Water Your Own Grass

I once had a conversation with a gentleman who appeared as if he were in his mid thirties and spoke as though he was disgruntled about how unfair he thought this world was to the unfortunate. Obviously, he viewed himself as one of those unfortunate people who never seems to get a break. You could easily pick up his attitude toward people who seem to have it all, because he mentioned how most of the wealthy people haven’t a clue about what it means to ration their food—while staying up and burning the candle on both ends to make a buck.

After hearing this young man voice one displeasure after another, I asked him a question. “Do you know any of these people you’re speaking of, because you sound like you know some of them very well?” “No, I just know they will never understand what it’s like to struggle financially”, he said. “If I had their money, I would be just as creative and innovative to increase my bottom line as they are”, he exclaimed.

The best of us have been on the side of this young man before, thinking the grass is much greener on the other side. The truth of the matter is, the situation a person may be experiencing is the reason they may ignore or become blind to where they are at the moment. It may be true you don’t have all the skills of your coworker, or your spouse may not look like Raquel Welch or Denzel Washington in their prime, nor do you have the youth, net worth, and success of Mark Zuckerberg, but you do not need to compare your life to anyone else’s life.

It is not the net worth that matters most; it is the self worth which is supreme. Your ability is incredible and your knowledge is extensive. My only concern is convincing you that it is. You possess the same qualities as others. However, your focus should be on developing you, not you attempting to live your life similar to the way others are living theirs.

Stop looking at your neighbor’s lawn and start taking care of your own, by fertilizing it and giving it sufficient water. You will discover your grass is just as green, if not greener. When you look from a distance at someone else’s life, you may be surprised to know everything that glitter’s isn’t gold. It only appears as if they don’t have a financial worry in the world, or their marriage is so good, it’s like trying to break the Da Vinci code.

Things may not be going so well right now in your life or business, but it doesn’t mean things will remain the same throughout your lifetime. Situations, circumstances, and problems are all scenarios subject to change. You may not need a miracle to straighten things out in your life; you may only need a little focus, dedication, and belief in your ability, and you can turn things around.

There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. ”Young man, I can see something is troubling you,” he said. After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.”

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller; then, one of the richest men in the world!

“I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided not to cash the check, but to put the check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the same check, un-cashed. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he’d been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized it wasn’t the money, real or imagined that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence which gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

You see, this is a classic story of how people play themselves short, and assume they are a failure because someone else’s life seems to be better than theirs. If your decision making has gotten you into the mess which now exists, it will be that same decision making ability, this time with careful consideration that will exonerate you from the mess you’ve made.

In the story I wrote, the executive found the courage to get back in the game of business after a huge disappointment, however this time, he decided to give his all. Why was his self-confidence all of a sudden riding high? The reason is simple; he had complete confidence in what he thought he possessed. The phony $500,000 check was his placebo, which actually made him dig deeper within himself, become more creative than he had been in the past, and believe more in his ability to get the job done.

Imagine the power of self-confidence when a person believes in him or herself. Your qualities are intrinsic and your skill level is without limits. You can stretch yourself as far as you can believe. Take a deep breath and plunge into the best you ever.

You do not need $500,000 or five hundred million dollars in order to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You can create so much more money and do so much more with your present life. The best investment you can ever make is in yourself. If you will decide to take care of your own grass, you will never be tempted to speak more favorable about how much greener the grass looks on the other side.

It doesn’t matter where you start or how you start, however, a considerable amount of weight is given to how you finish. You can make your grass look just as green as your neighbor’s grass with a little TLC (tender loving care).

It’s your life; love it!

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I frequently say, “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.” I strongly believe this statement; therefore, I have taken the time to recommend reading material that I believe will greatly benefit your life and business endeavors. Click the images to see more information or to order the books from Amazon.com.