Don't "Leaf" This Alone

Winds of change are a-blowin’.

My kids love this time of year, and not just for the holidays. It’s because there is cash blowing around in the yards and driveways of every neighbor.

Well, not literal cash, but with a little bit of effort it could be.

It’s raking season. The Leafening.

We live in an older neighborhood, and that means huge mature hardwood trees. They cover the lawns so thick with leaves that you can’t even tell where the curb is, it’s just one gradient of leaves meshing with the street.

For the kiddos, that means opportunity.

They don’t see leaves, they see dollar bills floating down.

When they started doing this years ago, with some gentle nudging and oversight by myself, I had to make a few suggestions here and there to help them improve their process, making it more productive and enjoyable.

One of those suggestions may seem obvious, but it’s a good reminder to us all:

“Rake where the leaves are.”

I had to remind the kids several times to not worry about onsie-twosie leaves in the far corner of the yard when there was a massive pile of leaves right by the front door. That’s where your biggest impact is right now: where the most leaves are.

We sometimes get into a mental habit of chasing every loose leaf, when that doesn’t track on the main objective, which is to get most of the leaves bagged. You won’t get every leaf, and that’s ok. In order to achieve the objective, you have to keep reminding yourself: let that one go, rake where the leaves are.

Where are your metaphorical leaves at?

Simon is author and founder of Profit Hiker: 11 Trails to gain lasting elevation in your business. Find the book right here and the program over there.