SO here’s a spring-like message to go with the springing forward of the clocks last weekend: “The key to any aspect of life is similar to good gardening…successful planting, careful nurturing, rigorous pruning.”

I’m not much of a gardener myself. A couple of window boxes and some pots of herbs is about my limit. Still this message makes a lot of sense for life as well as nature so this week I invite you to think of those three aspects to your work and career.

What seeds are you going to plant to move yourself forward? Will you choose the same variety as in previous years or is it time for something fresh and new? Is there a learning opportunity that can take you in a new direction? Or will your seed planting be more a case of starting to build new and better relationships with your network or work colleagues?

How will you nurture your growth?

Plants need time and space to develop their full potential –they won’t be rushed and nor do they respond well to cramped conditions.

So where in your work and career can you open yourself up to a little more time and space to grow your ideas? Are you making time to reflect on what’s really important to make good choices?

And finally,what can you prune from your life and work that crowds out your potential? What’s draining your energy or throttling your good intentions? It might be an unhelpful habit or behaviour. It could be a distracting activity that keeps you in a safe zone and stops you from venturing into the wide open spaces of opportunity.

You are the gardener of your life so what will you plant, how will you nurture and what will you prune to create the career of your dreams?