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Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul

Cynthia Brian, ASID, is a popular speaker, dynamic writer, and savvy media personality appearing regularly on radio, TV, and in print.  She is the New York Times best-selling author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, author of Be the Star You Are!®, The Business of Show Business, and Miracle Moments®, available for purchase on her Website, http://www.star-style.com/store/index.htm. When she's not writing or performing, you'll find her in the garden!

There is wisdom in the garden, so it is no wonder it is America's favorite pass time. Approximately $33.5 billion is spent annually on lawn and garden care. Perhaps we can learn important lessons about business by spending time in our gardens.

1. A little work every day creates a beautiful garden. You can't wait until Springtime to plant your daffodils just like you can't touch base with your employees once a year and expect them to bloom and grow.

2. Responsibility is nurtured in a garden as you see results you can taste and enjoy. You gain pride in the care you have provided. In business, the more responsibility we give our employees, the more they feel valued, appreciated, and respected for their ideas. They pride themselves on reaping what they sowed.

3. There will be weeds, no matter how great a gardener you are. The key is to eradicate them as quickly as possible before they go to seed and produce more weeds that could eventually take over your garden. Plant something beautiful it their place. In business, you will always have bad apples and people who don't fit the corporate culture. Remove them as quickly as possible and fill the position with positive, upbeat personnel who will spread good will and corporate loyalty.

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4. Nature has seasons and you can't hurry a carrot. Spring always follows winter, summer always follows spring, autumn always follows summer, and winter returns after fall. Use the off season to plan for your next season. Take time during your slow business times to cultivate new business ventures.

5. Failure is fertilizer. Sometimes a plant just won't grow and it gets tilled into the soil to fertilize for the next attempt. You will make business mistakes and have failures. Turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones and move on.

6. There is always more work in a garden. Just when you think everything is growing and glowing, you find a patch of grass that needs your attention or the bugs take over your snapdragons. You can't rest on your laurels in your company, there is always more to do.

7. Rose bushes don't come without thorns. Gardener's don't shy away from roses, though, as they know that roses provide the most bounty for the work they entail. So too in business, put on your gloves and attack the thorns in your management team or style. The rewards for confronting the issues far outweigh the difficulties.

As in a garden you can experience your business through exploring your creativity, tolerance, caring, concentration, and dedication. The garden and your business can provide a feeling of security, joy, comfort, sense of purpose, pride of accomplishment, harmony and tranquility. You just need to keep planting, pruning, fertilizing, weeding, nurturing and enjoying.

May the sun shine in your garden and the stars in your heart! Happy Gardening in the dirt and at the office.

© Cynthia Brian All rights reserved.

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