Dandelions In My Lawn

Catch It Early To Save The Day

So, it’s spring again. It’s the end of the tax year and the dawn of a new financial year. Just as we can use this time for Spring cleaning of our physical environment, it can also be used as a time to Spring clean your head and business.

Recently I encountered another sign of the season….. yellow dandelions that flowered in my lawn. For readers who do not have the ‘joy’ of tending a lawn or a back garden this may not be a big deal. For readers who know the challenges of nurturing, caring and grooming the ‘perfect lawn’….. this is a DISASTER waiting to happen – unless I act quickly and decisively.

The Causes

This situation can be the result of combination of small events including

• Seeds – carried on the wind from a neighbours weed infested garden – landed, found good soil and took root
• The ‘April showers’ watered the fertile soil – as nature intended – to nourish the seeds in the soil (both desired and undesired seeds)
• I failed to do my weekly ‘pacing’ of the lawn – an activity that I do to look for moss, thatching and other signs of undesired growth. During the activity I normally dig out the weeds (including the roots) and treat the area to get rid of what I don’t want and replace it with what I do want.
• I failed to pay attention to the early warning signs, i.e. leaves and stems that, although they are green and (to the undiscerning eye) blend into the landscape, the leaves are broader and longer that the grass that surrounds them. The size of the leaves have a relationship to the depth of the roots that they support.

The Cure

Act immediately.  No delay is acceptable.  The fact that the plant is flowering means that it has established deep roots.

Once the flowers turn into those ‘pretty white domes’ the seeds will be carried all over the lawn to start the cycle all over again but this time it will be dozens of them…. in MY lawn!

I say all that to say this….

Problems in your life, your finances and your business are rarely a surprise if you have been paying attention to the events that, when combined, normally add up to a larger matter that will take more time and energy to overcome that if you had spent time attending to the events that lead up to the issue.

Puzzle me this, puzzle me that….

When it’s time to act, it’s time to act.

• You’ll need to take the time to remove the offending or unwanted issue and ensure that you remove the root.
• You’ll need to get into the habit of being vigilant and discerning as part of a routine/habit or inspecting the particular area of your life so that you can identify the early signs of a problem before it multiplies.

These activities are best achieved when you invest in yourself.

• Invest your time – in yourself – for reflection
• Invest your energy – in yourself – through physical exercise
• Invest your money – into products that nourish your mind and body (e.g. food and education)

By doing this you will plant the seeds that produce the outcomes and fruit that you desire.