What Are You Rushing?

We planted an apple tree this spring.

It's a small little baby tree right now but I know eventually it will grow and produce some delicious apples because that's what apple trees do!

We wanted the kids to be involved in the planting process because we imagine this tree will "grow up" with our kids.  Andrew helped us dig a hole and Jessica played with all of the rocks we pulled out of the ground making room for this little tree, and it has become Andrew's job to water the tree, which he takes very seriously. We told him about how one day this tree will grow apples that we can eat right off the tree, or we can pick them to make apple pies and crisps and our very own apple juice. He was very excited and couldn't wait for the apples to grow, we told him it might take a few years to produce apples and that right now we just have to make sure the tree gets plenty of water so it can be healthy.


The other day as we were backing out of our driveway headed to do some visiting, Andrew looks over and catches a glimpse of the tree in our front yard, and he says "C'mon tree grow grow grow!! I want to eat some apples", then he turns to me and says "Awe Mom, that apple tree is never gonna grow apples, ever!" Now he's only 3 & 1/2  and the concept of taking a few years for apples to produce is quite a difficult thing for him to understand, so I tried to think of a better way to explain it to him.

I told him that right now the tree is very busy doing something else under the ground. He was very surprised to hear this, he said "What is it doing under ground?" I explained that the very first thing a tree must do is grow roots, that grow wide and deep helping the tree suck up all the water and nutrients from the soil. I also told him that these roots help keep the tree stuck in place so that it would not blow away in the wind.  "Blow away!?" he said "Just like my kite blew up and over the neighbours house and we never saw it again?" He completely understood the concept how important is was for this tree to have strong roots so that our tree would not blow away like his kite had.

 I told him that right now if you want to encourage the tree to do something, tell it it grown strong roots that keep it healthy and stuck in the ground so it will never blow away.  Water the tree to be sure it has enough of what it needs to grow, and once our little tree has enough roots it will start to grow strong and tall and produce lots and lots of apples for years to come.

As I was explaining this to him I realised I needed to follow my own advice and the apple tree became a metaphor for something in my own life that I have been trying to rush.

As I begin this journey of building a business based around my passion and I think about this metaphor I see how often I rush myself and rush the process, I want to see the end result now. I have said just about the exact same thing Andrew said about the tree but about my business, "Oh this thing is never going to work, ever!"I want to see all of the people I will help, I want to see myself making enough money to help support my family. I get caught up in focusing on what I don't have yet, forgetting that I am exactly where I need to be to grow what I desire.

I have planted the tree (my desire to build a business around my passion), I need to allow time to nourish and grow my roots to spread out far and wide and deep so that this desire of a business will not blow over with the first big wind that comes my way.

For me what I imagine this nourishing and growing looks like is this:

• Continue doing the work in my own life that I want to share with the world.
• Put myself out there so I can see what the needs are for the people I want to help and how I can meet those needs.
• Make some goals and get clear with what I want so I can see the steps I need to take now to get there.
• Know that what I want is possible, encourage myself to keep going.
• Look for things that are getting in the way of my personal growth and expansion, to be able to move them.
• Focus on what I already have that is supporting me.
• Knowing that I have the time and space to grow in what ever way I need to.
• Enjoy the journey, take it one step at a time, see the beauty in every step, celebrate the little growths and forwards movements.

What is your apple tree? What is it that you want it to produce in your life that you have been rushing?

Today I want to remind you to take the time to witness that it's all there in your desire and what this desire needs now is to be nourished and encouraged and allowed the time to grow some roots so that it will not blow away with the first wind that comes along.

Let me know in the comments below what you have been rushing.

Much love to you,

Alanna
Reiki Practitioner, Speaker, Life Coach
www.shiftingperceptions.ca
send me an email at shiftingperceptionsalanna@gmail.com