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Landscaping Lesson?; Are you sleepwalking through life?

  

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Are We Sleepwalking Through Life?

As I reflect back on GIE (Green industry Conference) where hundreds of Professional Landscape Service providers took 3-4 days out of their busy lives to meet and discuss ways to improve their businesses.  This annual conference which is laden with educational sessions and networking opportunities is held in Louisville, Kentucky.  These professionals believe in their industry/professionalism and are committed to sharing what they know with other members.  I have been fortunate enough to attend this conference many times over the years and was happy to be in attendance this past October.

I am writing about this year conference because I took away something that is uncommon for one of these educational events.  As I walked through the airport and towards my gate with my mind consumed with the events of the near past and future I noticed a Landscape Friend whom I have chatted with in the past.  Jason Cupp is a very respect member of the Green Industry.  I stopped to wish him well on his travels when he asked me “So what was the most important thing you learned over the past few days?”  You would expect that I learned of a new system to create efficiencies that help the crews save time, or a new piece of equipment that will save hundreds on fuel costs.  A conference of this magnitude gets you feeling so good and confident that when you return home you have this burning desire to become the largest landscape company in the world.  This year, for me I took away something much different.  I realized that my business is not a failure for not blowing sales numbers out of the roof.  I realized that I am so consumed with tomorrow and the sales of tomorrow that I am not getting my best out of today.  I work so hard at creating efficient ways to do everything that we literally skip pass the events of the present. I realized I am sleepwalking through life, with my mind on my next step, instead of on the step I am taking.

This particular presentation by Param Srikantia, Ph.D., of Baldwin-Wallace College was very engaging and down-right funny.  The talk was; Are we sleepwalking through life?  I could honestly answer this question with a very punctual, YES!  I am and have been consumed with the future.  As we moved toward the holiday season I wanted to spread my new revelation to all and encourage us to enjoy the now as we sit down to thanksgiving dinner or spend time with friends.

Jason