The Importance of Pruning in Your Own Life For Personal Growth

I love fruit trees. We have several small ones on our property. When the tree on our boulevard died I even convinced the city to replace it with a fruit tree. It is awesome the way they serve our family and provide us with food that we’ve cultivated.

I took a course in fruit tree care from Orchard People and part of that course taught me how to prune fruit trees. It seems weird, but strategically cutting parts of a tree off can make it healthier, and grow better. It can decrease the number of pests and diseases that might visit and actually end up giving you more fruit in the long run. As I was pruning this spring it struck me how much that resembles a great practice of pruning in our own lives. Of course, this shouldn’t have surprised me as Jesus regularly compared humans to trees or plants to illustrate our characteristics!

Here are four of the steps that I go through to prune our fruit trees and you can use to promote great growth in your own life:

1. As a starting point, evaluate where you are at in your life. What does it look like right now?
   Maybe you’re going to tackle making a spending plan, paying down debt, your business or career path, your marriage or other relationships; it can apply to any situation you’d like to encourage growth in.
   

2. What is definitely NOT working?
   Sometimes it’s easier to see what’s not working as opposed to what is. With trees, this looks like overcrowding, crisscrossed and diseased branches. In your life, it might look like a busy schedule, unhealthy relationships, or bad habits. Perhaps it’s time to cut those things off.
   

3. What would you like to keep, but change or influence the structure of?
   Sometimes something is good or beneficial, but how it's currently playing out could be changed or modified to better your situation and those around you. Maybe you currently have a regular workout routine that helps you meet your fitness goals, but it takes time away from your family. What are some ways that you can keep fitness in your routine without your family having to sacrifice?
   

4. What would you like to keep but promote growth in?
   Sometimes the way something is is great, but maybe it's a bit stagnant or not all it could be. When we make minor adjustments or discover a new insight or mindset around something, it might be all that’s needed to set growth in a direction of wonderful harvest! Something as simple as waking up 15 minutes earlier can make your morning more productive. You might also try listening to a podcast or audiobook when you walk the dog or on your way to work to develop learning and mindset growth.
   

We often think of pruning as cutting out, when in actual fact it is preparation for growth! 

What could use pruning in your life? What growth could you imagine with intentional pruning that you can start right now? 

What’s the next smallest step you will take to promote growth in your family’s money situation, build real and meaningful business relationships and deepen your marriage or friendships?