My son and I were driving down the road the other day and noticed how bare the trees were getting. He told me that he thinks trees look better with leaves than without. I agree that trees are beautiful with their leaves. I personally think they are incredible without them, too.
When the leaves fall you can see the magnificence of the tree’s structure. Sometimes there’s incredible symmetry. Sometimes the falling leaves reveal wounds and scars that were hidden by the leaves. The bare tree looks both strong and surprisingly fragile as you watch the branches swaying in the wind.
The leaves fell from the tree in front of my house. One thing that was revealed was a bird’s nest. The leaves provided safety and shelter for the birds. Shelter from the sun and rain. Safety from other birds, the cats that wander around my neighborhood and other prying eyes, like mine, who had no idea the nest was there until it was long vacated.
A few years ago we had, what we call, a “snowicanne”. We got about 6 inches of heavy, wet snow in late October. The trees hadn’t lost their leaves yet. The snow clung to the leaves. The weight of the snow took down many branches and entire trees. The leaves, which help nourish the tree in the summer and keep the birds protected, suddenly were a liability instead of an asset. There’s a reason the trees drop their leaves.
I got to thinking about the leaves. They’re beautiful. They protect and nourish. They also hide the structure and form of the tree and sometimes they cause problems. Without the leaves birds would behave very differently. They would be bolder. Mama birds would need to work harder to protect their babies or find somewhere else to live. The tree would have to find another way to absorb sunlight and nourish itself.
I got to thinking about entrepreneurs in general and me and my clients specifically.
There are so many things that we entrepreneurs do to protect ourselves. We hide behind computers. We hide behind “prior commitments” or take one more class or get one more piece of information before we move forward. We say, now’s just not the right time. We stay safe. Nobody sees our faults, our scars, or our broken limbs.
At times these excuses, the leaves of our business, serve to nurture us, they feed us and they protect us. Other times the excuses weigh us down. Then, our real strength, our beauty stays hidden when it’s really time to be seen.
Take a look at the leaves of your business. Think about what you would do if you weren’t actively protecting or hiding yourself. What you would do if you found yourself suddenly exposed. Which leaves are you ready to drop?
I’d love for you to share your thoughts on this in the comments section below.
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