You were created to be fulfilled and enjoy life! Your leaves should never wither according to Psalm 1:3. Over the last three weeks, we’ve discussed things that cause your leaves to wither—dehydration, pests and fungal disease. As you may have guessed, your “leaves” are the works of your hands and the things that bring you joy and fulfillment in life.

The fourth issue that will cause your leaves to wither is viral infections. A viral infection attacks the leaves and causes them to curl up or wither. A virus can sometimes be fought off by the host (whatever it has attacked) and other times it spreads quickly and leads to infection.

What are viral infections in your life that cause you to wither and dry up?
• Fear: Fear robs you of the ability to move forward. It replaces your faith and courage and puts you in bondage. It manifests in many ways including fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of people and the list goes on.

• Lack of clarity: When you are unclear of your path and destiny, you find yourself dabbling into many different things trying to find fulfillment. Those distractions steal time from you walking in your purpose.

• Apathy: Apathy keeps you in a cycle of being mediocre. There is no drive to do better or want more in life and you settle for “at least” or “good enough”.

• Negative people: They distract you from progressing by offering judgment, criticism and ill will.

• Laziness: Laziness makes you think that thriving in life will just “magically” happen without any work on your part. Moving forward will require work!

All of these “viruses” can attack you and sometimes even ease into your system without you knowing it. Many times, we don’t realize we have a virus until the symptoms present themselves and we are sick. Take time today to assess your life and take a proactive approach to ridding yourself of the viruses.

Are your leaves withering? Are you lost and needing direction? Are you frustrated with life? Do you find yourself justifying where you are?

You can fight back by replacing fear with faith, lack of clarity with direction, apathy with passion, negative people with inspirational people and laziness with a strong work ethic. Now is the time for you to flourish and enjoy life. Don’t allow anything to cause your leaves to wither. Stay connected to the source, watch out for pests, attack fungal disease and take a stand against viruses. All of these things will ensure your leaves will never wither!

If you missed Part 3, read it here: https://thewriteaddiction.com/2019/01/31/transformative-thursdays-the-leaf-that-doesnt-wither-pt-3/

If you missed Part 2, read it here: https://thewriteaddiction.com/2019/01/24/transformative-thursdays-the-leaf-that-doesnt-wither-pt-2/

If you missed Part 1, read it here: https://thewriteaddiction.com/2019/01/17/transformative-thursdays-the-leaf-that-doesnt-wither/

~Coletta Jones Patterson

*Coletta is an author, life & business coach, speaker and business executive who is passionate about helping others go “beyond stuck”. Check out her new book “Beyond Stuck: Creating the Life You Want” on Amazon.com. Connect with Coletta at info@moveu4ward.com.