Several years ago I was drowning in negative thoughts and feelings. What was needed, I decided, was some physical activity. I decided to pull the weeds that had infiltrated my yard.
Once I got into the rhythm of the project, I had the idea to imagine that with each weed removed, a negative thought was being removed from my mind. By the time I finished my task I was feeling noticeably better.
I decided that weeding was a fine therapy and have consciously sought to keep my mind as weed-free as possible. It took a while to realize that intentional weeding is also an important aspect of growing a successful business.
If I were going to describe the entrepreneurial journey in two steps, I’d borrow the title of Geri Larkin’s marvelous book—Plant Seed, Pull Weed. That’s pretty much what we do day after day.
Unfortunately, many people are better at the first part than they are at the second. Not long ago, I got an e-mail from a woman who had started a business, hit a slump and abandoned her project.
She ended her account of the short history of her joyfully jobless journey by saying, “I guess I’m not cut out to be an entrepreneur.” That sounds like a big nasty weed to me.
Like so many others, she is cultivating a crop of weeds, not nurturing the seeds of what she truly wants.
An old definition says a weed is merely a plant that growing in a place where it’s not wanted. Likewise, as entrepreneurs we need to decide what we want to allow to flourish in our businesses—and what needs to be removed.
The Joyfully Jobless life is participatory, not a spectator sport. Try things. Be willing to do things badly. Reconfigure. Learn to find creative solutions.
So don’t be afraid to get dirty. Realize that weeds are a normal part of any worthy undertaking.
As Larkin reminds us, it’s also an on-going process, but it’s one with delightful rewards. Plant Seed. Pull Weed.
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