After nearly two years living in our house in TN, I’m finally ready for the perfect lawn to cover the area between my house and the barn. I have 32 acres, 26 of which are wooded and the rest is pasture plus the area around the house. Over the past year, we removed about 50 trees around the house, ground up the stumps, leveled the ground, and planted some grass. The challenge is that the soil is full of rock (no wonder why Tennessee is synonymous with the nickname Rocky Top) and I need a really durable grass to supplement the Bermuda that was seeded.
Enter Zoysia!
Zoysia, a resilient type of grass that’s used on golf courses is perfect. The challenge with planting Zoysia is that it’s slow growing by seed plus seed costs a small fortune. To get your lawn in place faster, you have to plug it. Plugging means taking chunks of the source lawn and implanting it into the destination. I guess this is the same principle used by doctors on bald, middle-aged men. The plugs (on lawns) are about three inches in diameter, spread about six inches apart. Do this and over time your plugs grow together forming a sturdy Zoysia lawn.
Fortunately, my in-laws have a huge yard full of Zoysia and told me I could take as much as I need. I spent last Saturday getting about 120 plugs and Sunday putting them in. Now I just wait and see my hard work pay off!
We often hear about people “plugging away” at something. That implies that they work steadily and consistently, but after my Zoysia experience, I think it’s different than that.
My business and company grew as a result of “plugging away” and I certainly was persistent, but the real key was having multiple areas of focus that gradually grew into what I have today. Since starting out in 2004, I used a combination of contract work, social media, keynotes, products, coaching, consulting, volunteerism, and books, all simultaneously, and they lead to the consistent, one-brand solutions I have today. Like my eventual Zoysia lawn, It’s a smooth, good-looking process and company.
But enough about me. What about you? If you have a goal such as running a marathon, building a business, changing careers, or improving a relationship, why not consider “plugging away” at it? Here’s how:
- Take a piece of paper and draw a circle in the middle
- Write your goal in the circle
- Draw a ring of circles around your center circle
- Brainstorm a list of situations that would lead you to your goal and put one in each small circle.
- Draw another ring of circles just outside the first ring.
- Brainstorm a list of actions you would need to take to create the situations needed to achieve the goal and put each one in one of those circles.
- Your drawing should look just like a patch of Zoysia plugs. Put your plan in motion and let the actions influence the situations that lead to your goal.
“Plugging away” is simply working hard and regularly on a broad-based plan. It’s worked for me in business, working well for me towards a beautiful lawn, and I know will help you succeed.
Planting season for success begins new each day. How about starting out first thing in the morning?
