Beware the deception of “Low Hanging Fruit”

By metaphoric definition, low hanging fruit means: that which can be obtained with little or no effort.

Somehow, this phrase is lately being communicated as a positive business strategy.  Yet, there are plenty of other “sayings” that warn of a negative outcome to the no-effort approach:

• If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere
• The path of least resistance is a terrible teacher
• What comes easy won’t last long, and what lasts long won’t come easy.

How have we morphed into primarily seeking opportunity that requires little or no effort, and how do we expect to be successful in the long run by doing this?

The metaphor comes, quite literally, from fruit trees.  They can grow very tall, so the fruit at the bottom is the easiest to reach.  But bugs frequently damage that fruit because it is closer to the ground, and this fruit is less ripe and less sweet because it is furthest from the sun.  Low fruit will nourish and sustain you for a time, but it is sub-par in taste and value.

The sweetest fruit is at the top – closest to the sun.  Fruit pickers start at the top where the best fruit is, and work their way down.  Picking this “high fruit” first allows the sun to get through to the lower branches.  Not picking the high fruit allows it to over-ripen, rot and fall to the ground – lost opportunities…

Low fruit does have its value.   It can provide a “quick start” and can help to clear a path.  But be careful to not let convenience get in the way of true achievement.

Consider this quote:

We are kept from our goal not by obstacles, but by a clear path to a lesser goal. (Robert Brault)