I'm an orchid lover. I invest in always having orchids in the living room of our home because they are just so beautiful and to me, they make the house feel "warm" and alive.
If well cared for, an orchid can live for centuries, but orchids are famously finicky. If you want your orchid to live up to its potential, you will have to care for it diligently--and not just when it is blooming. Orchids are doted on when they are blooming and beautiful, but they are often pushed to the side when between blossoms. I move them to our yard trees, and yes, at times it is painful, sad and a drag to see them completely "empty", not to mention my struggle in finding the motivation to go out and caring for them anyways. The immediate gratification is not there, and we all know that we love that feeling.
As I was watering them today, and admiring how a new period of bloom is starting, I realized that I could draw similarities with certain periods at work. Sometimes, no matter how hard you are working, things just don't bloom. That doesn't mean you stop caring, you throw away what you've done, you blame yourself for failure or that you completely give up. Instead, you keep showing up day after day, you keep "watering" your effort and trusting that even if you are not seeing anything blooming that day, it doesn't mean that the growth is not there. And then when you least expect it, it happens.
It is inevitable, if you care for it, it WILL BLOOM.
Today I'm enjoying my orchids, and starting my work of 2021 with a full bloom mindset. Are you with me?