Spring is in full force, and each year it makes me think about personal growth and change. This year in particular I have been reflecting about what it means to bloom where you are planted. To me, learning to bloom where you are planted means learning to come into your own, maintain confidence in who you and find peace with exactly where you are in the current season of life. Today, I want to share with you a few of my latest revelations in hopes that they encourage you to BLOOM!

What to do when you are not where you want to be.

Life is full of ups and downs, and often times God plants us in a place where, frankly we do not want to be planted! When I was fired a few years ago, I was really upset. It was not part of my plan. So what do we do in those situations, when we are pushed in a direction that we don’t want to go?

Stop asking, “Why me?”

Of course, I asked that initially! I felt very confused and blindsided in the moment. But now, in retrospect, there were signs that I missed. After a week or so, I learned to consciously stop focusing on a question I would never get the answer to. I had to learn to accept what happened, even if I was still upset about it.

Focus on the lessons.

Getting fired taught me a lot of things about my work ethic. Most importantly, it taught me that my work does not define me. It was a catalyst that allowed me to find confidence in my skills and to speak up when something was wrong.

I am a firm believer that life is full of lessons, and these lessons should be shared (hence this blog post!). Even when we are planted in a place we do not want to be, there are lessons to learn about ourselves and the people around us. We just have to look for them and open our eyes and hearts to fully understand them.

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Don’t compare yourself to others.

We all know comparison is the thief of joy, but more important than that is remembering that we all have completely different lives. We are unique – through our circumstances, our personalities, our struggles, our weaknesses and our strengths. Some people may have one part of their life in full bloom, while the other part is in disarray. Comparing ourselves to others steals our time and kills our joy. There is no way we can truly bloom when we are comparing ourselves to others. It steals our time and kills our joy. But, if we focus on the good things within us and around us, then we can come into our own and reach a new level of confidence.

Look for a silver lining.

Sure, I was really upset for a couple days. But, I decided to focus on the good that could come out of the situation. I had time to think about what I wanted out of my career, and I had time to do a fun DIY project for our patio that I had continually put off. I took advantage of the time I had at home and I focused on my relationship with Will. For me, the silver lining was that being fired gave me the gift of time.

Now, I have to acknowledge that with some situations, it is much harder to find a silver lining or there appears to be no silver lining. Those are situations when the unthinkable happens, when it feels like we are incapable of ever blooming again.

I had a time in my life when I felt like that. It is something I plan to open up more about soon. But for now, I will say what got me through it was my determination to not have my life defined by that situation. It was not easy at first, but I focused on the good qualities within myself and the good things happening around me.

“Perhaps the reason you are drawn to flowers is not only for their outer beauty, but because they remind you: beautiful things will bloom after the longest seasons of waiting.” – Morgan Harpers Nichols

If you are struggling in the season of life you are in or feeling confused why part of your life is not blooming, do not beat yourself up. Find peace that you have been planted exactly where you are supposed to be. Remember you are strong. You are capable of blooming. And often times, the most beautiful blooms come after the heavies storms.

Cheers!