What Trees, Goals & an Old Proverb Have in Common

I made it a goal to pay off all my consumer debt this year.  I've made that goal a lot of years, but this year I got super serious about it.

Why this year? Because last year, my financial life plus bad mistakes plus unforeseen circumstances almost did me in.

I know this isn't very "creative," but my debt has been one of the biggest burdens of my life, affecting so many areas, especially in the last few years when the activities of my twenties all caught up in my early thirties.

Honestly, this shouldn't have been a 2014 goal; it should have been a 2010 goal. Or 2006 goal. Or 2004 goal.

You get the picture.  I share this because I know too many people who don't start pursuing the life they want because, "It's too late, too hard, I'm too old, too much this....why bother now?"

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today. Old Proverb

The big stuff we want in life is like an impressive, solid tree trunk with a deep root system.

The roots are the "why" of our tree.  Goals are like the branches on the tree. Without the branches we just have a trunk, a stump, an idea.  Branches are the limbs where leaves and fruit grow, eventually producing a harvest in the form of fruit, shade, beauty, a place for birds to nest, and more.

The roots are the life givers of the tree, they access the water in the ground and feed  it up through the trunk, the branches, to the leaves.

You can tell a lot about a tree by the roots- the part you don't see. If you see a thriving tree who is getting bigger and producing fruit or nuts year after year, even in times of drought, you know there is a working root system with the ability to find and give water.

3 Things to Make Your Goals Come True and Your Trees Grow

1. Roots & Trunk:

This represents the "why," the strength of what you are doing. You gotta have a reason for why you are doing what you are doing. It doesn't have to be huge or lofty.

I love what Marisa said  last week: she doesn't know the overarching vision of her life, but she knows what she's doing today: finishing books, creating art for shows: each of these activities is an individual tree that, one day, will create a beautiful orchard.

2. Branches:

These are your goals. Lots of small goals achieved causes "fruit" to grow. We don't necessarily see the "why" but we can create, measure, and execute goals.

3. Water:

What are you feeding the "why" in your life?  Books, podcasts, entertainment, friends, words and thoughts are just a few of the "water" sources in our life. Enough sewage in the water and the whole tree can rot away.  If your tree isn't growing, check out the water!

Let's start growing an orchard, creative friends!

The year is young. I've got my finance tree growing and my book writing tree growing. There's a few other saplings waiting for me when I have more energy and time to devote to them.

How about you?  What tree are you growing this year?

Let's water each other with encouragement!