difference in my life and the lives of others.  I feared I’d regret not fulfilling this ‘wish list’ in its entirety.  I had recently read the regret list of the 95-year-old women titled  “Don’t die with regrets”. Then I felt really disappointed and kind of sad.

On sharing this dilemma with my wise coach about how I can realistically fit all of it into my life she said to me:

“Wendy, imagine your life as a carrot patch.  Your vision board here represents seeds – a lot of seeds.   Now let’s say you have a patch of ground to plant those seeds. The patch of ground is your lifetime. If all those seeds sprout, you will have lots and lots of carrots but they will be iddy biddy ones because there isn’t room for them to grow into big juicy carrots.  The tops may have impressive bushels but underneath there won’t be substance.      So you have to make a decision and commitment if you want iddy biddy carrots or big juicy ones.  Then you are going to have to pull up some from the ground  so the ones that are planted have the space to grow big, delicious and nutritious.”  

In essence it was a rule of nature about the space seeds and plants need to thrive.  What I had done was overplanting – the practice of planting too many plants in a single area. 

Overplanting

In my case, I had planted too many seeds of ideas, driven by making an impact, making a difference and wanting to leave some sort of legacy.  In terms of nature, overplanting can lead to overcrowding, and can result in a number of problems:

1. Competition for resources.  Overcrowded plants compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients, which can lead to stunted growth and weaker plants

Where in your work/life is there ‘over crowding’?  What are the few main important seeds you wish to plant in your ‘carrot patch’?

2. Pests and Disease:  Overcrowded plants are more suseptible to pest and disease as it moves from one plant to another. 

Over crowding, or over doing it can make us feel rundown and susceptible to illness. Are you placing your health and wellbeing as a priority?  Are some projects out of flow with obstacles? 

3. Soil erosion: The roots of overcrowded plants may not be able to hold the soil in place.

Over doing it can make us feel ‘ungrounded’ and/or ‘untethered’ to what is important. What are ways you can feel balanced, solid, connected?  What projects need better foundations to grow? 

4. Difficulty in maintenance:  it can be challenging to get to each plant to provide the care it needs.

Often we can start something and not finish it.  What is something important you have been putting off, or not attending to?  Is it important to put your attention towards it, or is it something that was a nice idea, and realistically you aren’t going to do it, or complete it? 

What matters most?

This is the magic of simplicity. The important few vs the unimportant many. Or quality over quantity.

I asked myself what was truly important?  I recognised I was getting myself in the way. I needed to really consider what would create meaning, flow, and fulfilment.  How do I choose? How do I simplify to give space for what is truly purposeful and important?

Then another question; “What do I need to let go of?”   Uh oh – this is where it got hard for me.  I almost didn’t want to contemplate it. Yet surprisingly, this became the easy question once I was clear on my values, what’s important, meaningful and purposeful.  

My  time, attention and presence is based on which juicy carrots to nurture and grow.   Now I base decisions and actions aligned with my big juicy carrot patch of work/life

Growing your own big juicy carrot patch for work/life

If you don’t want lots of iddy biddy carrots and would like big juicy carrots, start by answering the following

1. What would be the big carrots you want to nurture and enjoy?
2. What can you let go of to clear the way?
3. What steps can you take to nurture you and your ‘carrot patch’? 

Add your answers below