There was once a king who had a great garden full of varied trees, plants, and flowers, which he cared for deeply. One day, he sadly found out that all this plant life was slowly withering. The once-mighty oak confessed it was dying of sorrow since it couldn’t grow as high as the pine tree; the pine admitted it was dying because it couldn’t blossom as roses did; and the roses told the king that they could only dream of being as big as the oak one day.
One thing caught the king’s eye, though: some berries that were happy, juicy, and ripe. Inevitably, the king asked them how they could be in such great condition, given the state of everything else in the garden. The berries replied that they knew that if he didn’t want berries, he wouldn’t have planted them. They knew they couldn’t offer the endurance of the oak, the greatness of the pine tree, or the softness of rose petals. But they could focus on growing and being some amazing berries. So they did the best they could.
And that gesture of love and confidence was so much more that the king ever hoped for.
This is a summarized version of a lovely tale about self-growth and, ultimately, self-worth by Jorge Bucay. He used this tale to encourage people to be true to who they are and to remind them how beautiful everyone is precisely because they’re not like anybody else.
We wanted to share it with you because it carries a message in which we deeply believe: you’re you and cannot be anybody else. Will you let that get you down or will you grow and take care of yourself out of love? In other words, will you blossom or wither?
All of us can identify with those poor plants that let sadness, envy, and longing get the best of them, even though all they needed to do to get what they wanted – to flourish and please their king – was simply to be themselves.
On the other hand, we all have at least some “berry” moments in which we feel proud of who we are and what we’ve accomplished. Focus on those moments every time you’re feeling blue.
Everyone is unique and has different things to offer to the world.
You can, by all means, admire and look up to others, but you couldn’t (and shouldn’t) be exactly like them.
Instead, you can use others as inspiration to dream, explore, and better yourself in whatever way you see fit that is true to your own individuality.
You get what you (think) you deserve.
A lot of times, what really holds us back and keeps us feeling like we’re not enough is a deeply rooted (but mostly subconscious) belief that we don’t deserve what we want or that we’re not worthy of having our own desires.
We have witnessed how people who struggle to manage and organize their finances often have negative thoughts about money and wealth. People assume that they could never be financially stable, build up their savings, or invest in something they’ve always wanted.
At the root of these self-limiting thoughts is the devastating idea that they couldn’t possibly become financially successful… because they’re not worth it. To us, that’s exactly like a beautiful rose feeling sorry about not being as robust as an oak.
Self-worth and financial success are very closely related.
After all, we develop a type of relationship with money since childhood. It’s a mistake to think our relationships — be it with money, friends, partner, or pretty much any other thing — are static and cannot be improved. People can grow and learn. People change, and so do relationships. Thinking about relationships as a fixed thing leaves little room for improvement.
In order to get rid of such limiting beliefs, think of the Growth Mindset.
The Growth Mindset involves actively participating in building and polishing up one’s skillset instead of thinking that those skillset are locked and can’t be improved. It promotes resilience and a positive attitude towards learning.
Its main advocate, Carol Dweck, puts it like this:
“When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world — the world of fixed traits — success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other — the world of changing qualities — it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself”
You get what you think you deserve, so work on your mindset and core beliefs and allow yourself to be as successful as you want.
Why should you let your own thoughts limit what you can achieve? Be adventurous when it comes to discovering your talents and developing your skills.
Don’t forget, though, that those same goals we’re encouraging you to achieve should be created independently. It’s your life, so you should be the one calling the shots.
And those areas you need some help with? Those skills you need to improve? Well, channel that Growth Mindset and start taking concrete steps to learn. Forget about other people’s expectations and definitions of success, comfort, and happiness and don’t settle for anything less than yourself.
All you have to contribute to this world (and enjoy it!) is to be yourself. Be like those berries from the story.
Everything you need to live a satisfying, meaningful life is available. The choice is yours.
Are you ready to blossom?
