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Sarah Lynas | coach & mentor

šŸŒ±landscape gardening for the mind!

Published over 2 years agoĀ ā€¢Ā 3 min read

Hey Reader

So as we get further into autumn I quite often switch off from gardening jobs and it's been a surprise to find one that really needs doing right now. We have a flat roof above our garage and given my passion all things green we decided to make it a living roof and sow it with all the makings of a wildflower meadow.

And that has gone really well for the first couple of years; we've had an array of beautiful flowers & grasses which we can see from the office plus we know that it's yet another haven for wildlife... big smiles all round šŸ˜ƒ

However... a casual glance out of the window, now that the flowers and grasses are starting to die back, reveals that we have some intruders on the roof. This is not good news.

Now I love trees, as you know, in their rightful place. And that is not on my roof! Why? Because I know that they'll grow quickly, overshadow the flowers I wanted to grow, and eventually damage the roof.

So this week I have been up on the roof, thinking that I would just pull the saplings out and be done with it.

But I probably don't need to tell you that it is not proving to be that simple. Three hours, the use of a hefty garden fork, a lot of sweating and swearing later, I am finally done with removing (hopefully) all of the saplings.

And, you already know if you've been reading my letters for awhile, this is leading to a gardening metaphor!

I just can't help but notice how this is so similar to the way we carefully tend our minds, and our mindsets, filling ourselves up with gratitude practices, positive affirmations, the right supportive connections, and yetā€¦

And yet those seeds of doubt and negativity will still arrive in our world, they'll still float past and they will still sometimes settle and germinate, take root.

Perhaps it's something a colleague commented on, perhaps it's the seeds of comparison that you feel listening to successful women in your local network, perhaps it's the way your well-meaning teenager speaks to you in the mornings. Or maybe it's something you say to yourself, something less than helpful, "I can't believe I got that wrong again" "I'm so useless at technology" "what's the point me doing this, nobody takes any notice?"

Over time, just like the little saplings, these shoots of doubt and negative self-talk can grow into thoughts that overshadow the good feelings you've been nurturing, and damage your self-belief.

Of course, you can't stop those seeds from showing up in your world, there will always be events, people and comments that deliver the potential to cause damage, and some will try to settle and take root.

So, just as you might watch for tree saplings growing in the wrong place in your garden, it's just as important to notice when new unhelpful beliefs begin to take root in your own mind, because it's so much easier to nip them in the bud, to catch them as they arrive and deal with them right there, than it is to wait until they are thriving and so much more difficult to remove!


So my invitation to you this week...

šŸŒ±What tiny saplings of doubt do you notice in your mind just now... what phrases repeat themselves and grow stronger with each repetition?

šŸŒ±Are they helpful or true? How could you replace them right now with something kinder?

šŸŒ±If resilience is low this week, are they any areas of your life where you might you need to set up some protection from unwanted seeds of doubt? Any places or people you could avoid until you feel stronger?


And if you could use a little support with this... Untangle is my new instant-access masterclass (Ā£30) to help you spot the unwanted saplings of doubt and replace them with the flowers of your choice!

Have a wonderful week and Iā€™ll be back in your inbox soon :)

With love,

Sarah x


PS. I love writing my letters to you, and if you know someone who'd enjoy reading them too please do forward this, letting them know they can sign up here.

PPS. I believe in joy and the absence of clutter. You can unsubscribe below if my letters aren't for you right now. You'll be welcome back anytime!


šŸŒŸbook a virtual brew to talk about accountability (I have one spot left at Ā£100pm) or 1-1 coaching

Sarah Lynas | coach & mentor

Helping women shift self-doubt and be themselves at last.

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