ANCIENT FRUITS AND MODERN MARVELS

“Do you want to grow a pineapple?” my sister asked. 

I did a mental double-take, “What?! Is that a thing?”

She was trimming a pineapple for dinner. As she worked; she explained how it is possible to grow a pineapple, in your house, in Colorado, in January. 

This bizarre conversation took me through a range of emotions. Confusion, at the quick change of topic. Disbelief, at the preposterous idea of growing citrus fruit in Northern Colorado in January. And finally, I landed in curiosity.  Can I?

My sister is a super DIYer. She can do almost anything; fix almost anything, and often has learned something I would never, ever consider attempting.

Such as, growing a pineapple.

Like most entrepreneurs, I think about my business no-stop, 24/7. It is my constant companion. So naturally, when talk turns to pineapple, my mind flies to work. 

“I wonder if this is how my clients feel when I throw random ideas at them? I wonder what my face looks like right now? Could I learn to watch for this face? I wonder how many seconds it took me to move through disbelief to incredulity to curious? I should take a pause when presenting new ideas to clients (maybe 20 seconds?) to let them think before I move on.” 

I love helping clients find different customers, different employees, different revenue streams. 

In those moments I get excited. And maybe, just maybe… my big personality coupled with big ideas; while suggesting changes to something they worry about 24/7…. maybe that could feel overwhelming. And we aren’t talking about growing fruit in a bowl here, we are talking about shifting their focus and changing their behaviors to directly impact their bottom line. Big stuff. 

My job is to challenge my clients, to help them fuel growth, and to change their business for the better. I want them to feel supported, empowered, smart, engaged and successful. 

Anything; but overwhelmed. 

Flashes of superhero garb race through my mind. In a booming announcer's voice; “Please welcome to the stage the Overwhelm Dissipater!” Her gown would be light and airy, made from the traditional pińa fibers of the Ananos Comosus; aka Pineapple. Her shoes would look fabulous, while still feeling wonderful for those long days of organizing and implementing action plans. A stiletto, house slipper combo sort of thing. (I wonder; what would be in her utility belt?) But I digress. **

All of my work is about change; and to get different results (I cannot stress this enough), we have to do different things. Things that might initially feel a bit crazy. Things that we have never even considered before. 

Like growing your own pineapple, apparently, it’s a thing. 

Stay tuned! The “Overwhelm Dissipaters” utility belt requires more thought, and maybe a blog post. 

**A special thank you to the great Stan Lee for making me believe anything is possible. (Stilettos that feel like house slippers; for example)