Growing Like a Garden

There are two ways to grow. You can add something new, or you can remove what no longer belongs.

For a long time, I thought growth was mostly about adding. Learning more. Doing more. Becoming more. More skills, more plans, more goals, more effort. And while that is true, it is only half of the picture.

Anyone who has ever touched a garden knows this.

You do not just plant seeds and wait. If you do, the garden does not become more beautiful. It becomes crowded. Weeds appear. Strong plants steal light from weaker ones. Some things grow fast, but in the wrong direction.

So you also prune. You remove. You pull out what does not belong anymore. Not because it is bad, but because it is in the wrong place or taking energy away from what truly matters.

Life seems to work the same way.

Sometimes growth is about starting a new habit, learning a new skill, or stepping into something unknown. But sometimes growth is about stopping. Letting go of a routine that drains you. Releasing an old belief that no longer fits who you are. Creating space instead of filling it.

The strange thing is that removing often feels harder than adding. Adding feels productive. Removing feels like loss. But in nature, pruning is not destruction. It is an act of care. It tells the plant where to send its energy.

I notice this more and more in my own life. When things feel heavy or stuck, the solution is not always to push harder or do more. Sometimes the real question is simpler.

What is taking energy away from what I want to grow?

A garden does not become beautiful by accident. And a life does not either. Both need planting. And both need pruning.

If this resonates with you, I would love to hear your thoughts.

What are you currently trying to grow in your life? And what might be something you need to prune to make more space for it?