Cultivating Self Growth

It’s a privilege to be here with you today even if only from the other side of your computer screen; to pause together, reflect, and talk about growth. Not just the kind of growth we measure in achievements or milestones, but the kind that takes root deep within us. It's the kind of growth that sustains us when we feel uncertain, unseen, or unsupported in the pursuit of what we’re called to do.

I want to invite you, for just a moment, to imagine a tree.

Grove of Olive Trees

Picture it in your mind: maybe it’s one you know well. A tree that has weathered seasons, maybe one that has stood in the same spot for years. Now imagine the environment around it: the soil, the light, the air, the rain. You might notice that when the environment is right, that tree doesn’t have to try to grow. Growth is natural. It’s what the tree is built to do.

But, when the environment is harsh, when the roots can’t reach nourishment or the light is blocked, the tree still tries to grow. It bends. It stretches. It adapts. And sometimes, it survives through sheer will until conditions shift.

The metaphor of cultivating the environment of a tree is, I believe, one of the most powerful ways to think about how we strengthen ourselves: especially when we’re trying to move forward with goals or dreams that we feel called to do, but don’t yet have the support to make real.

Because, like a tree, you already have everything within you that’s needed for growth. But it’s the environment, internal and external, that determines whether that potential can thrive.

1. The Soil: Our Foundations

Let’s start with the soil.

The soil represents our foundations: the beliefs, values, and stories we’ve absorbed about who we are and what’s possible. Healthy soil is rich, deep, and full of nutrients. It allows the roots to anchor and draw strength. But depleted soil, soil that’s dry or compacted, can choke out even the strongest seed.

In our lives, that soil often looks like the messages we’ve been told about what we should do, how much we can handle, or whether we’re worthy of pursuing what calls to us.

Maybe someone once told you, “That’s unrealistic.” Or maybe no one told you at all. Maybe the silence was louder than any rejection. That’s what depleted soil feels like.

Strengthening yourself doesn’t always start with doing more. Sometimes it starts with replenishing the soil. That might mean reflecting on the roots of your self-doubt, and asking, “Where did this come from?” It might mean surrounding yourself with new nutrients and people who see your potential, resources that remind you of your capacity, or even quiet moments of gratitude that return nourishment to your ground. When we tend to the soil, we’re not just preparing for growth. We’re honoring where we’ve been planted, and ensuring that what grows next has the foundation it needs to last.

2. The Roots: Connection and Belief

Now, beneath that soil are the roots. Roots are fascinating: they’re invisible, yet they determine everything about the tree’s ability to survive. For us, roots are connection and belief. Roots are unseen networks of support, faith, and purpose that hold us steady when winds of change blow. When we feel unsupported in our goals, it often means our roots haven’t found what they need: the right community, affirmation, or shared belief system.

But here’s something beautiful about roots: they grow toward what they need. If they don’t find water in one direction, they reach in another.

Sometimes strengthening ourselves means recognizing that the support we’re seeking may not be in the same places we’ve always looked. It may mean extending our roots into new soil: building new relationships, learning new skills, finding a mentor, or joining a community that aligns with our purpose. Growth isn’t always about going up; sometimes it’s about going down and deep. Because when the roots are strong, even if the environment aboveground changes, even if storms come or branches break, the tree remains.

3. The Trunk: Discipline and Integrity

Now let’s move to the trunk. The trunk is the structure that connects the roots to the branches, the unseen to the seen. The trunk represents discipline and integrity.

This is the part of us that must remain consistent even when motivation fades. It’s the daily practice of aligning our actions with our calling even when we feel alone in it. Think about how a tree grows: ring by ring, layer by layer. Every season leaves its mark. Some years, the rings are wide times of abundance and flow. Other years, they’re narrow, times of struggle, drought, or waiting.

But together, they tell the story of resilience.

Strengthening yourself means building that trunk, not through perfection, but through persistence. It means showing up for your dreams in small, faithful ways. Writing one paragraph when you can’t finish the chapter. Making one phone call when you’re afraid to take the next step. Reaffirming your values even when no one is clapping.

