One Sunday after church this past summer, I zipped into the home improvement store to pick up some items for my garden. I noticed the fruit trees were marked down 75%! What a deal! So, of course I could not pass up this bargain. For less than $20, I purchased a lemon and peach tree.

Now, before you are too impressed, I only pretend to have a green thumb. My heart is in my garden, but I haven’t quite figured out exactly what is going to work with my North Texas soil and climate. That’s why I am gradually building up a network of go-to North Texas gardening experts.

Both trees had a place on my patio for a few months. I planted my lemon tree in a huge flower pot and placed it on a dolly in order to make it more transportable. I left it on the patio, where I thought was the perfect spot. At first, I noticed a few fragrant buds, but then a bug continued to chomp on the leaves. I routinely sprayed an organic treatment to try to get rid of the pesky insect. Regardless, it was still pretty with many leaves, just some half eaten.

(Now you may be wondering the point of this lemon tree story. Stay with me…)

About 10 days ago, North Texas was preparing for its first seasonal freeze. After consulting with one of my gardening gurus I mentioned earlier, I brought the lemon tree with chomped leaves into the house. I placed it next to our dining room window. Over the next couple of days, I noticed a few leaves falling off. I was concerned it might be going into shock, or the vent may be blowing on it. So I shifted it slightly.

The next day, leaves were still shedding, but I noticed a few buds appearing. By last weekend, the tree had many fragrant buds, with several blooming. Wow…what a difference! The lemon tree had gone from surviving outside to thriving in its new environment! (Okay, now to my point…)

Watching this awesome beauty develop made me think about how we much we thrive when we are in a healthy environment, directing our energy towards positive results, and moving forward using our gifts to meet our goals. We may seek advice in order to make it happen. We may remove ourselves from certain situations (like pesky bugs) in order to be more productive. But once we take the necessary actions, we thrive!

What do you need to do to take action and thrive? How can you improve your surroundings and circumstances in order to be the best you? You might take some time to evaluate your situation. Start journaling, or talk with a trusted friend. This situation is a great example of how a professional coach can assist you in finding solutions.

Like the lemon tree, when you find the healthy environment that works for you and you are able to really use your gifts, you will thrive and see awesome results. In case you are wondering about the peach tree, my gardening guru friend suggested I plant it after the first freeze when it goes dormant. Hopefully, my green thumb will prevail and I will have lemons soon and peaches in the spring. For now, I’ve shared a picture of one of the thriving lemon tree buds.

I would love to hear from you. When have you experienced surviving a situation, but then made some changes and began to thrive? Please share below.