Are You Pot-Bound?
This morning I got some time with a good friend. He needed a ride to a nursery, to buy plants, flowers, and things.
By the way, our days and schedules get filled and it’s hard to get smartphone-free, focused connecting time with a good friend. And talking via texting isn’t the same as real facetime. So, go for a drive together; run an errand together. Well, I love talking to this friend. I said for sure I’ll drive, because it meant that I would get good time with him in the car. It was worth it.
Anyway, the nursery was a beautiful, massive place. And we’re walking through row after row of all kinds of plants and get to some herbs he wanted. One of them was growing all over the place and the roots were busting out. I’m looking it over and my friend comments, “It’s pot bound.”
So, that’s my catchy title for this article. It’s not about marijuana, although many use it effectively and successful for achievement of anxiety and depression.
“Pot-bound” also means that the plant has grown as much as it can and the roots are busting out. It needs more soil, more nutrients, more nourishment. Meaning, in that stage and that particular vessel it’s done the max that it possibly can.
And this happens to us a lot. We tip toe beyond the edge of our comfort zone and dabble in being uncomfortable for the sake of growth and change. And it feels super icky to go out of our comfort zone, but we do it in the hopes of we’ll change a little bit — because we fell like we can’t take it anymore the way things are.
In those moments we tell ourselves: “Something’s got to change.” But if I do what I always did, I’m going to get what I always got. So, I have to do something different, I have to change. We push ourselves to try something and face the discomfort that greets us when we leave the walls of our comfort zone. And we have some success.
But what happens next? We take our foot off the gas, cruise, and we get pot-bound. We’ve grown as much as we could based on what we’ve done and for that particular level. It’s time for a new plan. It’s time for a bigger horizon — to say: “Wait a minute! I pushed myself. I took on something new. It was hard to get out of my comfort zone. And I grew. So, therefore, what’s the conclusion? Not off the gas, on the gas! If I succeeded, then for sure I can continue to see you succeed. I’ve just got to keep going.
Those of you who are into gardening know that you put a pot-bound plant into a bigger pot with soil and everything it needs. And same goes for our own growth. Don’t be afraid to re-pot yourself. Get unpacked, un pot-bound, and continue to grow.
See you in the nursery.