Boy, do I love starting projects.
I like to dive headfirst into the action. As a young athlete, I used to hear from the sidelines “A-C-T-I-O-N! Action, action, we want action!” That cheer lives in my bones.
Last Spring, I decided it was time for a big project: replacing our front lawn with a garden. Out came the landscaping gloves, garden hoe, and shovel. I dug out every blade of grass, feeling that electric, creative tingle as I carved a blank canvas.
A trip to the nursery felt like walking into a candy store. My heart raced at the rainbow of perennials surrounding me. I barely glanced at care instructions and went with what I loved: yellows, greens, reds, and purples. I planted them all.
The following Spring brought new growth—and many empty spaces. I kept filling every gap with more and more plants until I realized… I’d created a cluttered, mismatched patchwork. And I didn’t like how it made me feel.
That’s when I suspected my Saboteurs were at work.
A Quick Note on Positive Intelligence®
Positive Intelligence, developed by Shirzad Chamine, is a framework that helps us understand the internal voices influencing our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Our Saboteurs are those mental habits that hijack our performance and wellbeing. Our Sage represents the wiser, calmer self that approaches challenges with empathy, creativity, and big-picture thinking.
Back to the garden.
My Restless Saboteur had me jumping into new projects when higher priorities waited. My Hyper-Achiever pushed me to work dawn-to-dusk, focused on output over strategy. My Avoider conveniently ignored other responsibilities. My Controller refused to seek outside advice. And finally, my Judge swept in to criticize me for doing it all “wrong.”
(Shirzad calls this “double-dipping”—when the Judge criticizes us not just for the mistake, but for even having lost to our Saboteurs in the first place.)
The cheer I never learned? “P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E! Patience, patience is the key!”
At 44, I’m still working on cultivating that virtue. I started with admitting I didn’t like the garden and asking for help, consulting friends and even a retired nursery owner. I swapped the chaos for harmony: greens and whites in the front, colorful blooms relocated to the sunnier backyard. The front is now a calm, cohesive palette of hydrangeas, dwarf fountain grasses, astilbe, and more—each chosen with intention, leaving space for measured additions in the future.
That shift was my Sage in action—seeing the bigger picture, taking deliberate steps, and enjoying the process. I’m sure I’ll still make small tweaks over time, but now, I’m patient enough to let the garden grow and to let myself grow with it.
Reflections:
- Where in your life might your Saboteurs be steering you toward action without clarity
- Where could your Sage invite you to slow down, zoom out, and plant with intention?
