Plant Roses Anyway

Hey team. All right, so here we are again for another workshop. I wanted to share with you this quote I saw this morning, and it kind of stuck with me. It’s kind of a mindset I have, but it’s something good to remember. I guess maybe I’m talking to myself today because I have moments in my life—believe it or not—when I get down.

I don’t know about you. Maybe I’m the only person. I don’t know. But I get down. Going through life sometimes is hard. But this quote—I want you to hear this:

This hurts, and yet I grow.
This is unfair, and yet I adapt.
Life gave you thorns. Plant roses anyway.

Think about that. Let’s unpack it.

Does life sometimes hurt? Yeah. Do people hurt you? Yes. But you grow through that. And if you grow smartly, then you stay humble, you stay generous, you stay loving, you stay kind. You don’t become bitter. You don’t become jealous, you grow. And you can do that even through hard times. Plant roses anyway.

Is life sometimes unfair? People around you taking advantage of you, other things going on around you—the government, inflation, the unmeasurable number of things that feel unfair. And yet we adapt. We handle the pressure. We go through the crucible. And we focus. We continue to march ahead through the muck and through the mire, and we accomplish things. Plant roses anyway.

Sometimes we feel like, “Hey man, all I’ve got is thorns.” Karen and I, when we bought this house that we live in today—almost 18 years ago—we had like 50 rose bushes, and there were thorns everywhere. But there were a lot of beautiful flowers also. So plant anyway. Do what needs to be done for your sake. Take care of you. Don’t get bitter. Plant roses anyway.

Don’t stop planting. Focus on the things that are going to make you grow.

Don’t become bitter and upset because you think life is against you and you can’t achieve more than you have today—because you can. I see it every day. I’m seeing team members, and sometimes it starts with simple things like reading a book.

I love Sonja because Sonja has adopted the model that we’ve been talking about for years, and she has been implementing and enforcing in a loving way—because Sonia is a big lover and she loves people. She is lovingly enforcing team members to read a book about leadership and things that are going to enhance and grow them.

Those of you that have had Sonja force this on you—I think what I’ve seen is you grow. I’ve seen nothing but blessing happen in your lives. I’ve seen you become smarter, more enhanced, more understanding, and able to handle more pressure because of your ability to learn and adapt to what’s happening in your life.

So, things that you probably were having a hard time wrapping your arms and mind around—it’s tough sometimes.

I just recently went to a conference and I heard Dave Ramsey. He said this quote. He was talking with—I think it was Jim Collins or something—and another great book. You should read Jim Collins. He’s got two or three books out there that are fabulous. Good to Great is one of them. How the Mighty Fall—another great book. Anyway, Jim Collins and him, I think, were talking, and Dave Ramsey said something that hit me really hard:

“The Dave Ramsey who started this business would never be able to run the business today.”

What he meant was that the young man—Dave Ramsey 30 years ago—would not be able to handle everything that’s going on in Dave Ramsey’s business today, in 2025, because he had to grow into who he is today.

That hit me because I think back to 25 years ago. Karen and I started this business. There were a lot of hard times and difficult things. But we were small. We were able to do the things we did because of who we were and how small the company was. We could pivot, do everything, sacrifice everything.

Today, I can’t do those things like I did then. I can’t have that same mindset.

I can’t have that same naive understanding of life. The company’s way too big. I need the people around me. I need the almost 30 years of experience and mistakes I made to get me to where I am today.

So, the young man who had hair back then—it’s kind of funny—the young man who was super naive and didn’t know what he didn’t know could not run this business today. That young man in his late 20s, early 30s, could not do what I’m doing today.

And that’s refreshing—because I have grown. Because I have adapted. Because I continue to plant roses in myself, in the world, in the community, and in the lives of those who matter to me, including you.

One of the reasons I sit here every morning and think about quotes and different things in life that bring back memories for me—and I do these videos on Monday and Wednesday—is because I want to invest and plant roses in your lives so you can grow, so you can adapt, so you can have success. I want those things for you.

I want you to realize that when it hurts, when there’s a little pain, I want you to remember two important things.

One, you can take this. You can handle this. You can do this. We have faith in you. You can get there. We believe in you. So believe in yourself.

And number two, you don’t always have to do it alone. We’re here for you.

No matter what you’re going through, Karen and I, the leadership team—we’re here for you, even in some of your troubled situations that aren’t work-related. That’s why we do Smart Dollar. That’s one of the reasons we do so many different things. We’ve invested in the chaplain and so many other ways to help you be a whole person and bring your whole self to work.

We know that outside life—complications, kids, marriage, all these things—I was talking in a group that I meet with on Thursdays. It’s a group of men who are either business owners, retired business owners, or high-influence people who are just amazing. They speak into my life and help me grow. It’s awesome.

I was speaking and I made the comment, “I read two or three, sometimes four books every year on the concept of marriage—not because I have a really bad marriage or anything, but because I don’t want one.”

A few weeks later, a friend in that group said, “Chad, that thing you said hit me. If I want to have a great marriage and keep having a great marriage, I want to apply those things in my life.”

The same is true with leadership.

I read half a dozen or more books every year just on leadership and other things that are important to me to grow.

I am now reading books on parenting—because guess what? I’m a parent. I was just talking to Jonathan the other day. In four years, he’s going to be able to drive. It’s exciting for him. Scary for his dad. Kind of remorseful for his mom because her firstborn baby little boy is going to be a man soon.

The idea that we’re that close—and he’s going to be in sixth grade next year—what?

It brings back a lot of emotion. But it’s growth, and I want it. So I read books on that. I read books on being a good dad. Yeah, I do those things.

I want to plant roses in your life.

I want you to read. And I want you to expand your mind and grow in the areas of your life that you need. Physically, spiritually, mentally, socially. I want you to plan roses in your life. I want you to have a solid, well-rounded life so you don’t lose your hair like me.

All right. Actually, bald is beautiful. You should all just shave your head to be like me—because who wouldn’t want to have a whole company full of bald people?

All right, just kidding. Don’t do that.

God bless you guys. Have an absolutely wonderful week and I will talk to you next week.

And if you haven’t heard—we have a couple of barbecues coming up: July 9th and July 16th. Make sure you’ve marked them on your calendar. Pay attention to your emails. Recognize the dates, recognize the times. Recognize the locations. And come and have a burger.

God bless. I’ll see you next week.