plants from the previous season, attend to weeds that went unnoticed, and
remove any rocks that rose to the surface by natural sifting.
Thus, last season’s plants might represent your past creations derived
from the thoughts, actions, and emotions that define the old, familiar you.
Weeds could signify long-standing attitudes, beliefs, or perceptions about
yourself that are subconsciously undermining your efforts, which you
hadn’t noticed because you were too distracted by other things. And the
rocks can symbolize your many layers of personal blocks and limitations
(which naturally rise to the surface over time and block your growth). All
these need tending to so you can make room to plant a new garden in your
mind. Otherwise, if you planted a new garden or crop without proper
preparation, it would yield little fruit.
My hope is that you understand by now that it is impossible to create any
new future when you are rooted in your past. You have to clear away the
old vestiges of the garden (of the mind) before you can cultivate a new self
by planting the seeds of new thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that create a
new life.
The other key thing is to ensure that this doesn’t happen haphazardly:
we’re not talking about plants in the wild, which scatter seeds roughshod
over the ground, with some tiny percentage of them eventually coming to
fruition. Instead, to cultivate requires making conscious decisions—when to
till the soil, when to plant, what to plant, how each of the items planted will
work in harmony with the others, how much water and fertilizer to mix in,
and so forth. Planning and preparation are essential to the success of the
endeavor. This requires our daily “mindful attention.”
Similarly, when we talk about someone cultivating an interest in a
particular subject, we mean that he has thoughtfully researched that area of
interest. Also, a cultivated person is someone who has carefully chosen
what to expose herself to and who has amassed a breadth of knowledge and
experience. Again, none of this is done on a whim, and little is left to
chance.
When you cultivate anything, you are seeking to be in control. And that’s
what is required when you change any part of your self. Instead of allowing
things to develop “naturally,” you intervene and consciously take steps to
reduce the likelihood of failure. The purpose behind all of this effort is to
stevenselfio
(Stevenselfio)
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