Nothing gets built in this one. You walk round a garden finding the strengths that were already growing in it.

About 14 minutes with Steven Webb's calm voice.

Moss in the shade is your kindness, the sort you give without needing it noticed. The old tree in the middle is your patience. The still pool is your empathy. A single wildflower between the stones, not the biggest or the loudest but bravely open, is your courage. At each one you find a real moment from this week.

The companion talk episode: In a Hard World, Your Softest Skills Are Your Strongest Asset

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Thank you for sitting with me.

Steven

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Welcome to the Garden of Your Heart. A meditation to uncover your inner strengths.

So we'll begin just by allowing the body to settle in.

You just allow your body to relax. Your

body knows how to relax.

Let your shoulders soften.

Let your jaw become soft.

And give yourself this time just for you.

Awareness to your breath.

You don't need to do anything with your breath. I

always say your body knows how to breathe.

And your body knows how to breathe for every given circumstance,

including this one right now.

Today we will take a gentle journey inward,

not to build anything new,

but to simply recognise the quiet strengths that already exist within you.

We're going to visit the garden of your heart.

Just breathe in calm and breathe out relaxed.

And you don't have to do anything with this moment.

If thoughts arrive, you don't have to do anything with them.

Just, ah, there's a thought. Maybe

give it a gentle smile to acknowledge it. And then come back to your breath.

Nobody is judging.

We're just simply here in this moment.

And with each exhale, just feel yourself becoming heavier. More connected to the earth below you.

We're just simply here.

And with each breath, just imagine yourself becoming slightly heavier.

A little more relaxed.

And your breath might be coming calmer.

That's okay because your body knows.

Just before we start on the journey inward, just become aware of your whole body. Start from the very top

to the very bottom and just scan through for any stubborn areas that may be just holding on a little

bit longer and

just allow them to relax.

Almost like they're just dissolving and

softening in this moment.

So imagine before you a small welcoming gate. It

feels familiar and safe.

This is the entrance to your inner garden.

When you're ready, just open it and step inside.

When you feel the gentle warmth on your skin,

This garden is a reflection of your true nature.

Peaceful, resilient, and it's uniquely yours.

And as you enter the garden a little more, you notice a patch of soft green moss.

It's growing quietly in the shade.

And just imagine touching it.

And you can feel its gentle texture.

This is your kindness. A soft, comforting presence that you offer to the world and often without

needing recognition.

And just bring to mind one small moment this week that you showed kindness.

It could be to somebody else or it could be to yourself.

And just feel the warmth of that kindness throughout your body.

And now bring your attention to a strong, ancient tree in the centre of the garden. You

see its deep roots and steady branches.

This is your patience.

It has weathered many seasons and knows that things take time to grow.

You can feel its calm, unwavering strength.

And just bring to mind somewhere this week when you needed a bit of resilience. You

needed that bit of strength to just get through it.

And then you notice a still, clear pool of water.

And it perfectly reflects the sky, the clouds and all the trees around it.

This is your empathy.

Your ability to hold space and reflect on the feelings of others without any judgement.

Remember a time you truly listened to someone that made them feel seen.

And that feeling that you left them with. And the feeling of learning something about somebody else that left you

with.

Nearby, perhaps growing between some stones, you see a single vibrant wildflower.

It's not the biggest or the loudest, but

it's beautifully and bravely open.

This is your courage.

The quiet strength it takes to be vulnerable. To

stay open hearted in

a difficult world.

And can you think of a time recently when you needed to use that courage? Just like that flower.

I'm here and I'm showing up.

And how does that feel?

Take a moment to simply walk through your garden, appreciating all that grows here.

Know that by simply visiting, by acknowledging these strengths, you are tending to them.

You have your kindness with the moss.

You have your patience with the great tree. You

have your empathy with a clear pool where you can see clearly other people and what they're going through.

And the one single flower popping up between some stones,

not the biggest or the loudest, but

it's beautiful and it's brave. That's your courage.

And I'm sure you can think of many other qualities that you have, from compassion to

understanding

to your ability to just listen,

all within you. All these incredible skills

that not everybody has.

And it isn't always easy

that's we realise when we take a breath, we realise that these are the skills that we need. This

is what makes us uniquely human. This

is what makes you uniquely you. That

combination.

Your inner garden in your heart.

And as we walk back towards the gate, you realise you are not leaving these qualities behind.

And you can use these affirmations if you place your hand on your heart.

My kindness is my strength.

My patience is my power.

My empathy is my gift.

My kindness is my strength.

My patience is my power.

My empathy is my gift.

And in a moment we're going to bring our awareness back to this moment.

And as we breathe in, calm. Breathe out, relax

and Bring back the feeling in your body. You

can feel the chair or what you're sat on. Notice the sounds around you. Wiggle your fingers and toes.

And when you're ready in your own pace, just gently open your eyes bring in the peace and strength

of your inner garden with you into the rest of your day.

And thank you. Thank you for this time with me. And I hope this meditation helps you see your

soft skills, your qualities. The things the world needs right now.

I'm Steven Webb and thank you for your support. You can find out more in the show notes below.

Take care. Have a beautiful day.