What A Cherry Tree Taught Me About Life
I was eleven and my brother was ten, and we had work to do.
Mr. Hales, who lived half a mile down the road from us, had a massive cherry grove, and he was nice enough to give us our very own tree. We could pick all we wanted, use his roadside property to set up a stand, and borrow an old cash register to stash our revenue.
We made $300 that summer, which to us at the time was a fortune.
All of this “early success” in our lives didn’t come without obstacles and subsequent life lessons—which I’m sure is true of all success stories.
Overcome Fear
It’s hilarious to look back on now, but it took guts for us to ask Mr. Hales, an elderly neighbor we barely knew, if we could sell cherries from his grove and then keep all the money for ourselves.
Something’s telling me this wouldn’t fly now that we’re adults, but there’s a lesson to be learned here…
You must be fearless in your pursuits.
My brother and I were far more audacious and fearless than your average kids—to an extreme degree, actually. We were the kids who once went door-to-door in our neighborhood selling the change we found between our couch cushions for more than it was worth.
*Knock, knock.*
“Hey, you wanna buy some money?”
“How much for a nickel?”
“Five dollars!”
The idea is not to be as ridiculous as we were, but to be as fearless as we were. As I’ve grown older, it’s become harder.
A personal mentor I look up to once said:
If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
That has stuck with me over the years. Whether you’re considering approaching someone with a crazy new idea, asking for a promotion, or trying to make a sale, your lack of fear will determine the size of your opportunity pool.
Have A Work Ethic
This one’s obvious. Somebody’s gotta pick those cherries, and it ain’t gonna be Mr. Hales.
He gladly provided the ladders, but we each had to bring our own pair of climbing legs and ten grubby, greedy little fingers.
Take Breaks Once In A While
It was hot outside, it was hard work, and those cherries were ripe, red, and delicious. Taking a “cherry break” once in a while was not unheard of, and it kept us going.
I’m just gonna go ahead and say what everyone is quietly thinking:
Elon, you gotta take a break once in a while. You, too, Steve.
Breaks are healthy, and they preserve your brilliance and your drive.
Be Patient
For two kids without any harvesting experience, it took a long time to pick $300 worth of cherries, but we kept at it.
When, for hours, cars weren’t stopping to purchase the fruits of our labors, it was discouraging, but we didn’t quit.
If we gave up early, we would have made a lot less money, and we’d have been much less proud of our efforts. It would have felt like a waste of time from the beginning.
Whether your current venture works out or not, it’s better to waste time trying than to waste time giving up.
Collaborate
In life, we have to learn to work well with other people, because we’re in a world full of them. Every meaningful interaction we have, every business we start, every worthwhile goal we strive for will require the willing cooperation of others. We can make each person we meet an obstacle or a resource, a friend or a foe.
Mr. Hales was obviously a good friend and a crucial resource. He gave two off-track boys a life-changing experience and plenty of extra candy money.
The problem came in the form of those two boys’ inability to get along.
I forget what it was about, but something I said during our argument made my younger brother so mad, he accidentally fell out of the cherry tree and broke his arm.
Mr. Hales called our dad, Dad picked us up, my brother got a new cast on his arm, and that was the end of our cherry picking escapade. One argument ended it all.
We often disagree with those we work with, but we have to do our best not to let our actions and reactions get in the way, because it will sabotage us.
Learn to collaborate!
Conclusion
Thus ends my tale. Now no one you know needs to break an arm for you to learn a few life lessons that, if heeded, will take you far.
