10: It’s Time To Grow

Chris Suarez (00:00):

Welcome back to the experience growth podcast. I am Chris Suarez, your host, and today it's time to grow. you probably didn't, head into, this morning or this afternoon or this evening, or whenever you like to listen to two podcast expecting a lesson in botany. but neither it, I, this weekend when I found myself, I suppose I'd call that a yes.

Forearm deep in the middle of a botany lesson say woke up this past Saturday morning, realizing that it had been over a full month, that I had not taken a full day break from phone and email and just straight triage as we continue to navigate the world recall COVID-19, it had been almost six weeks and Because you've been on the phone with me at 6:00 AM and noon and 10:00 PM.

And 1:00 AM, perhaps one of those times or two of those times, or even three of those times, six weeks, it is required. Something different. Of each of us to show up, regardless of the role we played prior to March of 2020, the job we had prior to March of 2020, or perhaps prior to the relationships we had, if March of 20, 20 something else is expected, something else is necessary, something else is required and we all hope.

It is appreciated. Many of us have become teachers. We've become caregivers, we've become accountants and cooks and therapists and technologists and doctors and Barbara's and dry cleaners. We've become personal trainers. and, Oh yes. we also kept our day jobs. I also became a farmer. So on Saturday, I rested my face and had a bed at 6:00 AM and let them know that we're going to go and spend a full day out at the farm.

Now, the farm is what we are affectionately calling the home that we're preparing to move to. It's it's more specifically, I just over 40 acres, it's a property just outside of Portland, Oregon with a producer vineyard, a couple of ponds with some incredible fish. There's a 15 acre forest with trails and just incredible trees.

there's a barn for winemaking and animal keeping and event hosting S we'll be doing an experience growth mastermind coming up soon out there's a small organic orchard and a few acres left to be tilled to be harvested and to be farmed.  I suppose it's more of, yeah, the homestead than a farm, but with a 10 year old and a 12 year old little girl that's become quote the farm.

At my house. So I learned some valuable lessons yesterday, a couple of weeks ago, we ran out to the farm, turned over some soil real quick, right? Put some seeds down the row, just to as every first time farmer does we planted peppers. We planted cabbage and broccoli and tomatoes and asparagus and carrots and radishes and a dozen other vegetables and herbs.

Yep. All in these boxes, in the land that we turned over real quick, obviously, we gave a, we gave little thought to soil quality, to soil culture, to the upcoming weather or temperature we gave little thought to water or rain patterns we gave little thought to. Yeah, I know what you're thinking.

You are not a farmer. So after the lesson, it's a couple of weeks of countless late night hours. amidst those late night hours. I would take some breaks from writing back some of you and, crafting strategies and, breaks in my creativity time. And I began to do some research and reading.

I read a few online, agricultural, or I took a few online agricultural science classes and read some ag books and. And I was ready to plant a garden that I would actually grow this time. So we're we arrived this past Saturday morning, really early, Crack of Dawn and found exactly what I expected from our efforts a few weeks ago.

 nothing was there, right? No sprouts, no buds, no plants. Why? we had put in some time we had done some activity. And we even thought good thoughts, but after some additional research, I realized that the difference between two statements is real. The one statement, time on task over time.

We say that in our business a lot. It's just time on task over time guys. Versus another statement, time on the right task over time. Yes. It's time on the right task. Over time that matters. And the 10 hours and the fuel on Saturday gave me plenty of time to reflect on some of the parallels to our business right now.

Now I'll be sharing a few. Yeah. Those lessons with you and my upcoming messages and some videos that'll shoot, be ready to. to watch, to watch some of these plants grow and vegetables grow and fruit trees grow. but for [00:05:00] today, let's start with potentially the most important lesson that I've learned thus far.

Now, the lesson that I took away this Saturday, Is our environment matters, right? James clear and atomic habits. One of my favorite books of 2019, says that yeah, environment is the invisible hand, that shapes human behavior. I have internalized that I've shared that probably with, yeah. with many of you at this point, hundreds of times environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.

Thank you, James clear, our environment matters. And I, as I think about that, The personal environment that we plant ourselves in matters, but the environment we are creating for our people and our prospective clients matter as well. Many of you listening are in sales and some sort of sales, maybe it's real estate.

Maybe it's. Tech, maybe it's mortgage maybe. It doesn't matter the industry, but as I looked at rows and rows of seeds, most of which had not have not even sprouted. I realize I had not put in the effort to prepare those seeds to stay alive, no less produced fruit. See seeds need to go through the four step process of germination

in order to begin to grow and eventually give us the results we're looking for. Our business is no different. See once we select the fruit or the results that we want, in our world, we call that our preferred future. That's where we want to get to what? See, once we select the result that we choose for ourselves in the future.

Sure. Now we have to make sure we plant ourselves in the right soil in order to germinate. It's time to grow guys in order to do that, we need the following four things. The first thing is water. Every seed needs to be in soil with sufficient moisture. That moisture shows up because we water. That soil.

See it's actually the moisture in the soil that causes the seeds embryo to begin to expand, literally breaking that little seed coat, We planted that seed in there, but that seed or the embryo is coated. And as that moisture permeates that coat, that embryo expands, it breaks the seed coat and it.

Finds the soil around it in our business. That first conversation we have, the first conversation we have with that perspective buyer of any service or any product you're selling. If that prospective buyer finds any real value, it will allow us to have the interest break through their perhaps wrong expectation or their wrong perspective.

And allow that embryo of interest to begin to break and grow in a market where people are uncertain or fearful, they will hunker down or even retreat in their little shell of an activity. Some vegetables and plants, sunflowers, corn, pumpkin beets. I know, but I like beets. The, those seeds come with harder seed coats that take varying degrees of moisture to break through.

