Can you imagine a guy with the last name Weedin hating weeding?
Well, I do. I am not a gardener and never intend on being one. Working around the yard holds no enjoyment for us. That’s why our yard has recently become simply a disaster. To get it back to normal either meant hiring someone or doing it ourselves. We decided it was our mess, so we undertook it this weekend. The weather was just right – sunny skies yet cool. We spent two days digging, pulling, tossing, cleaning, and getting stuck by thorns. I even found a gently used Callaway golf ball in the weeds! I honestly don’t remember hitting that shot, but I try to get those wayward ones out of my mind quickly.
We didn’t finish, but are at least 25% of the way into the project. We will continue to chip away at it daily to get to a point where we can actually enjoy our yard. It’s not perfect, but it looks a heck of a lot better.
A couple of lessons come to the forefront. I thought of them as I was swearing at the blackberry bushes…
1. Small chunks will eventually devour the elephant. What may look to you like a monumental and overwhelming task need not be. You don’t have to do it all at once. Take small, manageable bites daily and keep working on it. Eventually, the bites become more palatable and you will start seeing improvement. Before you know it, the unmanageable task is done.
Are you sitting on something that seems overwhelming, so you put it off until you can complete the whole thing? Where has that gotten you? Probably about as far as my yard was!
2. Success, not perfection. Many people are perfection-oriented in their yards. That’s fine if it’s what you like to do and not an obsession. For most of us, just getting to a point where you can enjoy a yard is deemed success. Don’t let the goal of perfection stand in the way of being successful.
Do you do that in your career? Is your quest to be the “perfect” speaker, writer, consultant, entrepreneur, or manager block your successes? What about trying to be the “perfect” father, mother, son, daughter, or friend? This was one of the greatest pieces of advice my mentor Alan Weiss ever gave me, so I will continually share it with you. Go for success, not perfection.
If you do both of these, you may end up finding a golf ball in the weeds!
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
