Making Room for Complete Systems

This morning on my NYC rooftop garden, I discovered a truth about systems that applies far beyond my slowly reemerging hydranga plants.

I had done everything right. I had set the timer. I had positioned the sprinklers. I had even checked that they would activate at the proper time.

And yet, no water flowed.

While I had programmed the timer correctly, I had forgotten two critical components: opening the valve on the timer itself and turning on the water at the spigot for the first time this Spring.

For days, I believed the system was working. The timer dutifully counted down, doing exactly what it was programmed to do. But the plants remained thirsty because I had overlooked the full system that makes transformation possible.

In this season of renewal and rebirth, I see this pattern everywhere:

We set up sophisticated systems. We establish careful routines. We create intricate plans. There is an app or a course for everything.

And then we wonder why transformation doesn't occur.

The truth? We often remember the new components but forget to reactivate the foundational elements that make everything else possible.

In the post-motivation era, this isn't about trying harder or setting better intentions. It's about understanding systems more deeply.

We don't just need better timers. We need to remember to open the valves. We don't just need better plans. We need to turn on the sources that fuel them.