The Tomato Plant: 5

Know who you are and your crop yield

The higher your calling or yielding potential, the more nutrients you might require compared to others.

It's important to recognise your talents and nurture them through learning and practice, even when the environment is harsh. You certainly won’t have all the answers, and will probably make mistakes along the way. There’s so much to learn from past misfortunes, and it’s even wiser to learn from other people’s mistakes. However, we’re all unique and gifted in different areas, for our purpose is to serve one another.

Our circumstances and struggles are also diverse. We may be classified as tomatoes, but they come in different varieties. Cherry tomatoes are small and produce a lot of clusters on the vine while beef or beefsteak tomatoes are large and produce few tomatoes per stem. 
 
Money makers thrive even in not so good soil and conditions, so many varieties beyond the scope of this page! That’s why it's never a good idea to compare yourself with others. The higher your calling or yielding potential, the more nutrients you might require compared to others. For that reason, when you've outgrown an environment, you might discover that you’re the only one who is uncomfortable while others feel at home. It's not because everyone around you is wrong or lousy crop, it's because you’re just different and at a particular growth stage. Do what you can to develop but by any means, do not judge. 
 
Maybe you’re highly talented in a not-so-common area, a beef tomato trying to do their best amongst money makers. Have you ever come across people who are happy and willing to do anything to make money, while you just want to pursue a specific route led by your skills and talents? They are money-makers in action, and the world needs such kind of people who just get things done. If you're a beef tomato, you will most likely struggle in an environment where anything goes, because you need specific conditions to thrive. Seek help from like-minded individuals; otherwise, you'll be easily sidetracked. There is no shortage of advice when it comes to all matters concerning life. Preachers, motivational speakers, authors, friends, family and relatives are all vying for your attention with help to get you out of your comfort zone. That's good because we all need the wisdom to navigate the not-so-clear routes on this journey called life. 
 
However, you need to have a discerning spirit and mind. Not everything you hear or come across will apply to your specific situation. Sometimes growth is not what you need, but the confidence to do something well without weighing yourself down. In Business Strategy, it's critical to gain a thorough understanding of who you are (strengths and weaknesses) before you implement goals or a plan.  If we all took a moment to walk in each other’s shoes, we would never be as judgmental about the choices or decisions that other people make. It took me three years before coming across a statement that helped me understand the correct way of repotting, and how it's linked to transitioning in our own lives. As I watched a gardening show on TV, the presenter transplanted small plants into bigger ones and said, “When you’re moving plants into new pots, make sure that you take a little bit of the old soil and place it into the new pot. The plant would be used to the bacteria and fungi in the old pot, transplanting into a completely new one could potentially shock the plant as new strains of bacteria are introduced.” 

So many times, I’ve seen people act like fools by staying in environments that outsiders are encouraging them to leave. It's not because they don't want to go, but they understand that too much, too soon can make a bad situation worse. Transitioning is often a gentle and delicate process which must be handled with care. What I’m trying to say is, it takes someone with a similar experience to really understand your journey. Sometimes, the so-called motivators want to see a change immediately without a real appreciation of many other factors that sometimes make people behave the way they do. The most significant lesson is: follow your dreams and don’t overly rely on other people to validate your destiny other than your creator. He knows the intricate details of your make-up. Stay true to your core (who you really are) and never despise small beginnings. When you're going to places anew, don’t burn bridges, for the future is still uncertain. By any means, keep developing and use your experiences as stepping stones towards your dreams!

READ ON: PART 6