By Ella Simpson
“Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.”
Recently, as I sat under the marvelous tree behind my apartment, I thought about its full, summer emerald leaves, now matured into vibrant crimson reds. These leaves were once buds in spring, working as self-sufficient producers in summer and quietly shifting into vibrant arrays of ruby in autumn. I pondered the seasons of my own life as the tree behind my house entered its own preparation for change, with those beautiful leaves preparing for winter by falling to the ground. What might the life cycle of a leaf help us notice about our own relationship with change?
We are Works in Progress
As humans, we are creatures of comfort and routine, and I am no exception. This resistance to change can be connected to a fixed mindset and a need for certainty, which can provide a sense of control and security by avoiding the unknown (Maurer et al., 2023). Our minds are incredibly powerful; believing that we cannot change can keep us stuck in familiar patterns, living life on “autopilot.”
As a busy human, I often find myself falling into a fixed mindset, focusing on the mundane, monotonous actions of my life instead of approaching them as daily opportunities to learn more about myself and my environment. My apprehension of the unknown and resistance towards the cycles of life can reflect a fixed mindset.
The leaves behind my apartment offer a beautiful illustration of personal growth. These leaves were born in spring, starting as little buds on the branches of the tree. As they grew, they thrived in the warm summer air, producing nutrients for the tree and becoming big, beautiful green leaves. As the temperature turned cooler, the leaves matured into rich, vibrant shades of crimson red (Wheeler-Dubas, 2018). Now, facing the winds and weather of autumn, the leaves begin their descent, letting go of their branches—their homes—and falling to the ground.
Progress
As I watch the leaves fall to the ground, a few silent tears roll down my face. Unexpectedly, I see myself in the leaves. I see a leaf that isn’t ready to loosen its grip from the branch and fall to the ground. Like that leaf, I have been resisting change and living parts of my life on “autopilot.” Change is hard, but with evidence-based resources, I don’t have to navigate personal growth on my own.
Personal growth for me began with recognizing that I am still becoming everything I am meant to be and that the person I am now is not who I will be for the rest of my life. Life, beautifully, has seasons, with continual change pushing me toward new experiences. I can approach those experiences with either a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.
Beginning the next cycle of our lives can require taking a leap—falling from the tree and letting go of what is common and familiar to enter the unknown. Personal growth offers me a way to approach that uncertainty with a growth mindset: embracing new experiences with optimism, acceptance, and awareness while recognizing that they may still be difficult. Growth does not require the absence of fear or uncertainty. Sometimes, it simply requires loosening our grip on the branch and becoming willing to enter a new season.
Application
Brontë’s (1910/2016) poem offers an invitation, and I hope we can carry that perspective with us this autumn: “Every leaf speaks bliss to me / Fluttering from the autumn tree.” Let us embrace change with a growth mindset—the belief that our capacities can be developed through effort and persistence (Dweck, 2006). As the leaves fall from the trees this autumn, perhaps they can remind us that change is an unavoidable part of existing on this beautiful planet we call home. Like the leaves, we will not remain in the same season forever. We are all works in progress.
References
Brontë, E. (2016). Fall, leaves, fall. In A. Esiri (Ed.), A poem for every night of the year. Pan Macmillan. (Original work published 1910)
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Maurer, M. M., Maurer, J., Hoff, E., & Daukantaitė, D. (2023). What is the process of personal growth? Introducing the personal growth process model. New Ideas in Psychology, 70, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2023.101024
Wheeler-Dubas, M. (2018, November 15). #bioPGH blog: The story of a leaf. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/blog/detail/biopgh-blog-the-story-of-a-leaf