Waiting for growth

There's a metaphor that makes its way through NLP circles about not pulling up your plants to check on their growth. It makes people laugh, sometimes a little nervously.

We all want to see that the roots are getting deeper. It's not enough to know. We want to know for sure.

I work in a growth business. Over and over again, I offer seeds to people and encourage them to plant those seeds, to nurture them, to expect them to grow. I tell them they can trust the process. I know they have to trust the process - the process demands it.

You would think it would be easier for me to trust the process myself. To plant a seed and wait for it to grow with some confidence.

It's not easier. I see all the signs of growth and still - I want to know for sure. I want to see the roots growing stronger and deeper. Self management does not mean escaping from the deep, wide desire for certainty. Self management means telling myself, firmly and gently and with a little bit of humour, that plants do not do well if you keep pulling them out to look at their roots.

And then I go looking for the people who will make the wait more comfortable.

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