Don't let your figs rot

Let Your Dreams Ripen, Don’t Let Them Rot

You ever feel like you’re juggling too many dreams, like you want to be everything, but in trying to be everything, you end up being nothing? I’ve felt that way. I’ve wanted to be a gardener, with a huge house, a sprawling garden, flowers everywhere, and enough space to breathe. I wanted to be the person who wakes up and immediately smells the scent of fresh earth, who watches the day unfold with peace, not with a mind that’s already racing through the thousand things it has to do.

I wanted to be the person who spends hours in a cozy corner of a café, reading books that could take me anywhere, books that make me feel something deep, something beyond just words. I wanted to run my own café too. A little spot with mismatched furniture, where the aroma of coffee mixes with the chatter of people having real conversations, laughing like there’s no tomorrow. I wanted to be the person who gets lost in these little, perfect moments.

But then, there’s the writing. The one thing I always come back to. I’ve wanted to be a writer (I am still becoming), the kind whose words speak to people, whose stories cut through the noise, whose every sentence carries weight. I wanted to write something that lasts, something people could hold onto, something that makes them think, cry, laugh, and feel. I wanted to be a storyteller who makes sense of this chaotic, messy world.

And I wanted to be the one who travels, who sees the world in its raw, unfiltered form. I wanted to feel the warmth of a different sun, smell the air of distant places, meet people from all walks of life, and just be amazed at the beauty of this planet. But how could I do it all? How could I be this gardener, this writer, this traveller, this person who does everything? The truth is, I couldn’t. And that’s when the figs started to rot.

You know Sylvia Plath’s fig tree analogy, right? She talks about wanting to be everything, but in trying to choose, she ends up with nothing. The figs, all the things she could be, are just there, ripe and ready, but she can’t pick them all. She ends up letting them rot because she couldn’t make a decision. I get that. I’ve felt that. I’ve had so many dreams, so many things I wanted to do, but I just couldn’t pick one. I thought I could juggle everything, that I could somehow make it all work. But I didn’t, and the more I thought about it, the more I let those dreams slip away. The more I let my figs rot.

So here I am, staring at this mess of rotting dreams, rotting figs, wondering how the hell I ended up here. I was supposed to be someone. I was supposed to create something, do something, live something that mattered. But I’ve been stuck in this loop of trying to do it all, and in the process, I’ve done nothing. I wanted to write every day, but I told myself I didn’t have enough time. I wanted to start that café, but I told myself I didn’t have enough money. I wanted to travel, but I told myself I needed a reason, a purpose, something bigger than just a trip.

But you can’t wait for the perfect time. You can’t wait for everything to align. Life doesn’t wait. Your figs will rot while you’re sitting there, stuck in your own head, overthinking everything. Life isn’t waiting for you to figure it out. Life is happening right now, and if you don’t pick those figs, if you don’t do something with them, they’ll fall to the ground, and you’ll never get another chance.

It’s easy to think that you need to choose just one dream, one thing, and focus on that. But that’s not it. What you need is to stop overthinking. Stop stressing about whether you’re doing the right thing, whether it’s the perfect time. The truth is, you might never feel ready. You might always feel like there’s something more to do, something more to learn, more to experience before you can start. But you can’t wait forever.

The answer isn’t choosing one dream and abandoning the others. The answer is learning how to handle them all, how to give each dream the time it needs. Yes, maybe you can’t be everything all at once. But you can be everything, one piece at a time. You don’t have to let your figs rot because you’re afraid of choosing. You don’t have to sit there, staring at them, hoping one will magically fall into your lap. You have to go out and pick them, one by one.

It’s not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about doing things, even when you feel scared or unsure. It’s about not letting fear stop you from living the life you want to live. Every fig on that tree, every dream, has its own time to grow. You can’t rush it, but you can’t ignore it either. You have to nurture it, give it your attention, your energy. You don’t need to have it all figured out, but you need to start.

There’s a certain beauty in picking the figs, even if they’re not perfect, even if they don’t seem like the “right” choice at first. Each one teaches you something. Each one helps you grow. Maybe the first fig you pick doesn’t turn out the way you hoped, maybe it’s bitter or unripe, but you learned something from it. And that’s all part of it. Life isn’t about getting everything right the first time. Life is about trying, failing, and then trying again. It’s about the small wins, the ones you can’t even see yet. It’s about making the mess and letting it be okay. Because what matters most is that you don’t give up. You don’t let the figs rot on the tree just because you’re afraid of the unknown.

So when you look at your dreams, when you feel overwhelmed by the weight of everything you want to do, remember this: you don’t have to carry the whole tree. You don’t have to pick all the figs at once. All you have to do is start. Just pick one, give it your all, and see where it takes you. If it doesn’t work out, fine. Pick another fig. But don’t let them rot because you’re too scared to choose. Don’t let them fall to the ground, wasted. They deserve to be picked. You deserve to live out those dreams, no matter how big they seem.

It’s okay to not have everything figured out. It’s okay to feel like you’re falling behind, or like you’re not doing enough. We all feel that way sometimes. But it’s not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about doing what you can, when you can. It’s about picking those figs and savoring each one. Some of them will be sweet, some will be sour, but all of them will be yours. And that’s what counts.

I’ve spent too much time looking at the figs and feeling bad about the ones that rotted. I’ve spent too much time mourning the dreams I let slip away. But now, I’m done. I’m done with regret. I’m done with self-doubt. I’m done letting fear control me. Because the truth is, you can always plant new figs. You can always pick a new dream, no matter how many you’ve missed. There’s always time to try again. There’s always time to grow.

So yeah, I’ve let a lot of my figs rot. I’ve wasted time, I’ve doubted myself, and I’ve let the fear of failure control me. But I’m done with that. I’m done watching my dreams slip away because I’m too afraid to take that first step. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I don’t want to be the person who lets their figs rot because they’re too scared to pick them.

I want to live a life where I’m picking figs every day. Maybe I’ll mess up sometimes. Maybe I’ll pick a fig that’s not ripe enough, or maybe I’ll get distracted by another dream and let one fig fall to the ground. But that’s okay. I can always pick another. The point is, I’m picking. I’m not waiting anymore. I’m not letting my figs rot.

So don’t let your figs rot. Don’t sit there, overthinking, waiting for the perfect moment. The perfect moment is now. Your figs are ripe. They’re ready. Go pick them. Go live them. Don’t let fear stop you from living the life you’ve always wanted. Take one fig at a time, and let it grow. Don’t wait for the right time, don’t wait for things to be perfect. Just go. And if you let one fig fall, pick another. There’s always time for another fig.

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I also wrote a little book called “For All the Wrong Reasons.”
It’s about a girl who moves to a small autumn town called Maplewood… only to find herself falling for her roommate’s boyfriend. It’s a story about wanting someone you probably shouldn’t, and all the messiness that follows.

If you’re a member of Hasif’s Porchlight Club ($3/month), you can read it for free.
Alternatively, you can purchase it separately for $5.

Join the club here or
Buy the book here