I’m terrible at keeping houseplants alive.
Nowadays my lemon tree – which used to be a vibrant green and yellow – wouldn’t look out of place in the
Sahara.
A sad state of affairs.
My girlfriend,
however, is much better.
She’s seen the devastation I’ve wreaked and has ordered a bag of soil.
We’re going to repot the plants. Change the watering schedule. Make sure they’re getting the right light.
And I hold my hands up
entirely. My houseplant maintenance hasn’t been up to scratch.
It’s not the plants fault they’re dying. I’m not pointing my finger at the begonias and telling them “you should be doing
better”.
That would be ridiculous.
They just need some nurturing. Watered, fed and moderate
sunlight.
Other plants need to be watered less and in the sunlight more.
Each plant needs a
different environment to grow and prosper.
And if a plant isn’t growing and prospering, it gets moved to a new environment where it can.
It’s not just plants which need the right environment to prosper.
Similar examples are all around us.
I can think of examples in my own life too.
Corporate life is an obvious one.
I looked around and saw most people getting on with things.
Some loved their job. Others thought it
was fine. But I don’t think many people thought it was as bad as I did.
So was I somehow to blame?
Clearly not.
It just wasn’t the right environment for me.
Hardly surprising, then, that I wasn’t growing and thriving.
And perhaps your environment isn’t the right one for you.
For instance…
Maybe you thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. But your environment moves at the speed of a tortoise. It stifles you.
Or maybe you thrive in a peaceful, orderly environment. But your environment is turbulent and unpredictable. It saps your energy and doesn’t give you the space to create.
Of course, working in the wrong environment isn’t the end of the world. You’ll survive.
But there’s another option.
Find an environment where you don’t just survive, but thrive.
My suggestion? Think about the ways your work environment is and isn’t serving you.
And see if there are changes you can make.
And if you’d like some help finding the perfect environment for you, just hit reply.
That’s it for today.
I'm off to water the plants.
- Tom
p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me