What Are You Focusing On?

It was a beautiful afternoon and was out for a walk when I saw them. Snowdrops. Spring was coming, I was sure of it. Then I looked across the street at a mountain of dirty snow. I looked at the park; it was still inaccessible. I sighed; spring was not here yet. I looked back to the flowers and enjoyed them for a few minutes.  

 As I continued on my walk I thought about flowers, spring and the mountains of snow I climbed around. 

Here are five lessons I came away with that I believe are vital for us to remember as we run our businesses every day. 

1. If a tiny little flower can survive winter and find its way through the frozen earth and snow, I can certainly thrive when I encounter resistance from others or more frequently, when I manufacture the resistance myself.

2. Things change subtly. There was no big sign that said "first sign of spring here". You have to be on the lookout for changes, possibility and opportunity. I could have easily walked right by those flowers and never noticed them. What opportunities and possibilities are you walking right by in your business?

3. It's up to you where you decide to look. One side of the street had a five-foot high mountain of snow, the other side had snowdrops. I chose to look at the snowdrops and not dwell on how much snow was left. Winter is not over. We are likely to get more cold weather and more snow. I focused my attention and energy on the flowers. What you focus your attention on grows. What are you paying attention to in your business? Are you focusing on the problems or the solutions? The possibilities or the issues?

4. Seasons change. There are days when it's cold and dreary out. Days when nothing seems to go the way you want it to or planned it to, give it time, give it a chance. Things shift and, as long as you don't give up, it all somehow works out.

5. Pay attention to, and acknowledge, the beauty and the good. The snowdrops won't last long. They worked hard to get to the surface and share their beauty. Oftentimes in business we work hard to achieve a goal and then the second we reach it we move onto the next thing. Stop to celebrate and enjoy what you've done. 

Snowdrops or mountains of snow? What side of the street are you going to look at?