This quote from Neil Barringham is a play on the classic – “the grass is greener on the other side” – and also, quite the pivot away from this type of thinking.

While the classic quote alludes to the analogy of looking over someone’s fence and admiring and envying the green grass they have, Neil’s quote allows us instead to focus on our OWN yard. Since we do each have our own grass, and it will only become greener if we water it…why are we still looking at other peoples grass when we could be watering our own?!

Good question Neil, good question!

Well, the truth is – we water our grass through time and attention. And, that means we are always going to be giving that time and attention to SOMETHING (no matter if it’s intentional or not). But, the real question is: are we giving our time and energy to something that is vital to our own life and happiness? Or are we using it to water our neighbors yard instead of our own?

Not that we don’t love our neighbors (hey Debbie and Jerry!), but the more we water their grass, the less time and attention we have left to water our own. And if we don’t consistently water our grass, but do only sometimes – every once in a while – haphazardly – we’re not going to like the look of our lot, and we’re not going to like the look of our LIVES.

You showering in the water we’re spraying out, or what?!

When we want our grass to be greener, we have to think about how we can spend our time and attention in the most effective way. Because we all have so many unique patches to water (friends, family, fitness, faith, (pro)fession), we have to be intentional in order to make sure they’re all watered just right! Besides, any beautiful garden worth looking at was built that same way 🙂

Want something to listen to while you water? Hear today’s episode here!