My colleague and friend Dr. Susana Kugeares, Ph.D. shares some thoughts about thriving in your environment. I love her nature analogies.
I had this realization this morning: in nature, there are different kinds of plants. Each needs different conditions in order to thrive. Different soils, water, sunlight, temp, etc. We don’t fault a cactus for being unable to thrive in wet soil, nor an orchid for burning up in direct sunlight.
Why do we fail to realize that people are the same? One person isn’t “weaker” than the next because they aren’t thriving in their current environment. We don’t blame the orchid for its needs. We don’t blame the cactus. Or the fern. Why do we blame the person, telling them to “suck it up” or “change this or that about youself” and you’ll start thriving? Lack of thriving doesn’t mean they’re weak or a failure. Maybe they just need different soil and fertilizer.
~Dr. Susana Kugeares, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
James A. Haley VA