The toe-biting cold has given way to a warmer, wetter breeze and I can’t help but notice a sense of anticipation in the air. Spring has sprung and on my daily morning walks there with Mr Bones, nowhere is it more obvious than at the Botanical Gardens.

A veritable hive of activity: my friends at the Parks Department have been working tirelessly — with the Ag Show around the corner — busy clearing, planting and tending. It seems like everything is in bloom and I’ve never seen it look more glorious.

So, this week, let’s take our cue from nature, a green leaf out of spring’s book as it were. Here are four steps that apply both in the garden, and in life, to fill our souls with the joys of the season:

Trim and clear

Spring cleaning is so called for a reason. Dead wood needs to be trimmed to make room for new growth. Clearing the decks can help us shift our mindset. Getting rid of physical clutter, we let go of “stuff” that was distracting and absorbing our energy, creating space for new, clear, thinking and creativity.

The transition of season is a great opportunity to go through the wardrobe. Weed out what didn’t get worn, or got worn-out this winter, and go through the spring/summer gear to know what you have or want before you need it.

This kind of pruning is helpful not only in our living spaces but also for our schedules and commitments. As the weather heats up, so usually do the demands on our time: more activities organised, invitations, longer days and trying to fit more in. Before it all gets frantic, now is a good time to decide what, of your commitments and demands, is working for you and where you can clear what’s not.

Plan and prep the beds

What you reap depends on what you sow. New Year’s might be typically associated with setting goals and resolutions but if you’re like me, just emerging from a spell of winter hibernation, this feels like an appropriate juncture for re-evaluating what I want to accomplish this year: how I want to spend my time and who I want to be.

Starting with the end in mind and what we hope to harvest, we can work backwards to figure out what groundwork we need to do now to get there. Simple goal-setting exercises and checking in with our personal values can keep our year on track and ensure we’re intentionally spending our time and energy where we want.

Plant and tend

Once we know what we want and have our plans in place, we need to feed and nourish our goals. Those end results won’t be there if we don’t stay motivated and actively pursuing them. This means pacing ourselves — self-care so as not to get burnt out — and checking in along the way to adjust as necessary.

Bloom

I’ve noticed that people are also warming up with the weather. I find myself having more interactions — walking down the street, in shops, exchanging pleasantries; smiling faces encourage smiling faces.

Like flowers radiating their beauty, I feel lifted by the positivity. Imagine if we all let ourselves bloom a little more this spring, sharing our best colours and beautiful selves.

Go take a walk in the Botanical Gardens. Let yourself be inspired by the season. Put a little spring in your step and maybe in someone else’s.

•Julia Pitt is a trained success coach and certified NLP practitioner on the team at Benedict Associates. For further information contact Julia on 705-7488, www.juliapittcoaching.com.