Herman School of Business
Trim the trees before they bloom...
The weather is about to change for the better. That means a lot to me as growing older has made winter seem darker and colder. I don’t like being cooped up in the house through the months where going outside and enjoying the sun are not possible unless you want to feel like a popsicle.
There are so many fun things to do but nothing compares to the simple pure joy of just feeling the warm sun soothe your body. It’s like being plugged into a charger that gives you new life. We get a little taste of what’s coming almost every day now…and the hour or two spent outside has already lifted my spirits because I know longer periods of sunshine are coming.
My mind already starts planning outside activities. The barn needs some painting this year. I started a window box planter as the cold weather froze me to a stop last December, so that can be finished soon. The cars and trucks need some washing, waxing and attention after a few months of neglect…all weather related. The gardens are waiting for fresh mulch. Some people see these things as chores…for me these are activities that keep me busy and keep me outside and I can’t wait to get to them.
But first you must do your work. And that means getting out the chain saw and trimming the trees before they bloom. If you attack those bare limbs now you have an easier time as opposed to waiting a few more weeks when they have blossomed into leaf filled branches that make doing the work so much harder. And since this is a blog about business issues perhaps we should now get to why I see trimming the trees before they go full bloom as a great lesson for you in your life and in your business. It’s pretty simple to see the analogy.
When you trim the trees before they bloom you are making it easier to accomplish the task. Maybe you should attack your problems the same way. Recognize that you need to do some pruning on your debt, your employee problems, your marketing efforts, and maybe even your life at home. So…before you go off and do something you want to do rather than what you need to do…attack your problems before they bloom into issues that are harder to solve. Trim your problems before the “branches” get full of other issues that make it harder to solve them.
Once I get those trees trimmed I know I can spend my outside time doing the things I would rather do. And one last thought…I plan to attack those bare branches and whack off a lot of the tree so the problem next year will not be as bad. Don’t just trim your problems…attack them and make the future easier for yourself.
- Posted: 14 March 2008
- Comments: 0
- Category: Business success
add a comment