I’m amazed at how many inquiries I get about my truck so I thought I’d send out an update. Here’s a photo of the dashboard last week.

We’re over 253,081 now, on my way to 300K. I’m not sure I’m going to get there but I am trying. I might be giving this truck to a family member as we need to buy another car and Dad might get a new one; I’m just not sure yet. I really don’t want to give this one up yet.

I have kept the truck for two reasons: it’s been very dependable and business hasn’t been that good in the last couple of years. Oh, we’re making it but when I’m yelling at all my people to save money and cut back, I just didn’t feel comfortable pulling up in a new truck. I think it sends a bad message. The lesson being—people see better than they hear. They learn from what you do, not from what you say.

What do you do to influence others? If your organization is not doing what you feel it should be doing, there’s only one person to blame and that’s YOU! And until you accept responsibility for that, you’re never going to improve.

It might be time to get a new truck. Ten years is a long time to have a truck. There is a smaller one out there that gets better mileage and won’t break down on some of the trips I take to speak and work with other entrepreneurs. (Also, I feel good about putting another new driver in a big, slow SUV that is safe!) Maybe in some small way I have done the right thing and helped others at my company understand that I am trying to help out and maybe some of you who follow me via this Great Idea learned something too!

Please share your thoughts below on what you have done or are doing to get your people to see—not hear—what’s important.

School is about to start and many of you who follow me here either have children or grandchildren. My great idea this week is to take an afternoon off before they go back to school and do something with them. Walt Peter has been on our team at Grunder Landscaping for 20 years; I watched his kids grow up. And I watched as every August he took a day off to be with his two sons, Adam and Aaron. That always impressed me. So, to Walt, thanks for the idea.

It doesn’t have to be much. It can be an afternoon at the pool, some time at the arcade, a canoe trip, a baseball game, or even just shopping. The point is, do something; you’ll be glad you did and so will your loved ones.

The first 5 people who send me a photo of their afternoon with their loved ones will get an autographed copy of my book! Offer expires August 31, so go do something with the kids/grandkids!

You can still come to Grunder Landscaping this fall. Because of the demand, we’ve added another Grunder Field Trip in October. The last 2011 Field Trip will be October 20-21. Sign up today!

Here’s Lily with a little bluegill she caught in a pond in Northern Indiana with her cousin Peter helping out.

Way to go, Lily.

And here’s Grant with his Uncle Andy, (I’m taking the photo) off the coast of Hutchinson Island in Florida with a little “sea catfish” or something like that.

Isn’t it time you spent some time with your family? Recently my wife and I went to see one of our favorite country singers, Trace Adkins. We were celebrating 18 years of marriage! It was a nice evening. I really like Trace’s music.

A few years ago I read a story about the landscaper that did the work at his home in Tennessee and how he worked with them on the job. What a neat experience. (Hey, Trace, if you’re reading this, my trucks have wheels and we can be in Nashville in 5 hours.) Adkins has a song out called “Just Fishin’.” It really made me think about the things we do with our families. It’s not about the act; it’s about the time.

So, this week, watch this video (stick with it awhile, there are some advertisements at the start; it’s worth watching) and see if it helps you put your priorities in order and realize as I have that “it’s not about how much money you spend on them, it’s about how much time you spend with them!”

(By the way, I watch this video about once a week to snap me into reality, so please don’t think I’m perfect…..Lisa will tell you I’m not!)

I am horrible at golf. Fifteen years ago, I was okay. But because golf takes a lot of time and practice to play well (at least for me it does), I gave it up. Don’t feel sorry for me; I have a lot of other hobbies and in the next few years as my kids get older and I need something to do, I might pick it back up. I’m not very good at golf because I don’t play. When I start playing, I’ll get good at golf again.

Life is the same way. If you want to get better at selling, you have to practice. If you want to get better at professional speaking, you have to speak. If you want to improve the relationship you have with your family, you have to spend time with them working on that relationship.

You can’t be frustrated that you aren’t good at something if you aren’t working at it, trying to improve. I promise you, in just about anything in life, if you spend some time on it, work on it, get involved with it, you will improve. The lesson this week is: You can’t be good at things you don’t do often.

The 10 Mistakes Most Landscapers Make & How to Avoid Them webinar is Tuesday. Don’t forget to sign up!