06/22/2022
A few years ago I felt so frustrated with the endless dandelions that kept popping up in our flower beds. I felt like Sisyphus. I would spend 3 determined hours pulling as many w**ds as I could and would feel completely exhausted afterward but proud that I had finally tackled the task. But, alas, seemingly within minutes 100 new w**ds immediately seemed to appear. Each pulled w**d seemed to have created two new ones just to defy my efforts. How does anyone keep their yard nice looking without paying an arm and a leg for a landscaping company? We were on a clear budget, saving for college for our three kids and a lawn service was not how we wanted to allocate funds. It felt like an issue that was just not solvable. I felt defeated. Clearly, other people who 'can just do this landscaping thing' had something I just did not have.
Then one day I conceived a radically different approach. I decided to come at it from a different angle, a new paradigm. What if I did something super small but did it every day? What if I pulled 5 w**ds per day? A laughable number, given the unrelenting force of dandelion growth who were smiling defiantly at me as I even pondered the idea. But I decided to give it a try and try it for one season: April-October. What did I have to lose?
Every morning after our three kids got onto the school bus, I walked back to the house and plucked my 5 w**ds a day. Initially, it felt useless, but I stuck with it. Then over time, something powerful happened. On some days I wanted to do a little bit more. Some days I pulled out an entire bucket of w**ds. I got one small area w**d controlled. It felt great. Do not mess with me, dandelions!
As I stayed committed to the tiny small commitment that took less than a minute to complete over time it became something easy and I (alas) enjoyed pulling w**ds on some days. It became part of my morning routine. It made me feel good to get it done and to stick with this tiny thing. Some days I just wanted to get back inside, and I counted out 1,2,3,4,5 and I am out of here". But I had still stuck to my promise. On other days I felt like doing more. It feels good to do something daily that is small and aligned with bigger aspirations in your life. It generates hope. If it is possible to be victorious over dandelions, what else can I do?
If you tried this approach, what areas of stuckness would you tackle? What might be the tiniest, almost ridiculous step you could take every day? You can start by giving one change 1 minute of your time every day. Do it in the morning. That is the most likely time you stick with it and give it a try. Will you do it? If yes, please comment below.
We can feel completely stuck. But with the right approach, hard things can become easy and solvable. We need each other to find solutions that work.
As a reinvention and business coach, I help my clients get out of their own way and I empower them to make the changes they have wanted to make for a long time. Reach out to me and let's talk about how I might be able to help you just get things done because you are tired of having them drag you down.
is possible with the right approach is possible