Weeds
Updates by Daryl Chow, MA, Ph.D.(Psych)
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Weeds
By Daryl Chow, MA, PhD on Aug 30, 2019 05:00 pm
I was a really good gardener, until I had a garden.
Never in my entire adult life, have I been so consumed by weeds.
Perhaps growing up in Singapore, where the majority of us live in high-rise apartments, other than the ones in pots, I never had to consider the upkeep of a patch of greenery.
Living in Australia on and off for the past 9 years now, I find myself wondering if I’m not doing something right with my garden. I mean, I’m not growing anything spectacular (or anything, as a matter of fact). Somehow, weeds seem to blossom with rage in my garden.
I secretly wish there was something I could do, once and for all, to stop them from ruining my life.
I was told by my neighbor that “it’s an ongoing business.”
A Builder vs A Gardener
All analogies have a point. Somehow we were indoctrinated to a Builder’s mindset. Plan, develop and build it. Maintain. Done. This doesn’t seem to apply to the messy business of life.
Instead, we require more of a Gardener’s mindset. Scatter some seeds, nurture the soil, protect and water it; let it grow. Prune.
Even before I grow more stuff in my backyard, I need to fully appreciate the business of gardening, or rather, to weeding. Subtract, not add. (See Point #3 of this blog)
And then I can consider to add. Add stuff like mulch and plants, in order to subtract.
When we think of adding a new project, we must consider what we need to remove for the new ideas to grow. When you choose to focus on one aspect of your development as a therapist, be ready to weed out what is non-essential. And if things evolve, things change. Your learning edge will change.
The success of any deliberate practice efforts require deliberate subtraction.
Chase two rabbits, and you’d catch none.
The post Weeds appeared first on Frontiers of Psychotherapist Development.
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