The Gardener Principles Behind Lasting Success
William Wood remembers the exact night everything fell apart: eleven p.m. in a Phoenix grocery store, running a fourth credit card through the reader while his wife and three young kids waited at home with empty cupboards. In this episode he walks through what that low point taught him, and the five gardener principles he’s used since to rebuild his finances, his health, and his relationships, principles he says he didn’t invent but has proven again and again by living them. Here’s the episode.
The Night My Credit Cards Were Declined
I didn’t have the money to spend. It was eleven p.m., a warm night in Phoenix, Arizona, and I was standing at the checkout machine in the local grocery store. My three young babies and their nursing mother, my wife, needed food, and they were depending on me to figure things out. Our cupboards were empty. Hot blood rushed to my face, and a heavy, sinking pit filled my stomach, because my third credit card now showed the same terrible word. I was running my fourth card through the reader, praying silently and somewhat desperately that there were a few dollars left, that my family could eat the next day. I don’t know what felt worse, the humiliation or the desperation.
At that moment, I knew that four of the people I loved most in the world were depending on me completely. I didn’t know what to do. Do you know what it feels like to be totally desperate and completely ready to change? I do. That was a low point on my journey to success, and it was also the moment that changed my life forever. In that critical moment, I made a silent vow: I will do whatever it takes to change this situation. It took months to start turning it around, but turn it around I did, with a lot of help from people who loved me enough to lend a hand and teach me lessons that still influence my choices today.
I’ve used these principles to turn a financial disaster into routinely earning two hundred to four hundred dollars an hour for my services, and making as much as twenty-five thousand dollars in a single month. I’ve used them to turn my health around, to save relationships that were doomed for failure, and in 2015 alone, to set and achieve more than forty goals. I’ve taught these principles to thousands of people around the world, one on one in coaching sessions, in seminars and workshops, at businesses, private institutes, and universities throughout North and South America.
These results didn’t happen by accident. Every time things have fallen apart in my life, I’ve ignored the principles I’m about to teach you. Every time I’ve prospered, it’s been in direct relationship to those same principles. I don’t claim that I created them, or that I’ve arrived at some mystical destination of success. I’m still a work in progress, growing daily, but the changes I’ve experienced applying these principles are profound enough that I feel a responsibility to share them. Consider me a friend sharing my most treasured possession: ancient truths, hidden gems, weathered principles that have deeply changed me and are still actively improving my life as I apply them.
Five Gardener Principles That Changed Everything
To help you remember each one, I relate it to cultivating a garden, because in the end, each of us harvests a crop in proportion to the seed we’ve planted and carefully cultivated. Here are the five principles that changed everything for me.
- You are the gardener, and you choose the shape and size of the garden. As the gardener, you are responsible for creating your garden, period. No one else is responsible for your success, and no one else is to blame for your failure. You choose the seed you plant, and you’re responsible for nurturing it in a way that maximizes your chances of the harvest you actually want, including how you handle the setbacks that come your way, and we all experience setbacks. That means you must choose wisely, because the decisions you make in the spring affect your harvest.
- You create your garden three times before you harvest your results. Every creation goes through three phases. First, you create with your mind, through the power of vision and the care of planning. Next, you create with your words, as you speak your vision and plans to others. Finally, you create with your actions: planting in the spring, tending in the summer, and harvesting in the fall.
- If you want to improve your next harvest, you must prepare your field today. The success of your seed depends on the state of your soil. Good soil yields a good harvest, and you’re not stuck with bad soil. Even if the field of your mind and life is full of rocks, sticks, debris, and has few nutrients today, you can change that. A good gardener prepares the soil and chooses the plot carefully before the first seed is ever planted. Once the location is chosen, rocks and debris are removed, the ground is tilled, fertilizer is added. Every action you take before you plant affects the yield of your crop.
