Prune Your Life!

When I pruned the shrubs in my backyard, some sprouted quickly, evidence that the plant was growing fuller and stronger. One group of cedars, however, appeared to be just a dry skeleton of branches that was all but dead. Although it took several months for sprouts to appear, the plants did recover but very slowly.

The plants that recovered flourished after pruning had received more attention over the years while the cedar hedge had been so neglected that it died inside. The overgrowth had restricted the plant’s access to the elements essential to life (light, water, air) and it had deteriorated.

The plight of the plant can happen in our lives as well. When our days are filled with too many things, we feel stuck and stagnant. Like the neglected plant, we struggle to get enough of the things that keep us feeling balanced and healthy. Once we lop off some of the extras, we feel lighter and freer.

Activities and expectations that are not serving us keep us heavy and unbalanced. In order to get clear about what we want, we need to take some time to get quiet and ask ourselves what is true for us in our hearts. Two tools that I have found to be effective are:

The Rule of Ten. Ask yourself how you will feel in ten minutes, ten months and ten years. Your resignation from baseball coach may feel selfish in ten minutes, maybe even in ten months, but imagine how you’ll feel in ten years if you redirect the time and energy you invested in baseball into something you really love. It could be the start of a very satisfying home-based business or a hobby that gives you hours of pleasure.

The Right Questions. Best-selling author Debbie Ford suggests we ask ourselves powerful questions when faced with a difficult decision. Some of the questions are:

- Will this choice propel me toward an inspiring future or will it keep me stuck in the past?
- Am I standing in my power or trying to please another?
- Will this choice add to my life force or will it rob me of my energy?
- Does this choice empower me or does it disempower me?
- Is this an act of self-love or is it an act of self-sabotage?

When we ask ourselves powerful questions like these, we get in touch with our truest self and move forward with action that reflects the best of who we are. Each time we get in touch with the wisdom that is deep inside of ourselves, we move one step closer to a life we truly love.