From the golden ratio to fractals, nature has a lot of repeating patterns. What if one of those patterns is the way in which personal development resembles plant growth? It seems like most living organisms have the same needs at a basic level. For us, humans, personal development is essential if we want to grow as better persons.
Here are six resemblances between plant growth and our own.
Too much watering makes the roots grow weak or suffocates plants
When everything you want is at hand or you’re overprotected, you will not grow. Growth happens outside the comfort zone and as the name says, it will not be comfortable outside of it. You need to step outside your bubble and try new things, take on new challenges.
A plant that misses water has to deepen its roots looking for resources. Whenever what is underneath the surface is strong, no matter what hits the surface, regrowth is possible. When the foundation is strong, you can bounce back and regrow. A bamboo takes three to five years to grow, only in the ground, deepening its roots. After three or five years, once it breaks the ground, it can grow up 27 meteres (or 90 feet) in just five weeks! That’s not a miracle, it’s work done quietly in the background, for five years.
Roots can’t develop properly in a stiff, rocky ground. Aeration is crucial
Roots as well, need their space. Even plants in a pot require some aeration. You can’t develop to your full potential when you’re overcontrolled or in a possessive or dependent relationship. Having your own time, alone, doing what you enjoy, is critical. Freedom is important.
You can’t develop in a tight environment, where you lack autonomy, creativity or where you are micromanaged.
If you keep following the sun, away from your stem, you’ll keep bending until you collapse
Ideally light should fall from above. In nature, an equal exposure is made from east to west, allowing plants and trees to grow straight. When you’re desperately chasing for or bending over vital resources, be them material or emotional, your spine will hurt. Either metaphorically or physically. Balance is key, without overworking, not clinging onto your partner.
If you find yourself in a situation where you depend on someone or something, the answer is not to get more of “that”. Instead, ask yourself why you are dependent and what can you do to stop the dependency. Is it a real need or one that brings you other benefits and actually you don’t want to give those up?
Plants grow best in their natural environment
Have you ever seen a Ficus grown indoors? In my childhood there were so commonly found indoors that until my 30s I had no idea they are a tropical species. When I’ve seen the first Ficus grown in its natural tropical environment, I was speechless. You can look it up on the internet and see the difference.
The point is all living beings can adapt. Survival is one thing; developing to the max of your abilities is another. We all have the genotype (the genetic information) in us to become anything – world class athletes, fantastic scientists, excel in business, etc. But the environment we grow in – culture, familly, society, nutrition – will influence the phenotype (the manifestation of our genotype aka what we become).
That’s why you need to know yourself, find your natural calling and move towards an environment that feels natural to you. That environment can be a physical location, a type of activity or a tribe of people – ideally a combination of all three.
Dried leaves, sick parts and dead branches prevent the plan from developing properly. Trimming helps the plant develop
Just like removing toxic people from your life. Naysayers, narcissists, aggressive people and many other categories are the rotten parts you need to trim from your life so you can grow. Toxic people are jealous when those around them succeed, because it exposes their mediocrity. So they try to keep you down, so they don’t look bad. At the end of the day, people don’t have any power over you, except the one you grant them. Personal development is not done “in chains” or opressed.
Weeds suck the energy a plant needs to grow
This is about toxic environments. Earlier we talked about things attached to the plant through a relationship. Weeds are in the environment and consume all the resources the plant would need. This is a corrupt environment: totalitarian regime, corrupt institutions, toxic company culture, unfair competition, double standards. In the 21st century, most countries have achieved their pinnacle of liberties. Now, you have the liberty more than in any other moment in human history, to change jobs easily, get a divorce, move to a different city or a different country.
The conclusion… is yours
What’s your key takeaway form all this? Could you think of any other resemblence to personal development?
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