What's blooming in your garden?

April is just around the corner. With that comes National Gardening Month. Have you ever just spent an afternoon taking out weeds in your garden and planting seeds or small plants in some fresh, rich soil? Watering every day to make sure that whatever it was bloomed, whether it was vegetables or a flower bush? Weren't you bursting with pride at your accomplishments?

What about your family or your clients? Do you take the time to care and nurture them the same way you would your garden? I have a teenage son who drives me nuts. I know his hormones are raging out of control and he acts up from time to time, kind of like weeds that start to grow in your garden, but when I nip the problems in the bud, I continue to cultivate a fine flower, or in this case, son. If I wasn't taking care of my son the way I would my garden, the garden would become overgrown with weeds and the flower would start to wither away. Not taking care of my son could cause his problems to escalate to the point where they become out of control, which can lead to other problems in the future.

The same thing is true with your clients. If you don't take the time to build that relationship with them and take care of their needs, they can shrivel up and die. Just as flowers and plants need different types of food, different amounts of water, and different amounts of sunlight, your clients need different amounts of attention. Some may need more handholding than others. Some may have certain quirks or peculiarities that you will need to deal with. Others may be very wishy washy and you may have to remove them from your garden of clients because they are not fitting in well. How you treat your clients will be reflected in how your garden looks to others. Take care of them well and you receive a blue ribbon. Take care of them not so well and your garden becomes an eyesore.

Look at your own gardens and find out how you can take care of them properly so that they can fully bloom all year long.