The Top Ten Things I Learned from My GardenWritten by Susan Dunn, Coach
1. Weed.Planting seeds means that at some point you're going to have to remove some of plants so that other ones have chance to grow and thrive. In same way, you only have so much space in your life and you need to get rid of tolerations so you can have room and nutrients and self-care to thrive and grow. In same way that you let bigger, stronger plants stay, concentrate on your strengths and let them grow. 2. If you keep doing what you've been doing you're going to keep getting what you've been getting. There's a place in my garden that just needed a rose bush. I planted 5 there. It's like a blackhole. I went on to try other plants. Whatever I planted there died, and no matter what fertilizer, extra watering or xteme care I gave, I was finally forced to admit that for some reason nothing was going to grow there. I gave up what was essentially an ego position and went with flow. It now is place for my garden statuary. 3. On other hand, If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- and don't listen to other people! I have another place in my garden where geraniums thrive all year round. My sister stayed with me a week and she didn't feel like I was watering my garden enough. I started watering geraniums and now they are spindly and their leaves have turned pale and I question their survival. It seems they were thriving on my benign neglect and were very happy with way things were. 4. Stay in touch with soil and water. Stay in touch with life. Some of my most peaceful moments take place in my garden. I don't wear gloves and I take off my shoes and walk in mud and turn soil with my bare fingers. I work with people and with ideas, and bringing my body in contact with soil keeps me grounded. 5. There's a time to reap and a time to sow. You'll learn old elemental cycles of nature. There will be those magnificent sparkling snapdragons for just a few moments in spring, panseys when it's too cold for anything to grow, and chrysanthemums in fall bringing back memories of high school football games and mum corsages. Eventually tomato crop will come in and when they die, it'll be time to plant broccoli. It's our traditions and cycles of year that bring meaning and order to our lives. 6. Delight in abundant surprises of nature. The rose bush didn't grow, and impatiens didn't take off, but a crepe myrtle arose, a shoot from another one about 5' away, when I had no idea they propagated; and biggest surprise of all -- out of nowhere some chile petines arrived. I have no idea where they came from, but they're welcome as day is long. Nature provides.
| | How to Succeed on the JobWritten by Susan Dunn, M.A.
A recent study by Pfeffer and Sutton, presented in their book "The Knowing-Doing Gap," found that when 1,000 employees in various types of organizations were surveyed, it turned out that most workplace learning goes on "unbudgeted, unplanned, and uncaptured by organization." Up to 70% of workplace learning is informal, say these researchers. This type of learning takes place informally as workers interact, do their jobs, and discuss things around coffee machine. Most of us know how to do our jobs, but how to maneuver them in particular company we're working for, where to go for help, knowing who's likely to sabotage, who has boss' ear, who 'really runs thing' -- this kind of vital information get passed around through grapevine. It isn't covered in policies and procedural manual, and doesn't come up in training sessions.
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