What The Garden Teaches About Integrity Before 6:30 a.m
- Thomas Koehl
- May 29
- 1 min read
There’s something about dawn that feels like a secret.
I stepped into the garden this morning. Steam curling from my cup of chia tea, boots damp from dew. It was just me, the plants, and the symphony of birdsong. I found myself pruning here, adjusting a trellis there, and pulling up a few weeds that thought they could sneak past me. Not today.
The Garden Knows If You’re Faking It
The thing about working in a garden, really working, is that you can’t fake it. Plants know. Soil knows. If you cut corners, it shows in the blooms that don’t come, in the tomatoes that never ripen.
I’ve learned that this homestead is a test of quiet integrity. You have to show up consistently. You have to pay attention. You have to care when no one’s watching.
At Work, You're Growing a Different Kind of Garden
It hit me this morning that the same is true in our professional lives.
Every project we lead, every email we send, every deadline we honor or miss... we’re cultivating something. Culture, trust, results, these things grow over time, and only when fed with consistency, care, and (yes) integrity.
The workplace, like the garden, rewards those who dig in and do the real work. Not the flashy stuff. The honest stuff.
Do You Tend Your Career Like a Garden?
Or do you wait for someone else to water it?
Whether it’s soil or strategy, things grow where we give attention. And wither where we don’t.
So tell me—what part of your “garden” are you tending to this week?
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