I wanted to have a house full of plants, yet it seemed to die quickly every time I bought one. I was never exactly sure what I did wrong. I was watering them (when I remembered). I was putting them in the window to get sun, so they could make food to nourish themselves and grow but over and over, my plants died. I mean, seriously, it was close to 100 plants over 20 years. Despite killing all of them, I kept trying. I wanted so much to have beautiful plants in my house.
Last August I decided to redecorate our living room. My marriage was over, and I wanted a space that I created for myself. In this process, I bought four plants that were supposed to be easy to keep alive. September comes and goes; they are alive, then October, November, December, January, February, and March go by; they are all still alive. It was like a miracle to me. I had kept FOUR plants alive for months, and I felt like I was winning.
Then it was time for me to create my office space at home, which my ex had occupied for years. It had been his office, and then when we separated, it became his room entirely. It was where he worked, slept, watched tv, played video games until he moved out. When he moved out, I knew I needed to make that space mine. So, I went to the paint store and picked out a color that I loved. I cleared the room out completely, painted walls, took the blinds down that had made the space so dark, picked out furniture, and got to work making it mine. I painted the walls, beautiful light in the room, comfortable furniture, decor that brought me joy, but it felt like something was missing. I wanted to create life in this space that I was beginning my new life. So, plants…
I decided to go to a small local place called True Leaf Studio to find something to grow with me. When I walked in, I was immediately overwhelmed with the options and had no clue what would or wouldn’t thrive in my office window. Taylor, the owner, asked what I was looking for, and I just said, “I don’t know.” She asked about the space the plant would go in, the light, the amount of humidity, how much work I was willing to put in to keep plants alive, and she listened. After hearing me, she pulled out plant after plant and told me about them and the care they would require. I left that day with two plants.
After a few weeks, one of the leaves on a plant looked sad, and the other had some things growing on it that I wasn’t expecting to see, so I took pictures to Taylor and asked what I was doing wrong and to please help me! She graciously told me that what was happening was completely normal, and I was doing it all right. Well, I decided to get some more plants that day, four more, to be exact. This time as she was telling me about the care of the plants, she told me to get my phone out and record what she was saying so I could go back and reference it later if I needed to. So she not only showed me that I could take care of my plants, but she also showed me how and gave me space to ask questions and learn.
These plants and Taylor taught me something unexpected. My plants hadn’t grown or thrived not because of neglect but because I lacked the knowledge or resources. Taylor is like a plant coach. What she does for plants is much like what coaching does for humans. Taylor doesn’t come to my home, water my plants, or move them to just the right place; she simply provides the tools needed for them to grow and thrive. She built my confidence and was my cheerleader on this journey to create a jungle in my home. With this added support, confidence, and knowledge, I continued to add plants to my collection in all parts of my house, bringing so much life into the space.
A coach doesn’t come to your house and do the hard work for you, but a coach is there to be part of that process. Just like Taylor, a coach asks questions to help you see what will work for you. A coach will show you the tools to live a more fulfilled life. A coach will help you see all that you are capable of, just like Taylor showed me that I could keep plants not just alive but thriving. So many people think that coaching is about someone coming in and telling you what you should do, but it is so much more than that. Coaching helps you learn how to grow and thrive on your own through thoughtful and challenging conversations, by providing tools and support, and so much more. Everyone can benefit from coaching, guiding them to a life they never thought possible. So reach out and see how coaching can help you grow, just like Taylor showed me how to keep my plants thriving.