It’s April Fools Day, and for a moment I thought about publishing some prank blog post or weird story.
But for whatever reason, I’m just not in a jokey mood this year. Click here if you want to read an April Fools post from a few years ago.
So instead of trying to trick you, I’m going to talk about some of the foolish things I see my readers and clients doing.
I’m totally not trying to embarrass anyone! My hope is that you’ll learn from these mistakes.
A while ago, I did a webinar called Broken Record Life Editing about the advice I dole out over and over again like a broken record. And here’s the most important nugget of wisdom I like to share:
Bloom where you are planted.
This means you should use the resources, skills, and knowhow you’ve got right now to do your best work.
Think of a flower growing in the soil. It doesn’t wish it had different fancy soil, or were planted in a garden in a better neighborhood, and it certainly doesn’t pay someone to water it with purified mountain spring water.
Besides, where would a flower get money to buy those things? Do flowers even have wallets or checking accounts?
You, my dear Life Editor, are also a flower.
But instead of growing your leaves and petals, you’re growing your business, career path, family, or personal development.
If you’re like most people (including me!), you’ll eventually start comparing yourself to others. And it might seem like those folks have it better than you (this is especially true for entrepreneurs).
Maybe they’ve got gorgeously designed websites. Maybe they’ve got state-of-the-art customer relationship management (CRM) software. Maybe they have a staff to help them look their best, edit their videos, or do all the boring admin tasks.
They’ve got it all! And you want it too.
So you might be tempted to spend a lot of money on fancy equipment or the latest and greatest gadgets. You might spend thousands of dollars fixing up your outward image by getting a new logo, website theme, and business cards.
In the end, you’ve got a ton of debt and you’re still not getting sales. (Insert sad trombone music.)
This doesn’t just happen to startup entrepreneurs. I’ve seen women making 6 and 7 figures spend all their hard-earned cash trying to one-up their competition.
Keeping up with the Joneses will only cause you to burn out, or worse, give up on your business or other goals.
“Bloom where you are planted” means dropping the pretenses and owning where you’re currently at—even if that’s still at the starting line!
You can use inexpensive or free resources to send your newsletters, schedule your social media posts, or run your training programs. You can use the camera on your smartphone. You can wear your own clothes and film in your own house.
Here’s the thing: you are enough. You are good enough right now without all that razzle dazzle.
When I was starting out, I still got clients and earned money using a crappy website and no-frills PayPal. I still use a lower-end CRM program and edit my own videos.
One of the benefits of blooming where you’re planted is that you’ll get to keep a lot more of your money, time, and energy instead of feeling exhausted like a hamster on a wheel.
So ignore what other people are doing and how they’re supposedly living their lives. It’s not the whole picture, and you don’t know what they might be struggling with in the background.
Life Editor, I want you to bloom! Stretch up toward the sun and be proud of the beauty you bring into this world.
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” Mulan
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Do you bloom where you’re planted?
In the comments below, share one way you’re thriving in your current situation.
This post focuses on Step 1 of the Life Editing Process, Create a Foundation. For more about life editing and what it can do for you, click here.
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