Bloom Where You Are Planted

In 1995 I was sent to Atlanta to live and work by my Company.  It was the year before the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.  I was working for the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) - and my Mission was to research how an Olympic City can maximise the exposure of the Olympic Games.  I lived and worked there for 4 months - it was an amazing time.  The reason why I was chosen to go to Atlanta was because I have always lived by and worked by the philosophy of doing the best I can - and from the moment I walked into the SCVB I was dedicated, keen, proactive and innovative - within 6 weeks I was promoted and within 2 years I found myself on a plane to Atlanta.

I loved my Mission in Atlanta.  It was an incredible experience and I showed total Commitment for my Mission.  I loved the work, I loved the people at work... I loved each day at work.  I enjoyed the excitement and the opportunity to work independently - a HUGE opportunity to Shine! 

On the weekends, I loved going to the Farmers' Market - I loved it - all the fresh produce.  I would take the train, change to get on another train and then walk about 30-40 minutes to get to the Market.  Along the way back, I often stopped to have a wander through a large antique store - and 1 day I found a great tapestry - it only cost me a few dollars - and I have had it now for 15 years and it is so valued - it says Bloom Where You Are Planted - very appropriate given that I had been selected by my Company to work in Atlanta, since I had always given my very best at work, and as a result had been offered this amazing experience.

Today I was reminded of this lesson - Bloom Where You are Planted.  I was at work, my Yang energy powered along at work, the thinker, the analyst, getting the work done - every now and then my Yin part would see colour in the paintings on the wall, seeing colour in a child's drawing on a colleagues's deak.  As usual, my Yin loved the 10 minute morning and afternoon breaks and my lunchbreak - I love getting outside everyday.  Although I work in a business park (interesting... since there are no gardens or trees) - with the front entrance on a major road with trucks speeding past - and I can't find a real park nearby - I still love to just walk around the block and I just love listening to the birds singing, and love looking at the trees and the flowers (this is the Yin part of me).  Today I loved looking at the frangipani trees - there is a beautiful Yellow frangipani tree - where I can get so close to the Flowers and smell the fragrance.  And then down the road is a beautiful pink frangipani tree - I can't get so close (since it is in the front yard of someone's home) - but it is also a beautiful sight - my Yin's delight.

After enjoying my Connection with Nature - seeing the open flowers as well as the closed flowers just waiting to Bloom - it reminds me of one of my favourite sayings - Bloom Where You Are Planted.  My Yin is energised from my walk - and my Yang powers on in the Office, with a Commitment to do my best - and when I leave work for the day - I feel great that I have done my best, and achieved great results.  I have a choice - and I choose to always give my best - to be positive and hardworking - to Bloom - to Shine!!

Part of my Project is to bring my Yin and Yang together to be creative and bring about my dreams - to help put my dreams into action.  As I am more Yin than Yang - in terms of the Myers-Briggs Typology, I am Intuitive, Feeling, Perception - I am all in the Heart - and in my creative Yin energies, I have a tendency to have clutter - a messy and disorganised desk, clutter (paperwork, bills, etc) on the kitchen table and coffee table and the corner of the spare room with boxes and bags filled with paperwork, trying hard to keep everything neat and tidy. 

So tonight, I see that I have to bring my Yang into force - I listen to my intuition (my Yin) and I am guided to clear the clutter on the coffee table and kitchen table first - to pile up all the paperwork and sort into piles and reorganise them away from the living area.  My Yin is crying out for her Yang.  So Yang gets focused and steps into action.  I have felt my shadows of Procrastination and Overwhelm very nearby, and yet this small Project did not take me long - and now I feel great - my Yin can enjoy the beauty of the yellow roses on the kitchen table and can now relax.

Now the challenge is to have my Yin and Yang working together to help me develop or rather sharpen this new skill of being better organised and stopping clutter piling up - for me, it just takes one envelope, then a few brochures, then my artwork, and I just add to the pile and it becomes a mess or clutter.  I have read it takes 21 days to develop a habit - so the challenge is to avoid clutter accumulating on the coffee table and kitchen table.  Of course I still have to tackle the desk and study - and develop systems and space to organise my paperwork - hmm... that will be my next Yin-Yang challenge.

In line with my Commitment and Mission to Spread The Yellow, my philosophy of Bloom Where You Are Planted is definitely a part of my beliefs that drive and sustain me and will serve me in living with Vision... this definitely involves learning and developing my own skills and living life as the best me...