Even some of them require soaking in water overnight. Before planting. I assure you I didn't do that the first time, but upon further research, I realized that every seed is a little bit different. Other softer seeds can be drowned very quickly. If they receive too much water immediately see our initial conversations and substance follow up will allow them the interest of our buyers and interest of our sellers to expand, know how much water each.

Seed needs. It has become more important than ever to vary that communication level guys increasing it for some decreasing the frequency for others. See riff. We refer to that in our organization as meeting people with where they are today. Let's call that providing prospects with the right amount of moisture.

Go ahead. Water your garden. Number two. We need oxygen, every seed needs oxygen, and they get that oxygen or from the soil in which you play.  see a few weeks ago when I planted the seeds initially, I didn't give enough attention to the ox level in the soil. So those seeds came in contact with him moisture and broke through their seed coatings.

They didn't find the oxygen they needed to then begin their metabolic process and actually produce leaves. I hadn't provided the right environment for growth. See, almost all those seeds eventually die. And as an aside, You've noticed that we're pumping our team with oxygen right now. I am releasing more podcasts now than I ever have before.

Why? because we need training. We need coaching. We need collaboration. We need consultation. We need more creativity. The quality and oxygen level of our own soil is critical right now, guys. The environment matters more [00:10:00] than it ever has. Why? Because the environment is distracting. There are so many people creating the environment or pushing their environment into yours more accurately.

I say environment matters more than it ever has, but more accurately environment has always mattered equally,  Yes. However environment is what is separating organizations more than it ever has right now. How about to our garden in order to oxygen soil, it requires tilling. Now that tilling process turns over the soil.

it brings up nutrients and it oxygenates the soil so that seeds can metabolize once planted the minute it breaks through that seed coating because it received the right amount of moisture. It begins to find oxygen. If it doesn't yeah, just dies. Okay. Interestingly enough, chilling is the hardest work.

Chilling is the hardest work you will do as a farmer, but it's the right task over time. To do for the future results. See the tilling, although the hardest work is the most important as it brings oxygen to those seeds that had received the moisture from the soil. The time you spend tilling will reap benefits in the years to come in farming and in your business, in your database, the time you spend in and with your database, the time you spent tilling the relationships, turning it over and over again.

We'll bring fruit EJ. Number two, breathe oxygen into your garden. Number three is temperature guys. Every seat has different needs for temperature. Some will germinate only at room temperature. Some when the soil is cool between 28 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, some actually most will germinate. When the soil is warm between 76 to 90 degrees for an ed guys, I just planted every seed in the same temperature soil.

I promise I'm learning. See, let's compare this to the heat. We put on ourselves, the heat we put on our people, the heat we put on our clients lesson learned this week. The only seed that made it actually from a few weeks ago was my radish seeds. The only seed that made it were radishes. Radishes can grow at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

So imagine my accent. I looked as I looked at rows of vegetables and I saw this entire row of green sprouting up and imagined disappointment when I realized every spout sprout, represented. Just one more radish, first question, who even likes radishes. Second question.  I guess I should give you the, just answer and not me the second question.

And why did we plant so many, the second answer? my daughter got ahold of the seed packet last time we were up. so let's call radishes the low hanging vegetable, right in great markets all over all of us benefit from the low hanging vegetable. Those are fruits. We throw out a bunch of seeds, make a call or two posting out on Facebook and start closing deals.

Not anymore, my friends, right? We need to perfect our skills of adding the right temperature to our seeds, without a doubt, our databases, those prospective clients need us to turn up the heat. If we're going to see results, the rhythm of our communication, the strength of our communication, the heat of our conversations are people are looking for direction and need to be told what to do.

I liken that. From bringing the temperature from a 40 degree conversation to a 90 degree conversation, what's going to happen. They're going to grow. Those conversations will grow. Those in those seeds of interest will grow. They will turn into real clients and they will be fruit EJ. See the seed uses water to break through the seed, coating.

It uses oxygen in the soil to push up the roots. Deeper and established strength and then absorbs heat, right? The temperature from the sun to shoot above the ground and grow leaves. And what do we have? We have a plant add some heat to your garden is number three. Last one, light number four is light.

Almost every fruit, vegetable and flower requires light. Some more than others. Light is the last of the environmental conditions. That we need to control the level of our light. We'll promote a dare. I say, control all future growth in the current environment. Here's what I'll share more than ever. We need to be that light.

How bright is it at your garden? Is it overcast? Is it partially clarity? Is it clear skies and sunny? remember our brains are naturally wired, 75% cloudy, 25% sunny. that is a shame. I anticipate fact our brains are 75% negative. We are wired towards the negative. We are 25% sunny that won't work right now for our [00:15:00] clients.

That will not work right now for our plants or our seeds. We need to push those clouds away and let the sun and light shine down. The media is not doing it. The news is not doing it. Gosh, some are family are not doing it. Be the light for your garden. Guys go plant yourself, go plant your people, go plant your entire database, go plant your friends and family in the right soil environment matters.

Don't work with what has been given you the land you inherited or even the land you just bought. I took for granted that the soil I planted my original seeds in was good enough to produce some fruit EJ. Why? the previous farmer produce some fruit, but see, I missed the fact that environments are constantly changing.

Every season every month, right? Environments change at times, environments changed for the good and a times environments trend towards the negative with all of that environment is always a choice I could have easily decided the land I bought was unproductive and given up decided I didn't want to grow anything after all.

I'll just fish in the ponds. I'll forge in the forest. I'll lay in the grass and I'll continue to order some vegetables from Instacart. But if I loved my land, if I am committed to accomplish what I set out to do, then I would begin to be the architect of my environment. I would begin to change the soil for the seeds that I planted.

I would begin to be a real farmer with all of this. There's one thing I know guys, it's time to grow.