Stop Standing on Your Garden Hose: A Gentle EFT Practice for Getting Unstuck.
“You can’t water the roses if you’re standing on the garden hose.”- Jill Wolk
I love this line because I can see it so clearly. You want to grow something beautiful. You have the water, the roses, and the sunshine. And yet nothing is blooming, because your own foot is pinning down the one thing that would get the water where it needs to go.
Sometimes that foot is us.
How our thoughts shape the garden
Our thoughts shape what we feel, and our feelings shape how we see ourselves. That loop runs quietly in the background, and it shows up everywhere: in our money, our work, how we show up for the people we love, and our bodies.
Maybe you want abundance. You want to call it in, make more money, or finally start the business you have been dreaming about. And yet you avoid opening the bank app. You skip the pause where you ask yourself where your money is going. You keep your work a little bit hidden because being seen feels risky. Each of those choices makes sense on its own. Together, they keep the hose right under your foot.
The blocks underneath
Underneath a lot of these habits is a quieter feeling: I’m not ready yet. Or, I’m not enough for this. When we believe that, we don’t fully step into what we want. We hold back a little, we wait a little longer, and we tell ourselves nothing is happening.
The waiting can be the hardest part. We don’t see movement, so we start to feel discouraged, and discouragement makes the next step even harder. Often, something is happening. We just can’t see it yet.
Take the small step you can actually do
When a big goal feels overwhelming, I shrink it. Break whatever you want into five to ten smaller steps, then ask yourself which one you could do today. Not someday. Today.
Right now, I feel very called to deep clean and get my home in order. The whole project can feel like too much, so I set a 10-minute timer every day and work on one corner. Some days I keep going. Most days I stop when the timer does, and that is a win.
That same idea works for almost anything. Open a spreadsheet and list one bill. Sketch out a simple budget or a budgeting app. Book the appointment you keep postponing. Sit for five minutes of meditation when thirty feels impossible. Five minutes is doable, and momentum starts with doable.
A short EFT practice for getting out of your own way
EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique, is a gentle tapping practice. Say a phrase out loud while lightly tapping points on your upper body. It can help us notice a block and soften its grip. Try this whenever you catch a limiting thought showing up.
Before you start, think of one thing that has been keeping you standing on the hose. Rate how strong it feels from 0 to 10.
Setup: Tap the side of your hand with two fingers, and say this three times out loud: “Even though I feel stuck in this, I deeply love and accept myself.”
The round: Tap each point with two fingertips about seven times, and say the reminder out loud as you go.
Top of the head: “This story has been running me for a long time.”
Eyebrow: “I can feel where I’ve been standing, and I’m ready to move.”
Side of the eye: “I have been holding myself back from being seen.”
Under the eye: “I know what I have been carrying, and I trust myself with it.”
Under the nose: “I am willing to let something new come in.”
Chin: “I don’t have to hold this so tightly anymore.”
Collarbone: “I can meet this in a different way.”
Under the arm: “I am worth the effort it takes to change.”
Top of the head again: “My life is still growing, and I am growing with it.”
Check in: Take a breath and notice what feels different. Rate the feeling again on a scale of 0 to 10. If it’s still there, that’s okay. Repeat the setup and the round once more, and get a little more specific in your setup, like “Even though I keep waiting for the perfect moment, I deeply love and accept myself.”
Close: Rest your hands in your lap and say out loud: “I am allowed to take up space in what I want. I trust myself to take the next small step. I am ready, and I am learning as I go.”
This practice is meant to support you, not replace medical or mental health care. If something feels like too much, please reach out to someone you trust or a professional.
Ask your garden
Your garden has something to tell you. Take a few quiet minutes and sit with these questions:
What am I standing on right now?
What do I need in order to feel worthy of what I want?
What does my garden need from me today?
What does my garden hold that I have been overlooking?
This week, pick one block you noticed and one small step to match it. Set the timer. Take the step. Then let yourself see what blooms.
Keep shining! Remember, you got this!
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