3 Lessons learned from getting an office plant
The thoughts are definitely real; or at least, they feel really real.
For a while, I have been apprehensive about getting a real office plant.
I was worried that I wouldn’t remember to water it or know how to properly take care of it. Can anyone else relate to these feelings? It seemed like such a big responsibility and I really didn’t want to add a sizeable houseplant if there was the possibility that I could kill it.
Fast forward to speaking to this lovely local plant shop who talked me through my fears. He said that the plant I chose is relatively low maintenance, so it would be easy to take care of it. Low light and water occasionally…seemed like something that I could do, right?
I got excited, found my new plant friend a new pot and replanted it. I started watering it slowly and things were seemingly going well. Then I started to see yellow and brown marks on the leaves and I knew that something was wrong.
I emailed the owner of the plant shop to see what I could do. He responded with instructions for me to follow to help my plant get better. A couple of weeks passed and there were gradually more brown/yellow spots. The owner of the plant shop asked me to stop watering my plant for a bit to let the soil dry out, though he mentioned that the brown/yellow spots are likely scars.
I sank to the ground when I heard this. I felt like all the effort that I put to ensure that the plant was being taken care of was gone. Scars on the plant. It just seemed so irreversible.
Then I receive an email from the plant shop owner with this encouraging sentence:
Keep at it, it’s a journey and there will be learning (and some scars) along the way.
It made me feel less hard on myself and also reminded me how this sentiment applies to our careers and lives. It’s a journey. We are continually learning and growing; there may be scars along the way. We just have to remind ourselves to keep going, especially when times are challenging and we just don’t feel like we can do it.
Your environment is so key. Are you in a supportive environment that is setting you up for success?
Remind yourself that it’s a journey. You are doing the best that you can with what you have.
Extend greater self-kindness. Learning a new skill or doing something new takes time, effort and skill. Practice more self-compassion along the way. Be less hard on yourself and remind yourself that you are doing great!
Keep persevering and remember the lessons. Yes, there may be some spots on my plants and some leaves may fall out, though remember that there will be new leaves that will also grow along the way. Ensure that the plant is in a good environment so that hopefully, there are no further brown leaves.
What are the transferrable lessons that you’ve learned this week that can be applied to your career?
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Thanks as always, for taking the time to read my articles.
