How Weeds are Sneaky and Ruin Your Yard (Life)

Without constant vigilance, bad habits or neglect can sneak up on us and quickly grow out of control. Like bad habits and neglect, weeds are sneaky.

Here is a Story of Weeds

One pops up in the yard. It’s way out by the fence, and it’s just one, so I figure only one is okay. I’ll get it this weekend. Then I look Saturday morning, and there are three weeds. I go out to pick them and realize there are lots of weeds.

I looked away for a few days, and they seemed to come out of nowhere. You’ve got to be like Alastor Moody.

Changes are Sneaky

My job was usually good. Just like a relationship, it had its ups and downs. It was always challenging, and I was mostly lucky enough to work for managers who granted me a great deal of flexibility in exchange for flexibility. Change has always been constant, but I’ve changed too.

While I was drifting along, I didn’t notice those changes moving us in different directions. As I was mutating away from my interest in IT, the company was throttling back on some flexibility. While I was busy working towards my ideal, they had eyes somewhere else.
Jobs change.

I noticed a couple of troubling signs—weeds—but I ignored them. No place is perfect. Weeds are sneaky. I should have started looking sooner instead of waiting (Don’t Wait) to start seriously working on my online presence.

[special] How do you grow to dislike a job? Gradually, then suddenly. [/special]

How Weeds are Sneaky

How Bad Habits are Like Weeds: Sneaky

Skipping a workout isn’t a big deal until it turns into missing a month of workouts.

Enjoying an unhealthy meal won’t immediately ruin your health until you’re doing it every day for a couple of weeks.

Staying up late and not getting enough sleep to watch a particular show won’t chronically ruin your energy until you get inadequate sleep for a whole week. That always made NHL playoffs difficult.

Sleeping in and skipping exercise, meditating, or working on a hustle is nice now and then.

Until life becomes crazy stressful and you’ve got no margin, resilience, or backup plan.

[special] How does everything spin out of control? Gradually, then suddenly. [/special]

Weeds are sneaky

Too Much Comfort is Sneaky

I let myself get comfortable. I tolerated just a couple of weeds, and the weeds took over. BTW, weeds aren’t people. I love all the people I worked with. It was a very diverse environment and getting more diverse.

Everything can change, though, and we can only try Holding on to what’s precious.

• In this case, a weed is a new policy, hinting at a direction I won’t like.
• In parenting, your kids rolling their eyes at you is a weed.
• In nutrition, that bag of Oreos is a weed. It’s one of the most delicious weeds I can think of.
• With your finances, that Starbucks habit may be a new weed.

I’m drinking a grande weed with coconut milk right now!

In your lawn, crabgrass may be a weed.

Okay. Crabgrass is actually a weed.

We need to pick that first weed right when we see it. Even if you see it right when you get home from work and you’re still working nice shoes. One weed is so easy to pick.

Let that weed sit, though, and in a couple of weeks, there’ll be a yard full of weeds to pick. Either that or you’ll have to drive to the mammoth orange or blue store and spend $50 on a bag of smelly chemicals and spread it everywhere.

Even then, the weeds have spread some seeds and some roots.

Related Posts:

• Don’t let change take you by surprise, learn how to appreciate what is precious.
• How do things get out of control? Gradually, Then Suddenly.

Question:

What weeds do you need to pick?