Outgrowing the Pot

Have you ever gone to the garden store and bought a plant that was way too big for its pot? Do you notice what happens?

Plants can grow quite well in pots, but once they hit their capacity, they stop growing. They seem to freeze in time. Underneath the surface, their roots coil around and around, completely consuming the pot. They keep growing, and growing, and growing, until the tension is far too much to withstand, then BOOM. The pot bursts. The roots crawl out, gasping for open air.

I just triggered myself writing that. Doesn’t that experience sound all too familiar?

There have been many moments in my life where I felt that I’ve outgrown my own pot. That pot could symbolize a number of things. A job, a place, or even a relationship. Through my journey with nature, I’ve realized that this is a completely natural part of life. We are meant to grow. We are meant to expand, both in our physical and spiritual realms. The difficult part comes when its actually time to transition. Some of us become so complacent or comfortable in whatever our situation may be, that we aren’t even aware that we’ve stopped growing. It can take a pretty significant event to shake us and awaken us to the pot we’ve put ourselves in. Then once we realize we need change, we find it incredibly difficult to actually act on it. We’ve become so comfortable with the life that we’re living, we don’t even know what we’re searching for, but we know something has to change. Its time for a new pot, but where do we even begin to look? What do I need? What am I yearning for?

I had to ask myself these very same questions when I was deciding on whether I should move to the countryside or if I should stay in New York. After three years, I had built a name for myself and a career in the art world. But, was I happy? Was I aligned to my deeper purpose? Did I want to stay in this comfortable, confined pot or did I want to expand the possibilities of my life?

The day I first set foot on the land in which I now live, it felt like I was being called home. The grass wrapping around my toes felt like an embrace, as if it was pulling me in, closer to the Earth. It felt soft. As much as I had accomplished in the city, my spirit was yearning to connect to something far greater than myself. New York may have been a very luxurious and glamorous pot, but it was still a pot. And I was ready for fresh soil.

Naturally, we become attached to the environments and relationships that we have built. We establish our own roots and become incredibly comfortable, so the idea of change can actually be very scary. Change isn’t meant to be easy. Once I finally made the decision to leave New York, something within me resisted. My spirit was pulling away from this concrete pot, but the roots of my ego kept pulling me back. I knew I had outgrown this pot, but my deepest roots were not letting go. They were buried deep within the bounds of this physical reality I had created for myself. I could literally feel the pressure building within me.

I was known and I was living the life I had dreamed of. Or at least, I thought I was. During this transition, I realized something. As I reevaluated my idea of“success,” I began to think about whose idea of success I was really striving for. My photography, my art, and my career. All of it had been molded by what society wanted. I was striving for an idea of success that was not even my own. No wonder this pot felt so small. I was being limited by only living a life that satisfied the expectations of this manmade world. In the commercial and fashion industry, you can only imagine just how superficial and materialistic their expectations could be. Even when doing something that was for a good cause, we had to “make it fashion” or “marketable,” completely disconnecting from its deeper intention. Enough was enough. I wanted something real.

The moment I stepped foot on this land, I felt all of those pressures fade away. The pot was gone. I was setting my roots in new, open, fresh soil, and my soul was finally able to breathe. This was a chance to build a life that I wanted. A life completely aligned with my yearning for nature, the freedom to create art that spoke my truth, and true connection with my higher self. My soul needed this. My soul CRAVED this.

Today marks a year since moving to the countryside. I have never felt so aware, so conscious, and so alive. Leaving the city was the best decision I’ve ever made. It was very uncomfortable at first, but everything fell into place naturally. It was well worth the struggle getting here. I’m more connected with my true self than ever before, free from the confines of society’s expectations. I feel more connected to the world around us, to the grandness of the universe, and to what really makes us human. I feel so free. I feel limitless.

We must free ourselves from the pots we’re living in and connect to our inner selves. Only then, can we truly connect to the limitless potential of everything around us. Everything is connected. We are all connected. Its time we break through the walls and free our roots.

Are you ready to outgrow your pot?