Lessons From The Mint Plant: Are You Strong Or Are You Brave?

My sister planted mint around her vegetable garden a couple of years ago because she was told it would ward off squirrels. I don’t know how her squirrel strategy worked, but as a tea drinker, the fresh mint is wonderful in my tea. So, my sister potted some of the mint plants for me last year so that I may have mint for my tea, at will. Well, last winter was particularly cold and harsh, causing my mint pot to continually contract and expand, until my mint pot burst.

This year, my sister again transplanted mint into a pot for me. The mint grew tall and strong during the warm, summer months. I decided I would be smarter this year, however, and bring in the mint when the weather turned cool a couple of weeks ago. Who knows, I thought. Maybe I could have fresh mint for my tea all winter long too?

I found the sunniest window in my home and placed the mint pots there. One week after I brought the plants in, my heart sank: the mint plants that had grown tall and strong outside in plenty of sunlight, looked like they were beginning to die. I started to think that I would not have any mint for the winter.

But, then I noticed a week later that the mint plants that had just budded or that sprouted up after I moved the mint inside, were growing, and that they were growing greener and even stronger than the plants that had grown tall and strong outside in the direct sunlight.

Could it be that the plants that were not coddled as much and were coming up in less “sunny” conditions, were stronger than the ones that had experienced weather-perfect conditions? It made me think: Is there a difference in being strong and being brave?

Being Strong could cause the plants, or your business, to grow in “sunny” conditions with some occasional adverse elements.

But being Brave could cause the plants, or your business, to grow and prosper even when the conditions are much less “sunny” and the plants (or you) must fight through even greater obstacles to not only survive, but to thrive.

Are you Strong or are you Brave?