How to respond to economic adversity
A week later, the Wealthy Gardener was listening to Jimmy complain about the new competition in his entrepreneurial business. Finally he asked, “Have I told you about how I won the best tomato at the county fair the last two years?”
Jimmy chuckled quietly. “Yeah, only 20 times but who’s counting? And each time you remind me to choose one goal, then prune all other branches and make it my big tomato.”
“Well, I can’t recall who I tell anymore,” griped the Wealthy Gardener. “But there’s another secret to my prize tomatoes, and I let you in on it. I entered my first contest five years ago and won first place. But the next year I got sacked pretty good. I got home and tried to figure what was wrong.”
Jimmy smiled but offered no response.
“One evening I was outside. I saw that my tomato plant, positioned in the corner of my garden, missed an hour of sunlight each day when the sun moved behind a distant tree. You see, I had picked the perfect spot for the plant the first year. But a year later, it was the wrong spot because that tree grew several feet to block the sunlight. And because of the shade, I had a loser tomato. Do you see how this lesson applies to your current situation?”
“When times change,” Jimmy sighed, “we adapt, or we fall behind?”
“It’s vital to focus on one goal and track results,” said the Wealthy Gardener, “but stay flexible with your plans. The only certainty on the road to wealth is that you will need to constantly improvise plans. You will meet with setbacks, and you’ll make mistakes, but you can always adapt your strategy. Constant improvement is necessary to prosper in life.”
– Excerpt from The Wealthy Gardener
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