Three Reasons You Need To Prune Your Life Right Now!

What do you have in your life that is preventing you from achieving your potential? What in your life RIGHT NOW is preventing positive growth?

Maybe it’s a job that is pushing against a glass ceiling? Or perhaps a marriage that has turned neglectful and abusive? How about a friendship that has become toxic? Maybe you need to reexamine your spending habits and cut costs somewhere? Whatever it is, you won’t be able to achieve your full potential because you’re investing your energy, time, and resources into these areas that are hurting you in the long run.

Perhaps it’s time to cut some things out. In chapter 2 of Necessary Endings, Henry Cloud compares this to the necessity of pruning for the gardener. When gardeners prune, they do so for three reasons-

1.   There is too much growth.

Sometimes the gardener has to prune perfectly fine flowers. Maybe these blooms have achieved all they are capable of and will soon start to whither and die, depleting nutrients that could otherwise be used for the growing, thriving part of the bush. If these fully bloomed flowers continue with the bush, they will prevent the growth of the younger buds and blooms, causing them to be blocked out and suffocate.

♦   Implication #1 –  Are you juggling too many things at once? Involved in too many relationships or clubs with no time left for yourself or the things you really want to do? Do you feel overwhelmed and disoriented. I used to be a social media fiend…totally addicted and consumed. When I was in the mental institution for a week I was cut off from all social media and electronics. What a freeing feeling – I could concentrate on ME and work my way back towards stability.

 

Necessary Endings – Do you have one to make? [IMAGE]

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NOTE: These are not my ideas. This intellectual property belongs to Dr. Henry Cloud and his book Necessary Endings.

I’ve just reread Henry Cloud’s book, Necessary Endings. This book was pivotal in my decision to end a toxic relationship – my marriage.

I am proud of the decision? No.

Was it necessary? Absolutely. It had become a toxic relationship.

And no slander to my ex-wife, it was on both of us. It always is.

My Plan

This book was SO profound to me that I decided I am going to summarize a couple chapters of the book over the next few weeks. I am really looking forward to having a dialogue in the Comments section of each post so if you’re game and want a head start, GO GET THE BOOK ALREADY! http://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Endings-Employees-Businesses-Relationships/dp/0061777129

Have you read the book? Please let me know in the comment section below, or click the “thumbs up” icon. Let me know if you’re planning on buying the book, or planning on joining in, in any way. This is going to be really exciting!

I’m going mention the major points of chapters 5 and 6 (at least) since these were the two sections that validated what I was feeling and going through. It will answer questions like-

• Is there something in my life that needs pruning?
• Why is “hopelessness” important?
• How do we decide if a pruning is necessary? Do all things really need to end?

This book was a life changer for me.

It is a staple book on my book shelf. It is thoroughly highlighted and marked up with extra notes.

I hope it impacts your life in a positive way.

Game on!

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In What Season of Life Are You?

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Seasons. We all have them in our lives. Just like the earth has seasons.

A Spring.

A Summer.

A Fall.

A Winter.

You’re in a season right now. And I’m in a season right now. In our lives, we are either planting, growing, harvesting, or lying fallow. 

Think about your:

♦  Relationships

♦  Jobs

♦  Hobbies

♦  Interests

Maybe you’re in a “Spring” and starting that new job?

Or maybe you’ve moved to the “Summer” of a relationship that’s been growing and blossoming into something beautiful for some time now?

Maybe you’ve arrived into the “Fall” of a hobby? A time where you’ve reaped the rewards of your investments and you’re able to rest for a season and reflect on lessons learned.

It helps to understand the season you are in.

Spring – You’re busy planning and planting. Deciding what crops to grow and how you’ll arrange them in your fields. Which ones will you keep to feed your family? Which ones will you sell at the market to make a profit?

In life, we plan if we want things to be effective, hold value, and be successful. We don’t rush into buying a house just because we like the color. We research the area that surrounds it. We look at what other houses in the area have sold for. We look at what schools our kids will be going to.

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In what area of life are you planning and planting right now? What will success look like? What will happen in the summer as a result of your efforts now?

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Where is YOUR happy place?

Hi folks. Thank you for stopping by for a few moments.

We all have them. That space that offers us a pause button in our push button life movie. A sort of solitude we slip away to from our stormy waters. A retreat from the catacombs of depression. Though our Specter still latches into us, riding us wherever we go, we can still go to this place and feel…“better”?