Integrity is what keeps the trunk straight. And discipline, the steady rhythm of trying again, is what helps it grow taller.

4. The Branches: Action and Possibility

From the trunk, branches extend and reach toward the light. Branches represent action and possibility. They stretch in different directions, experimenting, testing where the light feels strongest. Some grow fast; others stay small. Some break under pressure. But without them, the tree can’t catch sunlight or produce fruit.

In our lives, branches are the risks we take — the projects we start, the conversations we initiate, the invitations we accept.

Yet here’s where many of us pause. Because branches are visible. They’re exposed.

When we’ve felt unsupported or misunderstood in our goals, putting ourselves out there again can feel terrifying. But remember: branches grow gradually. You don’t have to leap into full bloom. You can test the light, try one small act of courage, and see what happens.

Every action, no matter how small, is a declaration of growth. It’s a way of saying, “I am still reaching.”

5. The Leaves and Fruit: Impact and Renewal

And finally, we come to the leaves and fruit. The visible expression of all the unseen work.

Leaves are how the tree nourishes itself, converting light into energy. Fruit is how it contributes to others and how it shares its growth with the world. When we strengthen ourselves from the inside out, our impact becomes a natural byproduct. We begin to live and lead from abundance, not scarcity. The goals we feel called to, whether it’s starting a project, changing careers, writing a book, or advocating for something we believe in, become not just personal achievements, but acts of contribution.

But here’s what we often forget: even leaves fall. Even fruit is temporary.

There will be seasons when you produce and seasons when you rest. Seasons when your branches are bare, and you wonder if anything is still alive inside you. And yet, the roots still hold. The soil still remembers. Winter doesn’t mean failure; it means preparation.

Growth is not linear, it’s cyclical. The pause between seasons is part of the process.

So if you find yourself in a season of quiet, uncertainty, or rebuilding: trust that something beneath the surface is gathering strength.

6. Cultivating the Environment Within

Now, I said at the beginning that the environment matters. Here’s the truth: sometimes we can’t control the external environment. This includes the people who doubt us, the systems that make it harder, or the circumstances that limit resources.

But we can always cultivate the internal environment, the one within our own ecosystem.

We can water ourselves with compassion instead of criticism. We can prune the thoughts that keep us small. We can tend to the light we allow in, choosing what we feed our mind and spirit. When we take ownership of that environment, we become the gardener of our own growth. And little by little, even when support from others is limited, we begin to stand taller. Not because conditions are perfect but because we’ve learned how to thrive within them.

7. The Forest: Collective Growth

There’s one more layer to this metaphor. A single tree can be strong. But a forest, a connected community of trees, is nearly unstoppable. In a forest, roots intertwine. Trees share nutrients. They communicate through underground networks, sending resources to weaker trees and warning each other of danger. It’s an ecosystem of shared survival.

So even though your growth journey begins within, it’s meant to extend outward: to create connection.

When you strengthen yourself, you create space for others to do the same. When you stand tall, you cast shade for someone else who’s still growing. When you share your fruit, your wisdom, your story, your courage, you feed others who may not yet believe they can grow too. You become part of a living network of resilience and renewal.

8. Closing Reflection: The Call to Grow

So today, as you think about your own goals, the ones that feel sacred, but maybe out of reach, I want you to ask yourself:

• What does my soil need right now?

• Where are my roots seeking new nourishment?

• What layer of my trunk needs strengthening?

• Which branch is ready to reach for light?

  
  

Growth doesn’t require perfect conditions. It requires consistent care.

You don’t have to do it all at once. You just have to begin with one small act of tending to your environment, one small step toward the goal that calls you. Because when you nurture the tree within, you strengthen your foundations, deepen your roots, and reach toward the light. You become a living metaphor for possibility.

And the world needs that more than ever.

The world needs you in your healthiest self, more than ever.

So may you keep growing, not because the conditions are easy, but because your purpose is worth the effort. It's worth it to everyone.

Thank you.