Five Life Lessons from a Tulsi Plant

Being a life and career coach and mentor, the one question I’m often asked by my coachees and mentees is, “How is it that you are never fazed by any issue that I want to talk about?". It could be relationship issues, abuse in some form, loss of someone dear, or dealing with trauma …. among the more serious ones. And sometimes, I’m at a loss on how to answer that question. I guess I’m not shocked by any of that because I have either witnessed it in close quarters or gone through it in some form. Having transitioned through those stages of survival gives me an added advantage to be fully present and neutral during the coaching and mentoring conversations and give my best to provide clarity, perspectives and help advance my clients further. I firmly believe that life teaches you important lessons every day if you intentionally show up to all what it brings.

Being in lockdown the past few months, I took up gardening and was pleasantly surprised at the lessons I learnt while growing a Tulsi Plant! 

The Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), commonly known as tulsi, is an aromatic perennial plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asian tropics. Within Ayurveda, tulsi is known as “Mother Medicine of Nature” and “The Queen of Herbs” and is revered as an “elixir of life”- that is without equal for both its medicinal and spiritual properties.

Growing up in South India, it was common to see women offering prayers to this sacred plant, and it was also regarded in Hinduism as a threshold point between heaven and earth.

It all started when I was gifted a Tulsi plant by a friend. I saw it bloom, give rise to many seedlings, and gradually wilt and dry up surrounded by blossoming seedlings, and this cycle kept repeating. Close monitoring and tending were required. I also realized it needed the right amount of sunlight and water, which was challenging because of the unexpected nature of harsh Singapore weather. Slowly I understood the needs of the plant and learnt how to care for it well, and I started enjoying the whole process, and just the sight of happy leaves perked up towards sunlight, and the flowering plants gave me immense joy. Since it was thriving, I started distributing some seedlings to my friends as well. And the whole journey brought a lot of awareness and opened my eyes to some lessons I learned during this process.

The 5 Life Lessons that I learned during this journey:

Lesson 1: Accepting Change and being adaptable

Tending to Tulsi and getting in touch with my fierce motherly instinct of protecting the seedlings from bugs, harsh sunlight, and downpour made me realize how similar our lives were. I had to keep changing the location of the pots from our balcony and continuously adapt according to the changing weather. I think that’s precisely what the past 2 years have taught us - to keep adapting to change. And the first step to it is accepting change. Facing reality, embracing change, and figuring out new ways of existing and constantly evolving. And with the right mindset, it is absolutely possible to do that.

 “The most important factor in survival is neither intelligence nor strength but adaptability.” Charles Darwin

Life Lesson 2: Keep trying, and you will succeed

I firmly believe that we should embrace every opportunity we are passionate about because we will either succeed or learn. Failure happens only if we stop.   Seeing the wilting plants that didn’t make it through did break my heart. But later, bringing the focus on the seedlings, tending to it more carefully, and repotting those that were not ready to give up made me realize that we just need to focus on learning and keep trying. And not waste time pining about the failure itself. Success and failures are a part of life. But the more time you focus on learning and keep trying, again and again, you will succeed for sure.

Life Lesson 3: Continuous learning Mindset

Until now, I didn’t realize Tulsi had so much medicinal and spiritual significance. I was curious, and the questions from my friends asking for tips on caring for Tulsi made me search up info that otherwise I would have never read. I always felt that the only way to find your true calling is by exploring yourself by pursuing your interests and hobbies, gaining new experiences, and going on that journey with curiosity. Your curiosity is crucial to adopt a learner’s mindset.

You don’t only live once; you live multiples lives within one. That’s what my life has taught me. Over a period of 20 years, transitioning professionally from a dental surgeon to a life and career coach with a spectrum of careers in between, and not to forget the personal transition from a student to a wife and a mother, brought so much added colors and learnings to my life. A continuous learning mindset puts you in the shoes of a lifelong learner, making it easier to open your mind to new possibilities!

“The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.” Brian Herbert 

Life Lesson 4 : The Art of letting go

Ah yes ! the toughest one of them all! I learnt this lesson the hard way. 

It broke my heart to see some of the plants unable to thrive and wilt away after tending to them for weeks. But instead of pining for them, I gradually learnt to let go and enjoyed seeing the other thriving ones instead. We need to pick and choose our battles and see which one is worth fighting for. And in the long run, what matters most is how well we spent our time - worrying or meeting those moments bravely.

Letting go doesn’t mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be. The art of letting go gets easier as you keep practicing. It gets easier to identify what matters and what doesn’t in the long run. And instead of being hard on ourselves and wondering what went wrong, we have to make sure that we appreciate ourselves knowing that we did our best, and then slowly let go.

Life Lesson 5: The ultimate essence of life - Kindness

Plants provide us with the most important thing we need to survive… nope, not wifi, but oxygen !! And that too without any expectation! All we need to do is give it some attention and some kindness.

Tulsi is one of those rare house plants which releases oxygen even at night, along with aloe vera, snake plant, etc. Tending to plants teaches you to be kind to yourself and others. It also brings mindfulness to your busy life. It helps you take pauses and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Another lesson from one of my friend’s young son, who was taking care of two tulsi plants in the pot, said,” it taught him to save the younger weaker one first before, the stronger one.

This pandemic gave us a lot of time to reflect on our lives, showed us the joy in simpler things of life, and introduced us to new aspects of ourselves which we didn’t know existed! I think we will surely be taking these lessons with us until the end of time. 

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted". Aesop

Hope this article brings some mindfulness, encourages you to be closer to nature, and maybe even inspires you to get a plant! Happy Planting!

Neetha Sanjay

ICF Certified Life & Career Coach