Since 2010 I have been mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges, planting flowers and removing those pesky little weeds. As it turns out, I discovered not only why they do it, but I also discovered some more of the secrets to wealth. Gardening coaches you about time, value, value for money, the time-value of money, people, health, money and wealth! All this from a garden? You bet! Here’s what I learned:

Time: The garden doesn’t do itself. It takes time to plant, grow, water, trim, weed, mow and remove unwanted elements. It is the same for creating wealth. You have to save, cut expenses, work hard and be patient to see the fruits of your results. When you plant a tree, it doesn’t bear fruit the next day – it takes time. Money works the same way.

Value: The process of working your garden means you are adding value to your garden. Effort equals very satisfying results. Every new flower is a treasure. Every little bit of growth can be seen. The opposite is also true: No effort will quickly show you how quickly your garden will get the better of you. In the summer, just try not mowing your lawn for one month. Within a week it will start to look messy. In a few weeks it will become impossible to traverse. It is the same with wealth: If you are adding value to your life by learning more about your money, the quality of your business and the quality of your life will improve. Add value to your garden, and add value to your life!

Value for Money: Any visit to a local garden center will show you that there are literally thousands of things you can buy for your garden: Schrubs, trees, pot plants, flowers, bushes… The list goes on. And on. You have to learn to buy the bare minimum, work with it, tend to it and make it stretch and grow to the maximum. It is the same with your money.

The Time-value of Money: For more than six months I had been looking at an electric hedge-trimmer. I kept on saying “no, no, no” because I had convinced myself that I liked the manual clippers I used, and I didn’t want to incur the extra expense. Today I just said, “I will go buy this hedge-trimmer,” and did. I spent $45 and put the tool to instant use. I was blown away by the results. It used to take me almost a full day to trim all the hedges. With this new $45 electric tool, I completed the whole garden in under 30 minutes, barely broke a sweat, was completely satisfied, and looked for some more things to trim. When I found nothing else that could be trimmed, I mowed the lawn, plucked the weeds and immediately started envisioning other things I could do in the garden! It is the same with your money: Sometimes a small investment in yourself, a tool, a skill, some software, a book, CD, DVD, a quick course or seminar can save you a boatload of time. When you have more time, you can do more things, including dreaming more about your future. Having more time means you can make more money, or dream up ways to improve your life.

People: Before he passed away in 2010, our gardener came in regularly – once a week, on a Thursday. He came in at 8am, did his gardening magic, and left at about 3pm. I was always friendly, thanked him for the good work, and gladly paid him at the end of the month. I always admired what he had done, but not as much as when he was no longer there… Because he came in regularly, he only had to maintain. Because he was an expert, skilled in his trade, he polished off the work in a mere 7 hours. The first few times I tried my hand at it, it took me two full days to do the same work, at not nearly the quality he had so effortlessly achieved. It was not until then that I truly appreciated and valued this man for his skill, his reliability, his consistency, the quality as well as the quantity of his work. But it was too late, I can never thank him to his full praise. I won’t make that mistake again. People add quality to your life. They improve your life by removing what may seem, but often aren’t – simple tasks. Treat all people well. Value them. Praise them. Reward them. Thank them.

Health: Working in the garden satisfies all three components of your health: Mental, because you relax and have time to think. Physical because you get a good work-out, and spiritual, because you see the wonders of creation, and can spend time with your Creator. Working in the garden is very good for your health!

Money: If you have the basic tools to a garden: A pair of hands, a shovel, a spade, a rake, an edge trimmer and a lawn mower, you can do almost anything as good as the next guy. However, if you spend some money and get some extra tools, the job can get done better, and faster. More money means more tools. More tools mean better production. Better production means you either save time, save money, or make more money. Working with money is the same. If you have the basic tools: a mind that is willing to learn and a body that is willing to work, you can manage your money as good as the next guy. When you have earned more money, you can use that to buy better tools, like a computer, spreadsheet software, accounting software or even an accountant or tax consultant to help you better manage your money. More money equals more tools to manage your money – better and faster.

Life: I always find it amazing that no matter how dedicated I am at removing those pesky little weeds – they just keep on coming back. I have to keep removing them, regularly. If I don’t, they grow out of control and overtake my hard work. Do you have problems that keep coming back? Do you have people problems that keep coming back? Do you have problem people that just keep coming back? Do you have financial challenges that keep coming back? You have to, with effort and dedication, make every effort to remove those people, problems or financial challenges from your life. And you have to do it regularly. And you have to repeat. The good news is that once you have removed them all, it is easier to remove the new ones coming in, because they will keep coming. That is life. The other good news is that once you have removed the problems, you can focus with much more clarity and vigor on the results, and the awesome way forward. That is also life!

Wealth: As you have seen in the definition of wealth, wealth is about having more than enough time, quality relationships, good mental, physical and spiritual health, and more than enough money. If you choose to work in your garden (or if you don’t have one, volunteer to work in someone else’s) the garden will coach you about many of the secrets to wealth. I highly recommend it. It works for many millionaires. It works for me. It should be able to work for you too! And the lessons are free! So you see: Your garden can be your wealth coach!