From the moment we enter the world, we’re taught to colour inside the lines. Follow the rules, stick to the path, don’t stray too far. Society gives us a framework to live within, always encouraging us to go to school, get a job, be productive, and generally stay in line. And while there are benefits to this system, it can also limit us.
We are expected to grow in controlled ways, much like a bonsai tree is pruned, shaped, and maintained for aesthetic perfection. But at what cost? What if the endless trimming of our wild edges is holding us back?
Are our lives over-structured?
Everywhere we look, screens compete for and dominate our attention. They tell us what to think, what to buy, and how to behave. They help us be productive, efficient, and informed, but they also keep us distracted, overstimulated, and disconnected from the organic flow of life. Just think: 20 years ago the idea of counting steps, constantly measuring heart rate, or monitoring our sleep patterns was something reserved for controlled scientific experiments that required specific equipment. Having all these devices available in our pockets or on our wrist everyday is an incredibly new development, and we don’t yet know how to use it responsibly.
We are conditioned to seek efficiency over curiosity, certainty over exploration, and conformity over creativity. But are we growing better, or just more predictable?
Embrace the wild garden within
Left untamed, a garden grows freely with blooming wildflowers, vines stretching toward the sun, and nature taking its course. It may not look perfectly manicured, but it is alive, full of possibility, thriving in its own chaotic beauty. A bonsai tree, on the other hand, is carefully pruned, maintained, and restricted. It is stunning in its artistry, but its growth is deliberately stunted. Keeping it small requires constant effort, constant trimming, constant control. Life, perhaps, is meant to be lived somewhere in the middle.
We need some structure, some pruning, some discipline to shape our lives into something meaningful that we can look back on and feel proud of. But we also need to allow room for natural, organic growth that lets some wildness in, embraces the unexpected, and flourishes beyond the constraints imposed upon us. The real challenge is finding your place in the spectrum between rigid structure and uncontrolled chaos.
Do you want to be completely free, growing in all directions with no guidance? Or do you want to be shaped, trimmed, and kept within the boundaries of a “manageable” life? Or maybe, like most of us, you want to find a balance, a place of peace where growth happens by choice, not just by design.
This is the real work of life. Choosing which rules to follow and which to break, deciding when to conform and when to carve your own path, and balancing productivity, discipline, and ambition with presence, spontaneity, and contentment.
A life worth living isn’t one where you mindlessly colour between the lines. It’s one where you decide which lines actually matter. So, let yourself grow. Find your balance. And don’t be afraid to let a little wildness in.
Find time to explore and bring balance back into your life with an adventure from the TSA Calendar! You can explore what’s coming up HERE and let that wildness in.
