PUSH OR PULL

It is an age old question “is it easier to push something along or pull something along”? I guess the answer lies in what it is you are trying to push or pull. We all have had to do both and have had both positive and negative results.
Think about the words. Both describe an action that is either used on you or by you. If you believe in a cause, it is easier to nudge or push someone in a direction. It is especially easy if that person is not quite decided which option is better. Decisions are often made by someone sharing a little information with another person to help form a more complete decision. This process is evident at a young age when we here the excuse, “Well, Jackie made me do it”. And then the classic answer is, “If Jackie jumped off a bridge would you do it too”? I guess it depends on if there was a soft landing going to happen. Many of us have been pushed into a situation that we didn’t think we were ready for, only to find out that not only were we ready, we excelled in the action! What a great feeling to turn to that person and say thank you, I never would have done this on my own. While it may be a little scary at first, we have an uncanny way of adapting and learning as we go.
The opposite of pushing is pulling. It is sometimes easier to pull something along than to push. Think of trying to get a boulder up a hill. If we are pushing it up, there is a good chance it is going to roll back down over you. Not a good chance to take. We often have the opportunity to pull someone into a group activity by extending a hand or invitation. Having that hand to hold onto feels like a support mechanism to aid us until we feel comfortable on our own. Remember how comforting that hand felt on the back of your bicycle when you were learning to ride? Often times the hand had moved away, but we thought it was there. It was the feeling that we could have help if we needed it.
The floral industry is made up of lots of pushes and pulls. How many times have you told someone how great the service and product are at Florabundance? You want to share that comfort with your fellow florists and either nudge them in this direction or it may be you have to pull them along to visit the great website and help them place their first order for them to see just how great it is! The same is true of floral organizations. Often people are interested but just don’t know how to get involved or are waiting on the outside ready for a simple, “Come join us”. We all remember that feeling at some point in our life where we felt good once we had a friend to pull us into a group. It is time for you to be that friend and share with a friend the great success of fun you have found in the floral industry.
Keeping your positive successes with Florabundance a secret is not helping in their success. Same is true of the professional organizations to which you belong. Next time there is an opportunity to go to a program or meeting, invite a friend to attend with you. Now that person can get involved and bring a friend and the organization keeps getting bigger and better. We all know these are tough times so it is time to pull together and push our way to the common goal of sharing and selling more flowers!