Recently, I was remarking to my neighbor that planting a garden is just like building a business.
You have a vision of what the end result will look like, and accordingly, you pick and place your plants (or select and time your business strategies and tactics, for that matter).
But you don’t get to see that end result for several months.
And when you do, you are sometimes surprised at how it looks.
Perhaps because in the many months of waiting your original vision changes, or perhaps because your memory of the vision fades.
And sometimes you’re taken aback by unexpected things that pop up! For instance, I have some mystery bulbs in my garden. And I’m really curious to find out what they are.
What does my garden have to do with your business?
Well, I don’t know about you, but I like to see results quickly. So gardening is my way of practicing patience.
Seeing the sprouts and the buds always give me hope. And the flowers, besides making me happy, remind me of why I planted the garden in the first place.
And those mystery plants — they remind me to be curious about the unexpected turns in business and the unexpected actions of people.
So, what is your way of practicing patience? How do you remain curious and open to new possibilities?