Life lessons from propagating a money plant
This month I've been plant sitting a neighbour's money plant (photo 1). I'm blessed with a lot of sunlight in my condo, so every time I plant sit, the money plant explodes with new leaves. So naturally I sought to propagate my own money plant (photo 2).
To the untrained eye, it looks like the new plant is ready to give up. But nothing could be further from the truth. When you're propagating, the original leaves will always wither and die. They have to. The cutting is still growing and establishing a new root structure, but it's not strong enough to support the leaves already there.
So why not remove the leaves at the start? The root system needs the original leaves as motivation. The original leaves want to stick around and will push the new roots out. The leaves will fight as long as possible. The roots will work as hard as possible. But eventually, you need to let go.
Every day, I gently tug on the brown leaves. If they fall off with a simple twist, it's their time to go. If they hang on, I leave them to keep fighting and pushing the roots.
As of today, about a half-dozen leaves have left the money plant. And two new sprouts are starting to show up at the top. Soon I'll even repot it, to give the new sprouts a fresh start to keep growing.
It's plant care, but it's also how I've been propagating the next phase of my career.
Two years, I left a career in network TV. I'm always careful to preface, I loved working in network TV for many years. I grew as a producer and as a creator, in both news and lifestyle. Over time, I felt stifled. Like I had outgrown the TV I had been making for decades. It was as if I were a lone branch in an overcrowded pot.
Since leaving network TV, I've actively worked to remove old habits, old ways of thinking about success and creativity. I've replace them with new ways of thinking. For example:
Old way: this plan has to work exactly as I imagine
New way: I'll pursue this plan of action now and prepare to pivot and change as needed
Old way: ratings and metrics are how I measure the success of my work
New way: did I transform one life? Perfect. Did I enjoy making it? Even better!
Old way: I have to do it all myself because no one will get my results
New way: amazing things happen when I empower others to make choices under my guidance
I'm happy to report, the propagation of my new career is solid. I feel rooted and am watching new blooms sprout and grow. The act of clearing old beliefs that no longer serve me is still a big part of my business strategy. And the secret to a more fulfilled life.