Limits are self-imposed boundaries we create out of fear. We may not be the planters of these fears but we are the only ones who can permit them to thrive. Both weeds and flowers grow in exactly the same way, so why do we have to pull weeds when we need only picka flower?

There is nothing extraordinary about weeds, they embed themselves in the place of their choosing, infiltrating the soil belonging to an exclusive selection of flora. These parasites sneak in without the gardeners knowledge and fester there, rapidly expanding and claiming their territory. When the gardeners finally becomes aware of their presence they have already ingrained themselves so deeply that only immense effort and great determination can eradicate them. However, the weeds will continue to grow back until you are able to extract them completely, roots and all.

Flowers, on the other hand, must undergo a rigorous screening process in which the gardener not only decides which seeds to plant but also where they will be allowed to bloom. Even after permission has been given, the flowers cannot survive without constant attention and care. Fragility renders the flowers vulnerable to unpredictable and uncontrollable weather and leaves them susceptible to human malice; both willful and otherwise. If a flower is picked, it’s life is over unless the gardener chooses to plant it again.

Our minds are gardens, fertile and impressionable to opinion, experience, and society. As children our gardens were a wonderland of innocent bliss but with age came the invasion of hurt and pain. We became calloused by life and despite the walls we put up to protect ourselves, cynicism and deprication snuck in.

Thoughts are delicate things, the negative ones harbor a great immunity to upheaval while the positive ones are easily shaken. We must choose which thoughts to tend to very carefully because what we believe to be a tiny piece of grass may actually be the beginnings of a weed.

It’s easy to allow the weeds of negativity to take hold and even easier to let them take over. Regardless of the maintenance involved, there is nothing quite as breathtaking as seeing one flower of positivity blossom into an entire garden.