What are you Growing?

It's hard to remember sometimes that we, human beings, are natural. Yes, we can do unnatural things -- or maybe "artificial things" is a better, less hostile way to put it :) -- but regardless of how we act sometimes, the truth that we're natural is something that can't be denied. Forgotten, avoided -- yes. But not denied. We're natural.

And because of this, one thing that we can always rely on to teach us things is nature itself.

After all, we ARE nature, right? So why not look to nature for insights on how things really work on this planet? Because, after all, nature has been around a long, long time -- and the last time I checked, trees and shrubs and mountains weren't spending time in therapy. So they must be doing some things right.

The first thing we can look at, as we curiously gaze at our natural relatives -- trees, grass, flowers, and so forth -- is that there is a latency period between when a process starts, and when so-called "results" are achieved.

In simpler terms: things take time. And what is planted today may not seem to "grow" for weeks, months or even years.

Of course, that growth is always happening. A seed planted today may not grow into a plant for weeks or months -- but that doesn't mean that it goes from a completely dormant seed to a "growing plant" when the stem appears to emerge from the earth. The growth is taking place from the moment the seed is planted; though we may not be able to detect this visually.

These days, we're relentlessly focused on results -- on outcomes. That isn't so bad (I guess...) EXCEPT when we stop to realize that this focus on results or outcomes is really quite...well, it's quite unreal.

In nature, there are no outcomes; no results.

Nature is NOT a results-driven experience.

It's a constant, continuum of progress. Sometimes, yes, we can "see" that process in the form of a flower or a plant. But all we're seeing is a part of the process. And, really, only a tiny, tiny part of it all.

There are things about you that you may want to change. If you focus entirely on results and outcomes, guess what? You won't get there. Results and outcomes are merely parts of a process that begins in the only place where change can happen.

Here, now.