What If You’re Not Behind? A Lesson From the Late Bloomers in My Garden

Looking around my garden at this time of year, I typically see some late bloomers.

Some are plants that bloomed in the spring, just as the garden started to unfold, and are now having a second season of blooms. Others are plants whose friends have already faded and become seed pods, while one bloom continues to hang on, seemingly straggling behind.

It has gotten me thinking about the term late bloomer.

Initially, being called a late bloomer feels like it carries the weight of judgment and shame. Somehow, I missed my chance. I missed my ONE opportunity. I am behind schedule.

Once those thoughts creep in, the feelings underneath are often doubt, fear, and a sense of not being enough. And then the actions that follow are often…inaction.

If I believe I am already behind, why bother trying? That kind of thinking can stop me in my tracks and create a smaller life.

Yet the late blooms in my garden tell me a different story.

Those blossoms are still offering beauty. They are still providing nourishment for the bees and butterflies. They are still participating in the life of the garden.

And while I do want to deadhead some of the spent blossoms, what draws my attention is the life, not the decay.

Sometimes we spend so much time looking at what didn't happen, what we didn't accomplish, or what we think we should have done by now that we overlook what is still growing.

The garden doesn't share just one schedule. A late bloom is still a bloom.

So lately, I have started to challenge my initial interpretation of being “behind.” Instead, I am asking myself:

What if life develops at the precise right time?

What if there was no pressure to be “late,” but instead, there was simply a beautiful flower blooming when it was ready to bloom?

That shift in perspective changes something.

Instead of asking, “Why didn't I do this sooner?” I can ask, “What is ready to grow now?”

Instead of focusing on the opportunities I may have missed, I can become curious about the opportunities in front of me.

And perhaps most importantly, I become more willing to try something new.

As I have shifted careers now for the third time, I know I am right where I need to be. I wouldn't have been able to be here at any other time in my life because I needed the experiences, lessons, and growth that came before this season.

I am blooming in ways I never would have expected.

And I carry no shame about not choosing coaching all those years ago.

Maybe being a late bloomer isn't about catching up.

Maybe it's about finally giving ourselves permission to bloom where we are right now.

So what about you?

Where have you been telling yourself that you are behind? What are you comparing your life to? What might change if you stopped measuring yourself against someone else's timeline and instead paid attention to what is growing in your life right now?

Maybe there are things that need to be released. Maybe there are old expectations that have already served their purpose. And maybe there is something new beginning to bloom that you haven't noticed yet.

If you're in a season of transition or wondering what might be next, I would be honored to walk alongside you through coaching. Together, we can explore what may need to be released, what is already growing, and what you might want to cultivate in your next season.

What if you aren't behind?

What if you are blooming right now?