Weeds in a garden can be incredibly pesky, persistent and destructive to the plants you do want to cultivate. Any good gardener knows that frequent weeding is necessary if you want to keep a clear area for healthy plants to grow to their fullest potential.
How similar this process is to the role of positive thinking in personal development! Just like a garden, your mind can easily and quickly become overrun by “weeds” in the form of negativity, impatience, jealousy, anger or inflexibility.
You may think these types of thoughts aren’t truly harmful, just perhaps a bit annoying. Wrong! Remember, what you focus upon the most is what you tend to create in your life. While most of us have fleeting moments of negative thinking now and again, the length and frequency of time you focus on these thoughts determines whether they will sprout roots and grow into something larger and much more troublesome.
What kind of trouble can negative thoughts create in your mind? How about feelings of depression, defeatism, inability to recognize opportunities, hopelessness, resistance to positive change, confusion, lack of focus, lack of direction and purpose, and much, much more.
Even worse, negative thoughts (just like weeds) are incredibly prolific. They multiply and take over the whole darn joint if you let them. They invite all their rowdy, boisterous friends and begin to bully and crowd out the positive thoughts you are trying to encourage to take root.
If you want to keep your mind (and life) free from interfering “weeds,” you must learn to pluck out the ones that prevent the better growth from happening.
That means letting go of grudges, not letting yourself be overcome by anger or frustration, and learning how to find the good in every situation. You must learn how to cultivate only that which you want to harvest in your life.
You will reap what you sow, but remember too that sometimes other people are gardening on your land without your conscious awareness or permission.
Don’t let them! Put up an electric fence and be clear about what you will and will not accept into your lush garden. Be vigilant about weeding your mind daily, and you will ensure that only beauty, joy and abundance grow there.
“You must weed your mind as you would weed your garden.” – Astrid Alauda