In Chris Brogan's blog post, entitled,"What Flossing Taught Me About Success" he makes an interesting comparison in . I thought it was a great post and sought to put my own spin on it. Flossing is not exciting. Rarely do we discuss it with our friends or family, and no one gives us a "high five" for flossing. This small unannounced, non glamorous, practice of flossing makes us healthier. It's a one minute event, hopefully done often, and the reward is healthy gums, and not feeling the thrill of the drill from Dr. Haney.
So, what does flossing have to do with success in the landscape?
Success, as Chris says, comes from daily effort. When I eat right, work out, and walk, I feel better and my weight drops. When I don't my weight steadily creeps up. It is these small unannounced, uncelebrated, practices that I do daily that continue to take me to my goals and that will eventually equal success. If I don't pull or spray those few little weeds in the spring, and simply ignore them, then later they will grow and take over the bed, I will have wished I had addressed them sooner, and will soon begin looking for an answer on what to do. What I should have done is put down pre-emergent weed control, like Snap Shot, in the beds to help prevent the weeds in the first place. If I had had an initial plan, and carried out the plan, I would have known to take a few minutes and apply Snap Shot application in February, just before the growing season had started. The result of not planning ahead is that I am now staring at some serious manual labor.
The opposite of success is not failure.
The opposite of success is not failure, but busyness. If I don't make a conscience decision to change my yard-it won't happen. It will look the same, grow the same, and I will have the same frustrating issues every year. Flossing is practice I do constantly to keep my teeth healthy. This routine was put into practice after my second cavity in college, when I decided it was worth the effort in order to keep the drill out of my mouth. I don't like pain or the thought of pain.
Success is not picking up 5 blooming plants at the store and sticking them in the yard. It may give a temporary happy feeling, but it is not lasting, and does not give lasting results. Success requires developing a master landscape plan for your yard. Participating in a plan consistently over time, and putting in the effort. Success is in the daily routines, doing the things we need to do, when we need to do them. The blooming landscape and impressive curb appeal of your front yard is the pay off for your hard work. So, don't sit there and wonder if you can do it. You can do it! Who's with me?
In Chris Brogan's blog post, entitled,"What Flossing Taught Me About Success" he makes an interesting comparison in . I thought it was a great post and sought to put my own spin on it. Flossing is not exciting. Rarely do we discuss it with our friends or family, and no one gives us a "high five" for flossing. This small unannounced, non glamorous, practice of flossing makes us healthier. It's a one minute event, hopefully done often, and the reward is healthy gums, and not feeling the thrill of the drill from Dr. Haney.
So, what does flossing have to do with success in the landscape?
Success, as Chris says, comes from daily effort. When I eat right, work out, and walk, I feel better and my weight drops. When I don't my weight steadily creeps up. It is these small unannounced, uncelebrated, practices that I do daily that continue to take me to my goals and that will eventually equal success. If I don't pull or spray those few little weeds in the spring, and simply ignore them, then later they will grow and take over the bed, I will have wished I had addressed them sooner, and will soon begin looking for an answer on what to do. What I should have done is put down pre-emergent weed control, like Snap Shot, in the beds to help prevent the weeds in the first place. If I had had an initial plan, and carried out the plan, I would have known to take a few minutes and apply Snap Shot application in February, just before the growing season had started. The result of not planning ahead is that I am now staring at some serious manual labor.
The opposite of success is not failure.
The opposite of success is not failure, but busyness. If I don't make a conscience decision to change my yard-it won't happen. It will look the same, grow the same, and I will have the same frustrating issues every year. Flossing is practice I do constantly to keep my teeth healthy. This routine was put into practice after my second cavity in college, when I decided it was worth the effort in order to keep the drill out of my mouth. I don't like pain or the thought of pain.
Success is not picking up 5 blooming plants at the store and sticking them in the yard. It may give a temporary happy feeling, but it is not lasting, and does not give lasting results. Success requires developing a master landscape plan for your yard. Participating in a plan consistently over time, and putting in the effort. Success is in the daily routines, doing the things we need to do, when we need to do them. The blooming landscape and impressive curb appeal of your front yard is the pay off for your hard work. So, don't sit there and wonder if you can do it. You can do it! Who's with me?