Why You Need to Fail & Have Setbacks

This morning on my garden walk, I was reminded of a life principle that I wanted to share:

There are seasons in life, and with each season comes change. Certain times of the season things grow a lot and other times things die. And even though things are dying with the season it's important to still nurture the things that you want to grow.

You might feel like you don't see a difference in what's happening, or maybe you've worked really hard to maintain all these things you're trying to grow; whether it's your business, your energy, yourself... And a very quick, tough season comes along and seems to set you way back.

From the outside, you might see what looks like a dead or dying tree. It’s easy to think, what's the point? But when we cut the banana trees all the way back to the ground. We cut back all the dead stuff that doesn't matter. All the junk, all the excess. When we let that stuff go, it makes way for new trees that sprout.

This happens because the roots are good. That’s the reason we take the time to add mulch, cover the trees, and to add a ton of water to the ground before it frosts… so roots are protected. When the roots are protected, all this other stuff, comes and goes. It dies and then every season, it comes back quicker, stronger, more beautiful, taller, and more productive.

And that’s the truth, the roots are what matter. It's very much like life.

These seasons of death, struggle, or challenge may seem like a long time. But ultimately, it’s what happens and at some point or another, will happen. The seasons are part of the life’s cycles. The key thing to remember is, no matter what season you’re in, it’s important to nurture yourself.

Nurture yourself to be strong for the setbacks, and nurture yourself through failures because it is what strengthens you to come back quicker, stronger, more beautiful, and productive.

With our trees we get through it, then we cater to it as much as possible. We add a lot more support to get through that stress and to grow from the stress. But once that stress is gone, then it's time to purge. Get rid of all the dead and dying stuff that doesn't add value anymore.

Make use of what you can, then contemplate: What do I need to let go of? What can I get rid of? How can I change things so that I can move into the next growing season with more ease so that I can come back stronger?

Keep in mind when things are a struggle, you might be trying to get your energy up, trying to find more time and space… but usually when you feel things are hard or there's not enough time, space or room for all of it, it's normally because you're in the process of growing. And after you grow there's a lot of things that die back in order to make room for new growth.

So I just wanted to share that little tidbit of value with you to remind you to embrace each season and nurture yourself through it all. ❤️