The Grasshopper left me with just a phrase to contemplate over the weekend: “Flowery words, thorny deeds.” It got me to reflect.

It’s easy to parcel out flowery advice, just do what most people like to do – Give your opinion.

Words may be in iambic pentameter but if they don’t get followed up by deeds, they just die on the thorny vine.

Work, even work you enjoy, takes effort. You have to put movement into your life or you’ll just prattle on about how you have to stop and smell the roses, but you won’t sniff any fragrance.

Deeds are, indeed, thorny. You’re going to get pricked from time to time no matter how flowery your work. Attempting to avoid the thorns, we often do nothing but talk about experience rather than experience it.

No one ever thought themselves to where they want to go. Oh, yes, a thought may have been the impetus to start your trek but it was actual movement that completed it.

How much thinking do you do compared to action you take? When you come up with those percentages, you will have the formula for where you are right now. If where you are is not satisfactory to you, you’ll have to tinker with the percentages.

In my management career, I have seen some of the most flowery 5 year plans go the way of week old wedding boutonnieres because no one wanted to address the thorny issues. Let’s call it “Ivory Tower Flower.” Everyone wanted to have business “blooming” but few were willing to put their hands in the dirt and do some planting; they just busied themselves with planning.

No flower garden got planted by just thinking about it. Any gardener can show you their recent scratches, but they pale in comparison to the colorful array their actions produced.

If you’re looking for a rosy outcome; you’ll need to do more than flirt with putting your hands in the dirt.

All the best,

John