Lisa 0217
What are you up to this spring? Have you been travelling to trade-shows, setting up booths, attending workshops, fine tuning your business strategy, or waiting for the weather to warm up so you can tend to your plants or plant new crops?
Are you feeling excited or tired? Maybe you are feeling a little bit of both. Take a moment to think about what comes easy to you . . . what you most like to do. Do you love working and collaborating with other people? Or do you prefer working alone, tucking yourself away in a quite place to think. Maybe a little bit of both.
Are you the type of person who is good with numbers or thrives on getting stuff done, checking items off your list gives you a good feeling of accomplishment.
Do people come to you because you are able to see the big picture, lend a good ear or are the handy type that can fix anything? Some have a green thumb and love to produce food. You get the idea and likely know a few others that fit into one or more of these categories. There are more and we can each fit into more than one.
The things that come easy to you; these are your gifts. I’ve learned this through a workshop with Meaghan Alton, an Economist and Business Growth Strategist who says, “When you say to others, 'Oh that’s easy, I can do that, then that, is one of your gifts, your zone of genius.“
We all have gifts! The trick is to use our strengths as much as possible. The more we do the things we like to do, the happier we will be. Well, sometimes we do things the hard way, but that’s another topic. It’s good to call on the assistance of others too and utilize their natural abilities (usually the stuff we don’t like to do).
During these tumultuous political times, think of what you can do to make a contribution. You may think that you have nothing to contribute. We all have something to contribute, even simple gestures like a smile, holding the door open, growing health food, repairing something, offering good quality and fair pricing, even paying full price sometimes.
Use your unique gifts, your smile and your service and you will feel good while making a contribution.
I hope you enjoy reading the contributors inside this edition of orchard & Vine Magazine.