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It’s okay to acknowledge that some environments simply do not facilitate our highest growth.
If you plant a plumeria tree in the alps, no one blames the seed when it doesn’t bloom. It’s so clear to us that the environment was not supportive to that particular seed.
Sure, we could buy a greenhouse and create an artificial environment to support growth—but what’s the point? Why not pick up that seed and drop it in the environment that perfectly supports its blossoming?
When you plant a seed in an environment that isn’t suited to it, growing will be a battle. When you plant it where it’s supported, growth will be only natural. It will be easy.
Society likes to perpetuate the belief that we can “make it work,” as if there is an honorable strength to sticking things out. We encourage people to push through, even if all the energies surrounding them dictate that it may not be the most supportive environment. We like to take the blame on ourselves: we think we should be trying harder, doing more.
Why is it so hard for us to accept that we just don’t feel or do our best in this environment—and that is okay? We can go somewhere where things are easy. There is no shame in that.
Look up any plant. You will see that each plant has a preferred environment where it truly blossoms and thrives, and any other environment would cause it to struggle to grow.
This concept continues into the animal kingdom as well. Some fish live in salt water, and some in the fresh water. Some animals live in the desert, and some in the arctic, and some in the sea.
Environment is not just important, it is crucial. Just because you can stay somewhere, doesn’t mean you should.
Sometimes there is greater strength in knowing when something doesn’t work for you and walking away. Sometimes it is our ego that is pushing the idea that we just need to try harder, do better, or do more. It tells us that we will be weak, or that we’re being unrealistic or giving up—despite what our heart knows.
Ask yourself, “Am I blossoming here? Is this environment supporting me in my soul’s path?”
These are crucial questions to answer.
We don’t need to work against our true nature. It doesn’t need to be hard!
Our peers may have tried to convince us that sometimes, “life is hard” or sometimes, “things don’t always feel good.” Nah. Let’s release those old beliefs; they don’t serve us anymore.
If you’ve been in the same place 5, 10, or 20 years and things haven’t really changed or progressed to the level that you want, don’t be afraid to reassess. There is such power in discernment. Don’t allow your decisions to be guided by false ideals imposed by the ego. Let your heart and rationale come together in perfect alignment to give you a true assessment anchored in reality and supported by your heart.
Where is your heart calling you? What place makes your soul sing when you imagine getting to live there?
Our dreams are here for us to live them. When we want something, we are feeling the mutual longing of what we want wanting us.
It’s not about “should.” What feels right? What feels good? What excites your spirit and gives you that surge of pure joy? Follow these feelings and sit back in awe as things fall into place for you.
For those who fear this concept and wonder if it could really be that easy, know that both astrology and Ayurveda support it.
In astrology, certain parts of your chart can be totally activated by moving your physical body to a new physical location. Astrologers will explain that this is why some people may move and almost immediately find success in a new town.
In Ayurveda, certain climates can be the exact medicine you need and be more effective in treating certain conditions than any traditional medicine.
I am a living, breathing example of this truth.
In March of 2017, I became pregnant with my son Echo. At that time, it felt like my whole world was collapsing in on me. Despite working, selling stuff, and babysitting, I was broke. My health was in shambles as my body was trying to sustain new life while recovering from earlier health complications: twosevere grand mal seizures and a microhemmorage in my brain.
Every single relationship that I had built my life around seemed to be falling apart. The universe was making it absolutely clear to me that I needed to get the hell out of San Diego.
Leaving my hometown with my daughter and my new boyfriend while being broke and expecting another baby made no logical sense. However, my head and my heart both had me convinced that my life depended on it.
My seizures had caused my nervous system to feel like it had been electrocuted. I became extremely sensitive to both the heat and the stimulating environment of living in a city. I needed cold. I needed calm. I needed it more than words can explain. The trucks driving by our apartment in San Diego sent painful shivers down my spine. The overstimulation hurt me physically and emotionally. I felt that this environment was not only stopping me from healing, but exasperating the very imbalances that caused my medical emergency in the first place!
On top of that, I was surrounded by negative influences and people who didn’t truly see the real me. I never felt understood or valued in this town. I never felt that people saw my uniqueness or worth.
My partner worked diligently to save money as I laid in bed for five months, too weak to even walk to the car. Finally, with no support from anyone in our lives and very little money, we left for Washington state. We arrived there when I was five months pregnant. Our little one bedroom in a complex full of tweakers was absolutely perfect. It was calm. The air was moist and thick and dense. I told my partner, “this is the first time since my seizures that I have felt relaxed.”
I spent the remainder of my pregnancy relaxing and recuperating. As he would leave to drive for Uber, I would tell him, “I promise, once this baby is out and I am healed, I am going to create a business and you won’t have to work anymore.” He says he believed me, but I can’t help but think he doubted it considering my total lack of movement and near-complete debilitation that had been the reality for the majority of our still-new relationship.
A month after my son’s birth, I made a post about a product I was thinking of creating in a Facebook group. The post went viral. And that was the last day my now-husband ever had to drive for Uber. From that day on, my business was able to support our entire family. I had started this business three years before, and was never able to make a substantial income despite all the effort that I’d been pouring into it. I have always known in my heart that this was no coincidence.
In Washington, I finally felt energized and ready to work, even being only 30 days postpartum. I was surrounded by people who respected me and saw my worth. Being surrounded by people who value you is an incredible boost to the confidence and morale.
I believe that because I was energetically ready to work, the work was ready for me.
When I left San Diego, everyone expected me to fail. Our move to a new state made no sense. But on a spiritual level, it was the only option.
In one day, our whole life changed and I know in my heart it was because I was in Washington. My heart tells me that I would never have reached success and stability if I had stayed in my hometown. The climate, the judgements projected back on me, the influences, the culture, and the lifestyle there all worked against what I knew I was meant to become.
In hindsight it is so crystal clear that moving into a physically, energetically, and spiritually supportive environment was the catalyst in helping me step into my dream career. Instead of struggling, it fell into my lap. It was that easy!
And don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that you will never experience another problem in your life if you are in a more supportive environment—whatever that looks like for you. However, when you’re somewhere that supports you, your problems feel a lot less dire.
There is nothing more painful than the ache of not being the person you know you’re meant to be. And I know this experience is not unique to me; we are all divinely entitled to a success that makes our soul sing and brings our unique gift to this world.
It’s a mutual need, a coming together of what you need to offer and what the world needs to receive—and the universe will always support you in this. Just watch for the signs. Be honest with yourself if things seem to be collapsing around you, trying to push you out of place. This isn’t a punishment, but a blessing—a push to go where you need to be.
If you find yourself unable to bloom, ask yourself, “What do I need to blossom?”
There is no right or wrong. This answer is unique to you and you alone. Are you a plumeria who needs tropical warmth and lots of moisture? Or are you an evergreen or a fern? Where do you feel best?
Take this as your loving reminder to asses what truly makes you feel good and what makes your heart sing, and don’t be afraid to make it happen. Surprise yourself and inspire those around you with your boldness and your willingness to commit to life.
Repeat after me, “I will allow myself to be where I bloom.”
~
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