This isn’t going as planned.
You were supposed to get an explanation of how a piece of popular advice always ends in modest results and leaves you unsatisfied, like a shitty light beer.
To appear clever, I tried to take the popular phrase and update it.
But as I struggled with the task, I realized:
- I’m not that clever
- I’m absolute shit at yard work, and can only grow a decent vegetable garden because I live in the easiest place in the world to grow food.
So, you’ll get this version.
The one where I state the expression before giving you a slightly less popular (yet widely known) variant. Then, I’ll explain why they both lack the most important piece while awkwardly cobbling together a new version of the common analogy.
Here we go.
The classic version: the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Then, the clever update: the grass is greener where you water it.
Now, the updated version which may not work for the actual analogy, but holds the final piece of the puzzle:
It doesn’t matter how green the grass is if it’s full of weeds.
You have limited energy and focus so the answer can’t always be more work. You also need to pull the weeds!
Find the things making your life or goal more difficult and remove them.
What is making you unhappy? What is making it more difficult?
Right now, tell me the excuse (you can use the word ‘reason’ if you’d like) for why you are struggling to ________ (lose weight, eat better, spend less time on your phone).
Stop thinking about what you need to do. Instead, think of what you need to stop doing. What can you yank out?
Get down by the base, get some soil under your nails, and give it a tug! Then reward yourself with a thick and chewy beer while you watch your lawn flourish.
And if that doesn’t work, uproot the whole thing and install drought resistant landscaping complete with a rock river and unattractive, yet low maintenance desert foliage.
Be great,
Danny Lehr