From BUDS to Blossom : Get your ideas blossoming fully – just follow your BUDS

Harness the energy of spring to your own projects – Here’s how!

You know that feeling when the first, energetic buds shoot up and form after a long, dark winter – the energy, positivity, joy and mental boost that gives us – let’s talk about, and harness some of THAT!

A salute of daffodil buds welcomed me home after a particularly long and tiring day today and, I don’t know how nature does it, but their positive exuberance immediately rubbed off on me. My energy, positivity and drive levels shot up and the things weighing on my ‘still-to-do list’ felt light and achievable in comparison to moments before.

I know I’m not the only one to feel this surge of spring energy, so gather round and let’s learn from nature’s positive energy master!

I am reminded of the ‘BUDS’ acronym I created as a way of shifting client’s idea-buds into full blossom and now feels like the perfect time to share the process and get some of that spring energy to get your idea buds bursting into blossom too!

Use the ‘from BUDS to Blossom’ sheet to follow this quick and simple process.

First of all, write a list of all your ideas that have been lying dormant and hibernating on the back of the sheet. Which of these idea seeds do you feel are laying just under the surface ready to sprout first green shoots upwards and taproots downwards?

(When working with clients, we might go through this process three or more times and from different perspectives until they decide which idea seed is ‘the one’. For the sake of this article, I’m assuming you have no trouble spotting THE idea you want to work on.)

Choose one to work with and write it down on the front of the sheet. Start your sentence with, “I want to…”

Now follow the acronym BUDS:

B stands for: Believe 

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” It really is true! Here is a little process for pumping up your positive beliefs and leaning into possibilities.

Fold a piece of paper so that you have 6 sections. In the top left box, jot down something you believe is stopping this idea from blossoming.

Now stop and think of 5 people (alive or dead, real or fictional) who you just know would be able to get this idea up and running successfully. Put their names as a title at the top of each of the other 5 boxes. Under each name think about the following questions jotting down some notes:

• What this person would believe
• What this person would say to themselves
• How this person could show up (their identity)
• How this person would act and behave
• What the outcome for this person would be
• What this person would say to me right now

U stands for: Upside  

One of the most common things that holds us back from taking those first steps in bringing an idea to life is the fear of failure. We have a tendency to subconsciously remember any times an idea failed, and our library of past failures encourages us to stay still and stay safe. Our thinking is coming from negative, past feelings.

It is really helpful to take the time to update our thinking by turning our attention to focus on the ‘upside’; the positive, future outcomes for yourself and anyone else that might benefit from this idea blossoming.

Paint yourself a mental picture of what life would be like with this idea blossoming! Some people find it really beneficial to create a vision board of images and affirmations that they can look at everyday or do a future-forward visualisation exercise to focus on the future they want.

D stands for: Dung 

Yes, Dung! We can’t grow anything if the soil is depleted and you cannot support your idea through to completion if your energy levels are depleted either. Just as we are told on every flight, take care of your own oxygen levels before trying to help others.

Reflect on these questions remembering that we have FOUR energy dials to watch: Physical; Emotional; Mental; Spiritual.

• What will you need to do for yourself before you give energy to this idea?
• What does the idea need to keep that springtime energy high?
• What will you do to keep yourself and the idea nourished?
• When is a good time for your energy levels?
• How will you need to tweak your environment to be more nourishing?
• How will you support yourself?
• Who will support you / your idea?

S stands for: Storms & Sun

Do you know the story of the 13th Fairy? This famous Grimm’s fairy-tale goes something like this …..

The king and queen are so thrilled with their daughter’s birth that they send invitations out across the kingdom to all their most important subjects, including 12 fairies. After the 11th fairy had given her magical blessing to the sleeping child, the 13th fairy rushed in in a complete rage, furious at being forgotten, and cursed the baby. The 12th fairy couldn’t break the curse but could at least minimise it and turn what would have been a certain death into a long sleep that could be woken under the right conditions.

Where am I going with this?

Well, think about the unthinkable, the storms and lightning bolts that could appear out of the blue and shake your buds. Consider the most unexpected storm that could strike and put your 12th fairy in place. What might your plan B be? How can you minimise damage and risks? What safety features can you set up?

And, last but not least, celebrate the sunshine! How will you know when the project is complete? When will you bask in the sunshine and how do you plan to enjoy the blossom?

So, there you have it!

All that’s left is to wish you sunshine and blossom this springtime…

…and we will talk about pruning later in autumn!

Gillian