29 of 100 You May Be a Weed

I heard someone speak the other day about St. Augustine grass. Here in Miami and much of the South, it's what covers just about everyone's lawns. It does really well in hot weather and grows well to keeps out the weeds. It is good when a patch goes bad for whatever reason. It will start growing runners into the empty space and before you know it, the area is covered with nice green grass.

What I didn't know was that St. Augustine was considered a weed. Because of it's qualities, it was cultivated from being a weed that people wanted to get rid of to what it is today.

It's interesting how things in people that are not desirable can become strengths. I'm a creative type and one that doesn't follow the rules just for the sake of following the rules. Being a software engineer, it serves me well. It's enabled me to become a skilled, technical problem solver.

I will also tell you that being that creative, color outside the lines type doesn't fare well in corporate America. While in corporate America for over 20 years, I had my share of run ins with the establishment that got me into trouble. Sometimes the people I worked for preferred that you followed the rules exactly as they were written above all else.

Now that I run my own business and I make the rules, this serves me extremely well. It allows me to try the best approach possible, to question what we've done in the past and gets me constantly thinking of better ways of doing things. The entrepreneurial, creative streak that was a threat to others before works really well for me now.

Note to self: Your weed-like qualities may be a strength that will drive your success.