- Once you plant your field, you need to protect your seed. Protecting the seed means nurturing and caring for your field. A field left without water withers. Before your seed develops strength, weed seeds can sap the strength of your harvest, and your goals and dreams can die the same way without proper nurturing and protection.
- You must do one thing if you want to succeed: focus. Focus is the principle that causes people to rise to greatness or remain in mediocrity. The gardener must focus during the preparation of the field, during the planting of the seed, and during the harvesting of the crop. Sunlight alone warms the skin. Sunshine focused through the lens of a magnifying glass starts a raging fire. A lack of focus at a critical moment can steal your dream and leave you with nothing in your hands.
Stuck in the Sand: What a Mentor Actually Does
My tires sank deeply into the sand. I was stuck. I had just returned from international travel teaching these life principles, and I had one day of total freedom before heading back to my office. I had a day planned at Bear Lake, sometimes known as the Caribbean of the Rockies, because the beach has gorgeous, natural gray sand set against the deepest blue water and a backdrop of towering mountains. The sun beamed overhead, hardly a cloud in the sky, warm enough to enjoy the water. We thought we could brave the gray sand and get closer to our destination, so we pulled the car out onto it, and our tires immediately started to sink. We put the car in reverse. The tires spun, and the car sank straight down until it came to a stop, high-centered on the sand.
We spent hours trying to get unstuck, in a hundred-degree heat, paradise in plain sight while we toiled in sweat. We used a beach shovel to dig the tires free. We put rocks under them. No movement. Finally, an angel disguised as a woman in a red four-by-four Ford SUV came to our rescue. I gladly dug out the rear axle of my car, climbed underneath, and secured the tow strap so she could ease on her gas pedal and pull us free. With a small tug from her powerful four-by-four, and the added power of my own engine in reverse, the car leapt free from the rocky sand back to the safety of the road. We were free. What we couldn’t do after hours of dehydrating, overheated effort was easily resolved the moment the right tools came along. Yes, we still had to work, but we were free.
There’s an easy way and a hard way to do things. The hard way to get your car out of the sand when you’re high-centered is to dig it out with a small beach shovel. The easy way is to find someone with a tow strap and a four-by-four to pull you out. That’s exactly what a mentor can do for you. A mentor won’t dig out your axle or crawl under your car to secure the tow strap, that’s your job, your work. A mentor will provide you with the tools and the training that acts like a powerful four-by-four engine that can get you unstuck and put you back on the road to freedom.
Full episode transcript
Lightly edited from the original recording — fillers removed, nothing added. Income disclaimer.
To truly give you the gift of freedom as you walk along the path of each Daily Shortcut episode, you'll discover that it's the people who you mastermind with that give you the power to transform your business. You'll take off in your business when you decide to slow down time and connect with other great mentors. When you decide, today decide to embrace fully the transformational information from one of my mentors. As we open a new door to a vehicle, you can step inside and smile, taking one step and then the other. As we open a new door to a vehicle, as you walk on a stage so we can celebrate you, pay attention to William Wood in this special episode as he shines a light on the power you have inside so you can immerse yourself.
The principles of success lift your hands in the air and be free. Hi, my name is William Wood, creator of the Max Performance Master Course. I help entrepreneurs take their personal and professional performance to the next level to help them reach their goals and live their dream lifestyle. If you like what you hear today, take a minute to leave a comment below this post. This will enter you into a contest to win a book.
This is a book that has changed my life, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. I believe this book has the power to change your life too. All you need to do to win your free copy of the book is to post a meaningful comment below immediately after you see this post. Me and my team will select two people who leave the best comments and we'll ship the winners a free copy of the book. If you're chosen, we will ship the book directly to your home or business at no cost to you.
I didn't have the money to spend. It was 11 p.m. A warm night in Phoenix, Arizona, and I was standing at the checkout machine in the local grocery store. My three young babies and their nursing mother, my wife, needed food and they were depending on me to figure things out. Our cupboards were empty.
