Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Allowing Your Potential To Grow

With the approach of spring, I’ve noticed that a seed is a lovely metaphor for human potential. Just as a seed contains everything it needs to become a plant, each person contains everything necessary to grow into an easeful life. If a seed is tended in the optimal way, nothing will stop its progress. We all have the same potential to become our best selves.

Unlike a seed, which will push through its outer layer no matter the required struggle, humans create stories to keep ourselves contained. These stories tell us that we’re safer where we are and breaking out isn’t worth the risk. We pull that outer layer close and fortify it, keeping our possibilities hidden and restricting our movement. Imagine if a seed was able to do the same thing. It would rot wherever it fell, never growing into what it was meant to be.

Consider just a few of the stories that strengthen our outer layer:
  • Failure is not an option.
  • Curiosity killed the cat.
  • Children should be seen and not heard.
When you read those words, do you notice where you may have unwittingly integrated them into your life? Or do you recognize them as untrue? Unless we are mindful, we repeat these phrases to ourselves and disburse them into our community without questioning whether they are helpful. 
 
One of the stories I learned as a child was “dumb should hurt.” The implication behind it was that if you do something “stupid,” there are painful consequences. Through somatic therapy, I discovered that particular phrase had taken up residence in my sacroiliac joint (where the hip bones meet the spine). It created an inflexibility and discomfort that no amount of massage therapy, chiropractic work, or acupuncture could budge more than briefly. 
 
Without realizing it consciously, I had equated not knowing things with being “dumb,” which also meant the possibility of experiencing pain. The belief itself was holding me back and ended up being the cause of the pain. With support, I uncovered an ability to be kind with myself while I'm learning and gracious even when I stumble. I don’t need to be perfect (or “smart”) all of the time. Once I re-framed that old belief, I experienced an new ease of movement and the discomfort dissipated. Along with the increased physical flexibility, I also found myself willing to try new things imperfectly.
 
When a seed lands in a place that is less than ideal, nature will carry it to where it can grow and bloom. We are capable of carrying ourselves to where we will flourish, and we can seek assistance when moving seems too difficult to do on our own. We can stay curious about the stories we tell and explore the ways those stories might be holding us back. Our bodies can show us where our internalized beliefs live and how to reveal our inner strengths. With patience and persistence, we can find our seed of potential, rewrite the stories that contain it, and give our best life the nourishment it needs to grow.


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