What’s In Your Bucket?

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You reap what you sow — a simple truth with many names. Plant watermelon seeds, and you get watermelons. Plant tomatoes and get tomatoes. Sometimes it feels like we plant carrots and expect oranges.  Do you consider what you’re sowing? Most of us don’t, we just try to stay positive and get through it.

What if we paused to think differently? First, accept the principle of sowing and reaping. Second, decide what you want to harvest. Third, choose the seeds that will grow what you’re after.

Picture starting your day by loading up an imaginary spreader with what you want to sow. At first, it feels heavy and awkward, but as the day goes on, you’re cranking that spreader, broadcasting seeds everywhere — at home, work, the gym, with friends, strangers, even adversaries.

Eventually, the bucket empties, and the day ends. But now, you can reflect on what may sprout — and decide what to plant tomorrow.

What’s in your bucket?

Matt

#commerciallandscapeconsultant #hoaconsultant #arborist #hoaarborist #hoahorticultureconsultant #hoawatermanager

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WHY SO SERIOUS?

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Lately, I’ve been thinking about where our sense of humor comes from. Are we born with it, or do we develop it over time? Some people are natural joke tellers, while others are the audience, ready to laugh and enjoy the moment. One role isn’t better than the other. In fact, both depend on each other. We’ve all heard that laughter is good medicine, so why don’t we laugh more?

I believe our sense of humor is like a muscle—it needs to be exercised. If we don’t use it, we lose it.

As we get older, that muscle tends to shrink. Kids will laugh at just about anything, but adults? We tend to grit our teeth and power through. Imagine if we actually laughed more with the people we disagree with. What would happen if two people who don’t see eye to eye could find something funny together?

It starts with remembering that we only get one shot at this life. And not everything is life-or-death. Some things are critical—but not everything. The people I meet who haven’t used their humor muscle in a while often treat every decision like a crisis. That missing laughter gets replaced with micromanagement. They believe if they just control every detail, everything will go perfectly. Honestly, that’s not someone I’d want to vacation with.

Give me the person who works hard, laughs at themselves, and makes the best decision they can with a light heart—that’s someone I want around.

A sense of humor begins with confidence. It’s the self-assurance to admit when we’ve missed the mark and laugh at our own blind spots. Think of a kid running through the sprinklers—completely free. Living in the moment without worrying about the outcome. That kind of joy is contagious.

Don’t buy into the lie that being serious and in control is the only way to make things work. Try the opposite. So much of life is outside our control that it’s almost funny we think we’re ever fully in charge. Try this: laugh out loud for 10 seconds today and see if your day doesn’t shift.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH,

Matt

#hoalandscapeconsultant #horticulturist #arborist #landscapeconsultant #commerciallandscapeconsultant #monarchenvironmental #nestingsurvey #watermanagmentforhoas #laugh #smile #lifeisfun #cai #cacm

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JUST DO IT

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Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the tension between acting responsibly and being paralyzed by fear. We spend a large portion of our income on insurance, hoping we’ll never have to use it. Once, our ancestors pursued adventure with passion; today, we seem to channel that same energy into a pursuit of safety. It’s unsettling to dwell on everything that could go wrong.

How often do we try to manage risk by assessing and reassessing, until the mountain of possible negatives smothers our drive? If we’re honest, the best things in our lives didn’t come from endless analysis—they came from bold action. Careful planning is valuable, but it’s not what leads to greatness. Assessment without action only breeds fear and regret.

Nike built an empire around the slogan “Just Do It.” Imagine if their tagline had been “Just Think About It”—picture Michael Jordan sitting in the gym, lost in thought, debating whether to even pick up a basketball. We wouldn’t all own a pair of shoes with a swoosh on them if they had.

Let’s remember that life is full of adventure, and it’s fun. We don’t need to pay an admission fee to seek adventure, we can do that by taking big swings in our everyday life.

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