by Gerald Collins
We plant a seed and watch as it matures into a beautiful plant, nourished by the soil, climate, and sunlight to reach its potential. Amongst the flower pots and vegetable plots, there is another wonderful garden where the most important seeds and harvest exist, yet we often neglect to tend it. This is the rich soil of our minds. The seeds of thought and belief that are planted here develop into the life that unfolds before us.
As parents, we are constantly planting seeds every day in the minds of our children. The inevitable planting of these invisible seeds is one of the powerful and potent influences in the life of a child. As conscious parents, we seek to become more aware of the thoughts and beliefs that pass through our households. Do we choose to plant seeds of fear and limitations, knowing the negative impact these seeds have on the lives our children? Or, do we choose to plant seeds of love, security, and confidence, nourishing their lives with empowerment?
The seeds we plant directly impact our children’s self esteem and become the driving force of their lives. Seeds of positive beliefs tend to create more freedom, joy, and creativity where as limiting beliefs tend to cause stagnation, fear, and retraction. Empowering our children enhances their freedom. A child who has high self esteem tends to be more positive, creative, happy, and free.
For adults and children alike, the thoughts and beliefs planted in our minds have a strong influence on the lives we lead. In fact, studies show that our thoughts impact us to an even greater degree than what actually happens to us. Imagine two people encountering the same circumstances or event, and yet their experiences are drastically different--because their thoughts are different. We might say that beliefs and thoughts fertilize the soil of our lives. They affect our perceptions of how our lives unfold, compounding our thoughts, and guiding our direction. As parents, the beliefs and thoughts planted in our own minds as children may or may not be empowering, as evidenced by our own thoughts, words, and actions. Nonetheless, we can choose to plant different seeds in the minds of our own children.
Our goal, then, is to instill the thoughts and beliefs that serve our children best in whatever circumstances they encounter on their journey through life. We do that best by planting seeds of love, trust, compassion, security, and confidence at every level, and nourishing those seeds with our thoughts, beliefs, expressions, and deeds.
Starting today, pay more attention to the seeds you plant in the minds of your children. Nourish the seeds of love, security, and confidence in your children on a daily basis. Show affection by saying “I love you.” Encourage your children to be all they can be by holding the highest belief in their potential. Remind them they are filled with potential. Let them know how intelligent they are and that they possess awesome creative abilities.
Plant the seeds of love on a daily basis by becoming more mindful of your thoughts, actions, and beliefs. Just as the scattering of seeds to the wind in any direction inevitably sows seeds, your every word and deed, whether directed to your child or someone else, plants a seed in the mind of your child.
Each act of love enhances your relationship with your children. Practice these acts gently, maintaining detachment from the outcome.
The garden of the mind is a wonderful one, especially when we fertilize the seeds of life with personal empowerment. As a young person, my grandmother often told me that one of my jobs was to be a better parent than my parents were. Since I had good parents, I didn’t understand the importance of this statement until later in life. Now I see that, as each generation of parenting becomes more conscious, we actually evolve the species. Happy gardening!
About the Author:
Gerald Collins is a single-parent father, teacher, and a practitioner at the Agape International Center. He lives in southern California and has a master’s degree from the University of So. California.
June 2007