I have lived in the same house for about twenty years. When we bought the house it was relatively new and one of the things I really liked about it was the huge backyard that was a blank slate. There were a couple of small trees, but no other plants or landscaping to speak of. Now, twenty years later, my backyard is a wonderful mix of trees, shrubs and native plants that attracts various types of little creatures and is a great place to relax.
This transformation has taken 20 years and it is still not complete. In fact, I don’t want it to be complete. The most satisfying part to me is the creation and building. I started by planting a few trees that are just now, after almost two decades, offering the shade and privacy that I had a vision for. Throughout this journey, I have made countless changes and tried many different things. I have learned a lot along the way, not only about plants, but also about myself.
Building anything worthwhile takes time and patience whether it is a career, family, or even a business. All of these types of endeavors start with a vision and a desire to create something important to you and rarely do they go as planned.
Most of those people I know that have built or are building a business love the process of creating something. However, that joy can at times be diminished by the pressure we put on ourselves. Oftentimes this includes pressure to grow fast, not make mistakes, and to gain everyone’s approval.
Building a business with consistent, incremental growth is the better path for a vast majority of small business owners. This approach is more sustainable and gives us more room to be creative, make mistakes, and choose a path that will allow us to be more true to ourselves.
This month’s book recommendation is a little more unconventional than past recommendations. However, it is a fantastic book that I believe everyone should read and is full of valuable lessons. The book is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Using a wonderful blend of science and indigenous teachings, it is a book about our relationship to the natural world and the lessons we can learn from it. I will share my favorite quote from the book to give you a sense of the type of wisdom it shares. “What I’m looking for, I suppose, is balance, and that is a moving target. Balance is not a passive resting place – it takes work, balancing the giving and the taking, the raking out and putting in.”
My podcast recommendation this month is this episode from the Greg McKeown Podcast with guest Dorie Clark on the topic of being a long-term thinker in a short-term world. Dorie shares her insight on how we need to be thinking long-term as we make choices on a day to day basis, in order to achieve our vision for who we want to become.
One Small Step
This month I am going to encourage you to “plant some seeds”. Either literally or figuratively. Put some effort into something you know will take quite some time to pay off, but will be worth it when it does. Maybe it is that business idea you have that you keep putting off because you know it will take a lot of time and effort. Or is it something completely different? Whatever your vision is, take the first step towards it. Remember, you are not trying to change your life in one day. A small change that becomes a habit will lead to a big change down the road. As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today.