Healthy, steady growth doesn’t just happen; you have to plan for it.
When my first son was a toddler, I bought a house in upstate New York. The house was fairly secluded except for a view of one other house. Wanting my privacy, I decided to plant a row of trees: 33 four-to-five-foot-tall pine trees. I knew nothing of planting or growing trees, and I didn’t have to—my crazy Uncle Joe did. Joe was the head groundskeeper of a ritzy country club nearby and a mad floricultural genius. He taught me everything he knew about the planting and seasonal maintenance of the trees. He even guaranteed that if I followed his instructions, “These suckers will grow a foot a year. Same for your boy.” What Joe was slyly hinting at were the universal applications of his plant-based philosophy. Systematic and strong growth—for a garden, your business, your children, even your Instagram following—comes from love, attention, and consistency.
They say if you love your work, the rest is easy. I say there’s still a lot to do, but love makes the efforts and late nights and extra duties worth it. Love gives your work a purpose. It also guarantees that you’ll still care for your work when TSHTF.
“Multitasking” merely means doing a number of things poorly. This is why we pay attention. Focus on one thing. Sometimes this approach is called “Do one thing and do it well.” Read, study, and practice to become an expert on your subject.
The third of these three traits, consistency, is the most important—and also where most people fall off the wagon. Ask yourself every day, “What am I doing today to make way for growth?” For gardeners, making way for growth means knowing when to plant, mulch, and feed, when to water and when to prune; and doing this season after season, year after year. For parents, it means being consistent with your messaging and your demands; children need to have structure and to know their boundaries.
In business we must have a plan, get the word out, follow the numbers, know our brand, and, more importantly, stay “on brand.” I have seen countless businesses succeed not because they were genius ideas, but because they continually followed through on their plans.
Love the game, focus, and follow through. All three facets help growth happen. If you skip one, the process falls apart. If you don’t love what you’re doing, following through is difficult. If you can’t pay attention and be consistent, don’t fall in love.