The first sprout of a seed happens underneath the soil. From the radicle, the seed’s inner core, the taproot pushes down, spiraling into the soil. Only when the seed is well-rooted in the earth can it sprout and push through the soil. The depths of the roots under the surface are what allows it to grow taller above the surface.
Big, strong trees have deep fibrous roots that extend like tentacles far below the surface of the ground, branching out through the soil.
As above, so below.
Nothing can grow without being well rooted. Much of the early work happens below the surface, where we can’t see it or feel it.
All we can do is ensure we set up the best conditions for the seed to sprout. The right type of soil. The right amount of sunlight. Exposure to oxygen. Frequent watering.
Then we sit back, wait, and trust the process.
As is so often the case, nature provides an instructive roadmap for how to grow anything.
Building From Your Root System
This approach is also mirrored in the start of the Jewish New Year. We are currently in the period between Rosh Hashana, the “head of the year,” and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.
This period of time is also known as the Ten Days of Teshuva. Teshuva is often translated as “repentance” but it more literally means “to return.”
This time is a “homecoming” — no coincidence that homecoming season often falls at this time.
What do we mean by “homecoming”? To where are we returning?
We are returning to ourselves, coming home to our truth, to our true nature — our roots.
In contrast to the secular new year, which we often launch into with a list of goals and resolutions that inevitably fall flat, the Jewish New Year starts with reflection and contemplation — the inner work that happens beneath the surface.
It’s a time to get clear on the fundamentals of your “root” system:
- Who are you?
- What are your core values?
- What is your purpose in this world? Have you been living it, or avoiding it?
- Have you been living aligned with your values?
- If not, what changes must you make to live more in alignment with those values?
- How have you been using your time, energy, attention, and other precious resources? How can you reallocate and rebalance your resources in a way that will help you live more aligned with your values?
Contemplating these inquiries is not something we can do while we’re running around in our busy-ness of errands and other activities. It requires creating space and stepping back from the ordinary activity of our daily life.
Reflection and contemplation requires pockets of silence and stillness, so that we can tune out the external noise and the voice of the ego and hear the “still, small voice” within.
The Challenge: It Feels Like “Doing Nothing”
If you’re steeped in the ethos of “get it done” culture, where the focus is often on making “big, bold moves” that will “change the world,” stepping back to contemplate these inquiries can feel uncomfortable.
If you’re used to taking action, to being in motion, then this can feel like “doing nothing.”
In fact, it is “doing nothing.” That’s the point.
First, be aware of the common mistake to confuse “taking action” with being “productive” or constructive. Not all action makes an impact. Movement doesn’t generate forward motion unless it’s aimed in a direction and anchored by a foundation.
Without the anchoring of the taproot, the sprout that emerges from seed won’t have the strength to push through the soil. Nothing will grow above ground.
If you’re moving in circles, you’re just tiring yourself out.
Second, doing “nothing” is essential for growth. In order for the seed to even create the tap root, it needs a period of dormancy. Without dormancy, seeds don’t sprout at all.
The important foundational work happens under the surface, in the darkness of the void, the in-between time as the seasons are changing.
The world itself was created from this space of darkness and “nothingness.”
Trust the Process
My trainer often reminds me that “just because you don’t feel a muscle working doesn’t mean it’s not working.”
The same is true in our work. Just because you don’t feel like something is “productive” or making an impact doesn’t mean it’s not.
Our “feelings” about something are often calibrated to our conditioning. If you’re conditioned that “action is the metric of productivity,” then taking times of silence to get clear on who you are, what you value, and where you’re going is not going to “feel” productive.
In the long term, however, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Setting up the conditions and anchoring your roots will allow you to germinate sprouts that grow into big, sturdy trees that endure through time.
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