Hot blood rushed to my face. And a heavy sinking pit filled my stomach because my third credit card now showed the same terrible word. I was now running my fourth card through the card reader, praying silently and somewhat desperately that there were a few dollars left and that my family could eat the next day. I don't know what felt worse, the humiliation or the desperation. At that moment, I knew that four of the people I loved most in the world were dead.
I didn't know what to do. Do you know what it feels like to be totally desperate and completely ready to change? I do. That was a low point for me on my journey to success. And it was also a moment that changed my life forever.
In that critical moment, I made a silent vow. I will do whatever it takes to change. This situation. It took months to start to turn that situation around. But turn it around I did with a lot of help from people who loved me enough to lend a helping hand and to teach me crucial life lessons that still influence my choices today.
I have used these principles to turn around a financial disaster. I have also used these principles to turn my health around. To save relationships that were doomed for failure and in 2015 alone to set and achieve more than 40 goals. I have taught these principles to thousands of people around the world. One on one in coaching sessions, in seminars and workshops, at businesses, private institutes, And universities, universities throughout North and South America.
I have seen incredible transformations as people learn to create incredible success and transform their minds, bodies, finances, and relationships. These results did not happen by accident. Every time things have fallen apart, I have ignored the principles that I am going to teach you in this article today. Every time I have prospered, I have prospered in direct relationship to the principles that I will outline for you as well. I sincerely believe that the truths and principles I am going to share with you will help you change your life and create the results that you want and to live the life that you were destined to live.
Now, I don't claim that I created these principles or that I have arrived at some mystical destination of success. I'm saying that I have prospered in direct relationship to the principles that I will outline for you as well. I sincerely believe that the truths and principles I am going to teach you in this article today are still a work in progress, growing daily, and yet the changes I have experienced as I apply these principles are so profound that I feel a deep responsibility to share them. Consider me a friend who is sharing my most treasured possession, ancient principles, hidden gems, weathered truths that have deeply changed me and are still actively improving my life as I apply them. While you listen today, imagine that we are sitting down in my office, having a conversation, talking about the things that matter most.
Here are five principles that changed everything for me. While I will be covering each of these principles in greater depth with stories, illustrations, and activities later on, I wanted to give you the big picture first so that you can easily follow along and begin to apply the principles right now. To help you remember each principle, I have to relate it to cultivating a garden. Because in the end, each of us will harvest a crop in proportion to the seed we have planted and carefully cultivated. Principle 1.
You are the gardener. As the gardener, you are responsible for creating your garden. Period. No one else is responsible for your success and no one else is to blame for your failure. You choose the seed you plant.
Principle 2. You choose the shape and size of the garden. Period. You are responsible for nurturing the seeds in a way that maximizes your chances of having the kind of harvest that you actually want. You are responsible for how you handle the setbacks that come your way.
And we all experience setbacks. That means you must choose wisely. Because the decisions you make in the spring affect your harvest. Principle 2. You create your garden three times before you harvest your results.
Every creation goes through three phases of creation. First, you create with your mind, through the power of vision and the care of planning. Next, you create with your words, as you speak your vision and plans to others. Finally, you create with your actions, taking the inspired actions of planting in the spring, tending in the summer, and harvesting in the fall. Principle 3.
If you want to improve your next harvest, you must prepare your field today. The success of your seed depends on the state of your soil. Good soil yields a good harvest. You are not stuck with bad soil. Even if the field of your mind and life is full of rocks and sticks and debris and has few nutrients today, you can change that.
A good gardener prepares the soil and chooses the location of the garden plot of land carefully before the first seed is ever planted. Once the location is chosen, rocks and debris are removed, the ground is tilled, fertilizer added. Every action taken before you plant affects the yield of your crop. Every action you take today prepares you to step into your success as you harvest a life of your dreams and goals. Principle four.
Once you plant your field, you need to protect your seed. Protecting the seed means nurturing, and caring for your field. A field left without water withers. Before your seed develops strength, weed seeds can sap the strength of your harvest. Your goals and dreams can die without proper nurturing and protection.
