This photo is from a few years back when I first started growing a bunch of winter squash. It was wonderful. The colors, the textures, the tastes...heavenly! Then the vine borers and squash bugs took over and I haven't been able to grow much of any since.
I tried. Lots of manure, lots of weeding, lots of attention to squash bug eggs, etc. They died anyway. All that work and no reward.
Rewards are important.
How often do you work and work and work and then there's no payoff? I do that. I wear 'Delayed Gratification' like a badge of honor. Don't get me wrong, delayed gratification is a really important skill to cultivate; however, a lifetime of investment without taking a return is really unhealthy. This, I know.
As awesome as delayed gratification is for character development, knowing how to Receive is just as important.
If you've been waiting too long to receive, then it's time to reap the harvest, claim your reward, initiate immediate gratification. This is an important part of self-care.
[And self-care is important because in meeting our needs, we become happier, and happier people make better connections with others, have an easier time setting and reaching goals, are healthier, etc. You know I'm right.]
If you're worried about being selfish, then remember that you simply need to receive those rewards for things you have done the work for. It's the law of the harvest - you planted the seeds, you get to reap the harvest. The harvest is ready. You're done waiting. Claim your reward.
I'd love to know what your rewards are! Drop me a line or comment below.
I'd like to invite you to join our Best Self facebook group where we can talk freely about becoming our best selves - and all the messy work that entails. In addition, I have another group, The Well Balanced Artist, for creatives of all kinds and in all stages of their creative lives, who are trying to balance their art, business and personal lives.
