Mindset is such a powerful thing. I used to commute an hour a day for work. I enjoyed my time alone to catch up on audiobooks and just think. In fact, when I changed jobs and drastically cut down on my commute time, I missed the decompression time. I adjusted to switching from work mode to family mode, and I found that I had to be more intentional in scheduling quite reflection time into my day.
I chose not to focus on the negative aspects of a long commute. However, I found over and over that I justified my opinion to others. Others always had negative comments. “What a terrible commute.” “You have such less time in your day.” “Don’t you want to find something closer to home?” “I wouldn’t want to drive that far.” “How much are you spending on gas?!!,” said in a judgmental tone.
A negative comment created such a physical reaction in my body. I felt my chest tighten, my eyes roll, my body deflate. And then the rumination would begin…. “Maybe, I’m just trying to trick myself because I have to drive such a long way.” I willfully changed my mindset by focusing on the positives in an intentional way. I set boundaries with others. I created a script to tell others when they would comment negatively on my commute, and even included this in my initial reply to others. When they would ask, “are you still at….?” I replied, “Yes, I love having the commute time. I’ve been listening to… What are you reading nowadays?’
Why a post on commuting in a gardening blog? Because gardening, landscaping, working on projects….these are all challenging things. As with any challenge, the negativity can set in. “I don’t have time to work on this in addition to work, extra-curricular activities, blah!” “We don’t have the money. Projects are so expensive.” “I don’t know how to….” “Nothing grows, and if it does, the deer will just eat it anyway.” I could go on and on with negative comments about how hard it is, but that will just make everything worse.
Instead, choose to be mindful and intentional with your mindset. Instead of “I have to weed the garden, and I just want to relax. I’m so tired.” Change your mindset to, “I get to weed the garden. I’m so glad I finally took the time to start it. I love how fresh tomatoes are so much better than store-bought.” Instead of, “We have no money to start this project, and this is awful,” choose to look into frugal gardening ways, and focus on how this challenge strengthens family values related to problem-solving and frugality.
We at From Lawn to Table acknowledge the difficult and daunting task that landscaping and gardening can be, however, we also choose to focus on the positives. After all, we see the world for how we are, not how the world truly is.