With the New Year come new intentions. The nursery trade is so intertwined with Mother Nature that the best of intentions can sometime be derailed due to changes in nature’s mood. Does our happiness depend on reaching goals? What happens when our intentions are not meet? Often, if we don’t meet our intentions or desires we find ourselves unhappy. If we are a small business the owners or managers mood can affect how the business performs.
Happiness and peace with oneself is a state of being, and should not be dependent on outcomes. If we don’t have “X” amount of money in the bank, or a certain amount of sales by a certain date, a sense of being overwhelmed can cloud what should be a time of rest and relaxation. We need to prepare our minds, bodies, and souls for the upcoming spring season.
While having goals is part of having a business, it’s important to realize that happiness is available for us right here, right now. Rather than worrying about when the “big spenders” will start coming in again, perhaps we should just focus on and enjoy the lady interested in starting some seed for the first time. How about that customer who doesn’t always spend a lot, but does spend it with you? How are things going with them? Maybe write that next Facebook post with the intention of not necessarily selling something. Maybe just sharing something we take for granted, but the customer does not?
Dealing with the business aspect of the trade can be quite taxing at times. Instead let’s focus on the sense of wonder and awe we felt when we first started in this trade. Remember, having good intentions and desires is fine, but real happiness is available for us right here, right now. Once we get into that frame of mind everything else should take care of itself.