Ignore your boundaries – we dare you!
I love designing small gardens, they stretch my creative skills. I want people to be wowed by what’s going on within a space that they think is too small to bother me with.
Magic is created when you follow the golden rule of garden design: don’t let the boundary be the start and end point of your ideas; always design from the inside out. Think about it, a garden design led by the restrictions of its boundary will limit possibility. Just because a garden is small doesn’t mean to say it can’t be impressive!
It’s a principle for life too. We put up our own metaphorical fences and walls and play safe within them. It could be a title or a job description that we allow to limit us. Ever heard yourself say “I’m just a mum/assistant/gardener”?
We think like this and it’s not helpful, tell ourselves things like ‘I can’t change careers now, it’s too late’, or ‘I couldn’t possibly suggest that because I’m not the boss’. But we are as powerful as our thoughts, and we decide how big or small they are.
Check out the labels you have accepted or beliefs you have created and how you’ve let them define you. Small thoughts reduce us. Our environment can control our beliefs if we allow them to. Break free, grow beyond your own perimeter fence. Dare you! Ask yourself, ‘Do I want to be described by my job title or valued for the contribution I make?’
I’ve seen loads of small gardens that are way more amazing than their bigger neighbours. How about the next time you hear your own self-diminishing thoughts, apply the important rule of design: don’t let your boundary be the start and end point of your ideas.
Andrew