Finally, summer is here. Finally, warm weather… and already everyone is complaining that it's too hot. I had been away for a few days, and when I returned home and walked into my garden, I noticed that parts of my lawn had burned in the heat. As I took a closer look at the brown patches, something caught my attention. It was only the lawn that had suffered. The dandelions, clover, and every other unwanted plant were still standing there, beautifully green. Seriously? The one thing I actually cared about had burned away. Everything I had never planted—but allowed to grow—was thriving. I just stood there and quietly said, "This can't be happening." Well... to be honest, I actually said, "What the f*@#?"
And suddenly, my garden reminded me of us. You were born as a happy little baby. You probably had a wonderful childhood. You were curious. You painted. You built things. You laughed. Then, somewhere along the way, worries arrived. Expectations. Comparisons. News. Other people's opinions. And eventually... Social media. Slowly, almost without noticing, the weeds began to grow. Not because you planted them yourself. But because you stopped taking care of the lawn that truly mattered to you.
You could have pulled the weeds at any time and nurtured the beautiful lawn instead. But because most people leave their gardens unattended, we often do exactly the same with our own minds. We invest enormous amounts of energy into the past. We spend just as much energy worrying about the future. And then we wonder why there's no energy left for today.
Have you ever heard the saying: "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Or, put differently: The people you spend your time with help determine what grows in your mental garden. Today, those "friends" often include social media as well. Who are you listening to every day? Are they people who speak positively? Who have dreams and goals? Who encourage others? Or are they people who mainly complain, judge, and spread fear?
I always find it fascinating to sit next to someone when they open YouTube. Because the videos suggested on their homepage reveal almost exactly what they've been feeding their mind over the past weeks. The algorithm simply reflects what is already growing in your mental garden. So ask yourself from time to time: „What am I allowing to grow in my mind every single day?“ You decide, every second, where your attention goes.
Turn off the things that don't do you any good. Step away from whatever repeatedly pulls your thoughts into a negative direction. Listen to people who are already where you'd like to be—and who once stood exactly where you are today. They can help you pull out the weeds before their roots grow too deep.
As for me... I'm about to head outside and remove the weeds growing between the paving stones. Not because it will change the world. But because every time I walk past them, they annoy me. And feeling annoyed over and over again changes absolutely nothing. Taking action does. The same is true for your life. Things only begin to change when you start doing something differently. It's your garden. You decide what grows there. So create the conditions for exactly the life you want to grow.
And do you know what's best about all of this? A garden doesn't care what it looked like yesterday. It grows wherever you choose to nurture it today.
Sending you warm greetings... and happy gardening.
