By Suzanne Pantazis
When a gardener gets ready to plant a garden, they always have a plan of what they would like to see growing in their garden. They don’t just randomly throw some seeds in a pile of dirt and see what happens. Instead, they will visualize in their mind, what they would like to have grow in their garden and then they choose the right seeds, they prepare the soil to give the seeds the best chance to grow and then they continue to nurture the seeds & weed their garden so that the seeds they have planted will grow into what they visualized.
This is very similar to how we can achieve our potential in our lives or how we can help others to achieve their potential in their lives. In order for me to lose 100 pounds and to have a happy and healthy life, I had to visualize my potential and believe in that potential. If a gardener wants carrots to grow in his garden, he visualizes carrots and then he plants carrot seeds. If you want health and happiness, take some time to visualize what your life could be like as a happy and healthy person. Feel what it would be like and really try to imagine that manifesting in your life.
The next step in planting seeds is to get the soil prepared for the best possible results. A gardener will want to make sure that the soil has the proper nutrients in the soil and he will want to remove any weeds that will hinder the seeds growth. To relate this to your own situation, you have to look at things that will help you to achieve your goal. If you are going to implement a change in your life, do some planning and preparation before you make that change, to help you to succeed.
If you want to start eating healthier, think about what you could eat instead of what you are currently eating. Think about how you will eat healthy when you are at work, on holidays, or out at a restaurant and plan in advance the strategies to help you to succeed. Make sure that you have lots of healthy choices available to make it easier to choose a healthier option. If you want to start implementing exercise into your life, think about different types of activities that you could do that would be fun and which would not be boring and painful. Plan in advance how you will exercise if it is dark outside or raining, or if you don’t have a babysitter or if you are on holidays. Find creative ways to get prepared in advance so that you will succeed.
To weed your garden, think about things that have contributed to your failure in the past and try to remove them from your experience. Remove unhealthy items from your kitchen that you don’t want to eat and replace them with healthier options. Avoid being around people who upset you or sabotage you. Join a group, a bowling league or an exercise class to help create the opportunity to develop new and healthy relationships. Develop a support network of people who support you in the changes you are trying to implement.
To nurture your garden, you need to learn to nurture and care for yourself. It takes times to prepare healthy meals, to meditate, to exercise and to rest and relax. Make yourself a priority, because when you take the time to become happier and healthier, you will also make the lives of those around you happier and healthier.
There have been many times in my life, when I have felt guilty about taking time for my own wellness. I would tell myself, that I should really clean those dishes in the sink, or I should really spend more time with my family, or I should really get that book-keeping done etc. However, what I now realize is that it is so very important to make time for your health and wellness. You need to tend to your garden and that garden is you!! If you are unhappy and unhealthy, you won’t be any good to anyone else anyways. So take the time to shop regularly, so you can make healthy choices and take the time to fit exercise, relaxation, meditation and positive visualization into your life. Take the time to set a healthy example for others.
So think about the seeds of positive change that you would like to plant in your garden and in the gardens of others and then plant your seeds, nurture them and watch them grow. This is another step in helping your dreams manifest into reality. Happy gardening!
Suzanne Pantazis
America's Wellness Network 
Interesting, inspirational article on weight loss from someone who has successfully lost 100 lbs. If she can do it, you can lose weight too, by implementing her suggestions.