Queen Reina's comeback

I was shocked. After all, I left her completely abandoned for months!!!!

And now, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She was back, blossoming, stronger, more beautiful than ever.

Oh, sorry. I’m talking about my orchid here... I call her Queen Reina.

You see, I fell in love with these absolutely gorgeous creatures years back. At first, I only grew orchids on the inside window in Connecticut (because .... four seasons). Later, when we moved to Florida, I have them inside and out. After all, I assumed it was their original tropical habitat. Emphasis on "assume".

After sacrificing a few, I learned the hard way that not all orchids are created equal.

Some say, they’re super sensitive – I say they’re at their best when left ALONE! When my orchids were in the most gorgeous blossom season, friends kept asking me what I do with them, what do I feed them, etc.  My answer was always: nothing! I didn't lie. Sometimes I even forget to water them!

Don’t over care for them, don’t cuddle them, don’t overwater them, don’t … they’re the queens; they’re at their best when left in peace to their own glory and power.

The one I'm talking about, Queen Reina, that took me by total surprise, was nearly destroyed last year. Ok, so I give them names - all right? Don't you?

It was my inside orchid, and thanks to my hubby's habit to never close the door behind him (can you relate?) when he walks outside, no amount of screens can protect us from omnipresent whiteflies (courtesy of Florida, look it up, they’re nasty). And they get inside the house, sadly, and put their stinky bodies on everything green they can find.

This orchid got hit so bad, I thought it was done. Half dead.

So I took the whole pot and just threw it out on the side of our house, so it doesn’t spread to more orchids. I sprayed dishwasher detergent mixed with water (that's supposed to help to kill those suckers) and left it there.

Then I forgot all about it. When I found the orchid nearly a year later, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Left to its resources (a natural sun, sometimes too hot, occasional pouring rain, drought, whatever nature hits it with) – she completely recovered, grew, and repair itself.

Impressed, I took her back inside.      

A few months later, this is how she repaid me for my callousness and carelessness:

This is a tale of three R’s  - Reinvent, Recover, Repair

I know, I know - why I suddenly marvel over my orchids? How does it relate to business or life? 

Sometimes, when everything goes wrong, and we keep pushing, and searching, and stressing over it – we make it worse. It’s the natural reaction – we try harder, we want to solve problems.

But often, the much better strategy (and the least logical one) is to back off – take the pressure off ourselves and the situation, allow it to proceed its course, take a walk, meditate, repair our stressful mind that can’t possibly come up with any solution anyway (in that state of mind).

When I was first told this by my 50K business coach, I almost faint. Yeah, right, like it will resolve itself!!!!?? Seriously, what kind of advice is that?

We then talked about what's the worse that could happen. And how would I solve that? And what's the probability that it happens?  

After my initial reaction, I did let it sink in. I definitely can’t do anything productive when I’m pushing, stressing, and getting overwhelmed. I can’t possibly come up with any great solutions when I don’t allow any rational thought to enter my brain.

So I listened, however hard it was and applied the advice. I closed my laptop, went for a walk, spent well deserved time with my husband, and did some meditation work. Calming my mind and quiet it down was the hardest. But with patient repetition and practice, it happened too.

Within a few days, what seemed to be like an intractable issue, was no longer an issue. It resolved itself. A technical problem I was stressing about, was taken care of by finding the right help by “accident”. What seemed impossible 4 days prior, was now resolved mostly without my involvement. Sanity intact.  

Just like my Queen Reina – when left to its own resources and repair mechanism, she did her job and returned in her most beautiful glory.

A miracle!

P.S. When it comes to a stressful issue, how do you deal with it?