How the comic legend and successful businessman makes decisions

This is about a wise decision-making tactic used by Kevin Hart. His one simple question allows me to evaluate the choices I make. Hart’s easy process has changed my life and it may transform yours too.

In Hart’s 2017 biographical memoir audiobook titled “I Can’t Make This Up — Life Lessons”, he provides listeners with a hilarious and heartfelt journey about survival, success and the importance in believing in self. We are granted an intimate invitation to enter into Kevin’s world starting from his humble days of stand up comedy to becoming one of today’s most successful businessmen in Hollywood.

According to WealthyGorilla.com:

As of 2020, Kevin Hart’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $200 million.
Kevin Hart is currently one of the richest comedians in the world, alongside the likes of Steve Harvey, Jerry Seinfeld, and Larry David.

How did Hart achieve this success?

It’s quite simple. When a decision needs to be made, Hart asks himself the following three words — Weed or Seed? Or if you prefer the extended version — Is it a weed or is it a seed?

Dictionary.com describes weeds as:

any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted.

Weeds are a real nuisance. They choke, entangle, and steal. They hinder fruit from maturing. While weeds may not necessarily stop growth, they can slow it down to the point that fruit never gets the chance to ripen.

Weeds are symbolic and provide a warning to our lives. Every one of us is a Gardener. And we have a choice of whether we will pursue personal growth diligently. For each of us only have a designated amount of time on this earth and we need to make the most of it. For example, how are we going to tend to our gardens if our entire lives are spent binge-watching television from bed? When we get hungry and desire to pick a red, ripe, juicy tomato, there’ll be no trace of a garden, only a patch overrun with weeds.

Let’s talk about seeds. Merriam-Webster characterizes seeds as the ability to:

furnish with something that causes or stimulates growth or development

Countless quotes and metaphors exist about the outcome of planting seeds. If we choose to cultivate, sow fertile seeds and tend to our land (this being the mind, body, and soul) daily, in time we will receive the reward of biting into the delicious tomato. We cannot reap the fruits of harvest without first planting the seeds.

We not only cultivate a relationship with self; humans are called to be in contact with one another through sowing seeds. Hart speaks to the importance of relationship-building through planting seeds in his audiobook:

“Though people say to live in the moment, each moment leads to other moments. So treat each moment like a seed, and care for it so that something beautiful can grow from it. That Ray kid you joked around with when he was just starting out may become a studio head ten years later, and will remember that you noticed him and treated him special.”

If we choose to plant our seeds early and treat others with consistent dignity and respect, the memory of those interactions will long be remembered. Nurtured relationships can grow year after year. Hart describes this situation after he gained industry success:

”Suddenly, the people who didn’t want to meet with me after Soul Plane and The Big House wanted to have lunch; the seeds I’d planted over the years grew into offers; and the people who’d rejected me forgot they’d ever turned me down.”

It’s been two years since I listened to Hart’s audiobook. The choice between Weed or Seed continues to live at the forefront of my mind. Hart’s mantra is a part of my daily Google calendar between 9–10 PM EST. A notification pops up on my iPhone fifteen minutes prior and I receive his daily method to meditate on.

When life poses a dilemma, I ask myself — Weed or Seed? Here are three recent examples.

1. A girlfriend asked me to drink with her on Saturday night although I have a family obligation the next day. Weed or Seed? Weed. Alcohol is a depressant and I despise hangovers. As an alternative, I invite my friend to brunch.
2. Neiman Marcus has a sale on blazers, I find the perfect fit in 2020’s Pantone color of the year — Classic Blue. The blazer costs $495. My overdue tax bill costs $545. Weed or Seed? Weed. The taxman cometh!
3. My Director asked me to pitch in a few extra hours to ensure a new initiative launches with success. Weed or Seed? Seed. I want to show him how much I care and wish to further cultivate our working relationship.

Three little words helped transform Kevin Hart from humble origins into the massive powerhouse he is today. In using his simple, yet wise decision-making tactic of determining between Weed or Seed, we can make informed, positive choices with the potential of developing seedlings into mature forests.

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