Saturday, August 30, 2014

Where do You Bloom the Most?

I was sitting outside on my back deck recently and noticed this big pot of flowers.  I had planted some begonias in a big pot and it had been sitting on my front porch so far all year. It was doing alright... a handful of blooms, about half full of foliage. But about half the pot was empty. Nothing was growing there.

Then one day it hit me that maybe the flowers would prefer more shade than they get on my front porch. So I moved them to the back deck, where they are in shade most of the day. And you know what? They really took off!

Now the entire pot is filled with green foliage and there are many blooms!

I realized people are the same way. You may do "alright" in one location, at one job, in one relationship... but you may really bloom if given the best conditions for you and your individual spirit.

It's definitely true for me. I recently switched from full-time to part-time at my traditional job. And my boss even told me that the part-time position will likely be temporary, as long as they're as busy as they are now, because they don't usually carry part-time positions.

But anyway, when I was working full-time, I was doing alright. I fulfilled my obligations at my job. I worked on my novels when I could. It "worked," but at the same time I knew I wasn't being as good as I could be. I wasn't blooming as much as was possible for me to bloom.

I was short-changing my traditional job because I didn't want to be there and didn't want to be spending my time doing that. And I was short-changing my novel writing because I couldn't give it as much time as I wanted to.

Little by little I grew increasingly unhappy and discontent. I knew I had to make a change. I felt bad because I'd only had my job for about four and a half months. But still, I knew what I needed to do. And I found the courage to do it.

I went into my boss's office one day and we had a long talk. I explained how I wasn't happy and I needed to make a change. And even though the company basically never has part-time positions, she offered to let me stay on part-time, as long as they could financially support the position.

So see, sometimes things that "never" happen, DO happen. You might not expect a certain thing to go your way, or to unfold as you'd like, but you might just be surprised.

The reason I decided to stay on part-time is for the stable paycheck (albeit a small one), while I'm still building up my novel base and readership.

But now I am much happier and I'm blooming! I've noticed that story ideas for novels are overflowing in my brain right now. When I sit down to work on my current book, I can easily write 5,000 words or more in a day, if given the time. And more importantly, I feel on the right track.

How are you blooming in your life? Are the buds and flowers overflowing? Are you living up to your potential? If not, where could you make a change, however small?

Pay attention to the conditions of your life. They make a HUGE difference in the to which you soar.

May you soar to great heights and reach your highest potential!

In Peace and Love,
Sarah