Let’s say you’re a gardener. You have rows and rows of all sorts of flowers and plants: roses, daffodils, sunflowers, chrysanthemums. And your sole human need is to ensure their growth. Ensure they all get enough sunlight, water and other forms of nourishment. But you also know to never overdo it with them.
Too much sun? They all dry up. Too much water? They drown. The amount of care you bring requires a delicate balance. If you’re off even by a little, it could be disastrous.
Growth as a human need is the sam
You’re a flower, too. Okay, not really, but you get the analogy!
The fact is growth happens to be one of those core basic needs, too, but like the others, going overboard can be a detriment. While you might be great at working a job, plateauing with your productivity often makes you feel like you can’t get any better with learning or advancing in your career, so you find yourself moving on too quickly.
Additionally, while you’ll obviously never be bored in your entire life, you’ll often stress too much about getting everything done perfect. Stress levels go up, you forget to rest, relax and recharge, and before you know it, you’re not as mentally or even emotionally healthy as you’d like to be.
You’re a flower that’s either dried up from too much sun or drowned from too much water. Because of the fervor and need to continue growing. That need ends up doing the opposite.
How to balance that basic human need of growth in your life
First change the way you look at “growing.” Don’t think of it as getting ‘better’ at something. Don’t think of it as getting ‘bigger’ at something. Think of it as getting more and more fulfilled in it!
Growth isn’t just the journey. But the destination and beyond. Growth is maintenance. Stability. Care. Consistency.
That’s what makes a great gardener.