Principle five. You must do one thing if you want to succeed. Focus. Focus is the principle that causes people to rise to greatness or remain in mediocrity. The gardener must focus during the preparation of the field, during the planting of the seed, during the harvesting of the crop.
You can create all the success that you want, but in order to turn a situation around, you must marshal your concentration and focus your energy. Sunlight, alone, warms the skin. Sunshine focused through the lens of a magnifying glass starts a raging fire. Your lack of focus at a critical moment can steal your dream and leave you with nothing in your pockets. Nothing in your hands.
My tires sunk deeply into the sand. I was stuck. Recently returned from international travel to teach these incredible life principles. I had one day of total freedom before I returned to my office to teach and uplift and inspire others. I had a day planned at Bear Lake, sometimes known as the Caribbean of the Rockies, because the lake beach has gorgeous natural gray sand with the deepest blue water set against a backdrop of towering mountains.
Gorgeous. The sun beamed overhead. It was a perfect day for the lake. Hardly a cloud in the sky, and warm enough to enjoy the refreshing water. As we approached the beach with our car, we thought we could brave the gray sand and get closer to our desired destination.
We pulled out onto the sand, and our tires immediately started to sink deep into the sand. We quickly put the car in reverse. The tires spun, and the car sank straight down as we came to an immediate... stop. Our car was now high-centered on the sand.
We spent hours trying to get unstuck in 100-degree weather. Paradise in plain sight while we toiled in sweat. We used a beach shovel to dig the tires free. We put rocks under the tires. No movement.
Finally an angel disguised as a glorious woman in a red 4 by 4 Ford SUV came to our rescue. I gladly used my shovel to dig out the rear axle of my car and climbed underneath to secure the tow strap so that she could ease on her gas pedal and pull us free. Toe strapped now in place, she carefully feathered her gas pedal as I put my car in reverse and revved my engine. With a small tug from her powerful 4x4 and the added power of the gas, the car was back in perfect form. I pulled back the trailer and picked up the forehand.
It was a long and fast way. I took the car out and rolled into the power of my engine. My effort, our car instantly leapt free from the rocky sand to the safety of the road. We were free. We were free.
What we could not do after hours of dehydrating and overheated effort easily resolved when the right tools came along. Yes, we had to work, but we were free. We were free. There is an easy way and a hard way to do things. The hard way to get your car out of the sand when you are high centered is to dig it out with a small beach shovel.
The easy way is to find someone with a tow strap and a four by four to pull you out. That is exactly what a mentor can do for you. A mentor will not dig out your axle or get under your car to secure the tow strap. That is your job, your work. A mentor will provide you with the tools and the training that acts like a powerful four by four engine that can get you unstuck and put you back on the road to freedom.
So if you want freedom and you are ready to get out of the sand and back onto the road, we are here with a four by four and a tow strap in hand. Are you ready to dig out your car and go to work? If you are, make sure you take the shortcut to freedom by strolling to the bottom of this page and entering your name and best email address. It will change your life. Here's what will happen next.
After you stroll to the bottom of this page and enter your name and best email address, you will be subscribed to the daily shortcut. In a way, getting your own out of the sand by daily motivating and inspiring you as you get back on the road of freedom and prosperity. Most days you'll be hearing from one of my financial freedom mentors, David Wood. About once a week, you'll hear from me. When you enter your name and email address, as a bonus, you're going to get a free PDF of today's message that you can print.
Reading this message can be a powerful way to reinforce these success principles deep down into your life. So if you're interested in learning more about how to get out of the sand by daily motivating and encouraging you, you can download the free audio download of today's message, which you can listen to again and again to absorb these ideas into your unconscious. Now you'll become more powerful on your path to freedom because you're reinforcing the principles that will create the success, freedom, and lifestyle that you really want. So enter your name and your best email address below, and I look forward to seeing you on the inside. To the real shortcut to your freedom.
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