Beliefs & Ideas Like Virginia Creeper

Walking with my mother in the fall, I snapped the picture above. I found it gorgeous and shared it to rave reviews, musing that perhaps I could have a career in photography (if I bought an actual camera).

Mom, a long-time gardener, warned me, “Don’t be fooled. That’s Virginia Creeper. It’ll take over.”

Parthenocissus quinquefolia , aka Virginia Creeper

Master Gardener Susan Patterson writes: “Many gardeners become incredibly frustrated with Virginia creeper. This five-leaved ivy is a prolific woody vine that climbs quickly, choking out everything in its path. This includes other flowers, trees, shrubs, fences, walls, gutters, poles and even windows. Virginia creeper is especially aggressive when planted in the shade.”

Bonnie L. Grant counters: “A vigorous and fast growing vine, Virginia creeper is an outstanding plant for nearly any soil and light situation. Growing Virginia creeper vine provides a nearly carefree addition to the landscape. Virginia creeper maintenance is limited to light pruning and tying up. It produces one of the most spectacular color displays of fall.”

Our Beliefs, Ideas

A bit like Virginia Creeper, our long-held ideas and beliefs, even ones that appear beautiful and worthy at some point, can later choke our growth. Think about something you have believed about yourself, others, or situations:

What would happen if you ripped out that idea or belief and planted something new?

Tending Your Garden

If you suspect that pruning, tending, or potentially replacing ideas or beliefs will help you live more fully, here are some actions to try:

• Organize a personal board of directors , truth-tellers who can reflect with you.
• Find a mentor , someone who with experience to test what you think or believe.
• Hire a coach as a sounding board, a person to help you get clear and potentially formulate new ideas, new goals.
• Consult friends or family who have a stake in your well-being; ask them to use open-ended questions in your conversations (not “Do you…” but “How are you…”).
• Read deeply around the ideas or beliefs—especially contrary views—to ones you’re holding to expand your knowledge or shake-up your thinking.
• Keep a journal and ask yourself questions like: “What are others ways to think about X…” “How well is this working for me?” “What would happen if I changed…”

Tend your garden of ideas and beliefs in the sunshine, dear readers. You’ll grow and thrive when you do.

Be well,

Tiny URL for this post: