Why?

by Danny Summers

At this time of year, this is an important question - in many ways. I am sure during these extremely busy weeks, such as this one (Mother's Day Week), exhaustion kicks in and you are wondering "Why do I do this?" or "Why do WE do this?"

To maintain a sense of balance during these wild weeks, taking a few minutes each day to take a few deep breaths and remember the "Why" can help.

As I am thinking about the challenge of "Why" in this context it transports me back to Robert Hendrickson's study a few years back titled "Why I Garden." Robert presented the results of a survey asking people who garden to provide him with their reasons why they garden. Robert said, "Over 2500 replies were then consolidated into 30 key categories based on words people used in the surveys. The purpose was to identify customer-centric values that would become the basis of a marketing campaign."

Today, as you may be asking yourself "Why?" let's review just 8 of the 30 key reasons the customers gave in Robert's study.

  1. To unwind and relax/stress reducer
  2. Growing fresh/ healthy food
  3. To be outside with nature
13. It's healthy/exercise
14. Therapy for mind/body
23. To get fresh air and sunshine    
29. To nurture my soul
30. To have something to care for and nurture

So, if you or your staff find yourself asking the "Why" question this week, keep the "Why I Garden" reasons in mind to help you focus on the "Why we do this."

You may also want to revisit a blog message I first shared in May of 2019 titled "Finding Your Balance." It can help you and your staff during the next few weeks. Read it HERE.

And remember, what you provide your community is extremely important and I hope you and your entire staff will keep the "Why" in mind as you serve your customers.

Keep up the great work!

If you want to review all 30 reasons of Robert's study... CLICK HERE