I hope you’ve taken time to think about and put into
action at least one thing that’s in your control to move ahead in your
life. If you’ve been “doing your
homework” you have a clearer understanding of your “soil” which is the basis of
all you’re doing in your life. If you
need more “nutrients” have you identified specifically what you need to
add, and at the same time have you identified the toxic “weeds” in your life? Some you can pull out, some you will have to
stay away from as much as possible, and some you will have to learn to work
around. As you know, weeds are
everywhere and even those we think we have gotten rid of may appear once
again. That’s just life. What’s in your control is to know what you’re
going to do so YOU are NOT changing your goals, your focus, your desires
because of the negativity you may face.
Each day is a day to learn, grow, and move forward. Seeds are planted and depending on many
factors the gestation time will vary. As
I mentioned previously, timing is variable, and each of us has our own
“clock.” Numerous variables play a role in
that timing including: our past, our parents, role models or lack thereof, age,
maturity level, where we are in our careers, being a spouse/partner, a parent,
education, mindset, faith, and the list goes on and on.
Until we have more life experiences to
compare things too, we often don’t know what we don’t know. If I’ve never experienced lack, how will I
ever know abundance? If I’ve never felt
valued how will I ever know what that feeling is like? The contrasts or opposites are what give us a
comparison. If someone doesn’t tell me
about leadership skills and helps me learn to define them, how will I ever know
if I have leadership skills or not? If I
don’t read about people who have successfully learned skills to deal with toxic
people, how will I never know that I too can learn the skills and take control
of my life? If I always feel as though I
have to do things on my own and know everything because I’m a boss, how will I
ever learn the value of a team and the beauty of pulling people together for
the benefit of the overall good? If I’m
always looking behind me with regret, how will I ever know how to live each day and then look forward
with anticipation? If I’ve never
experienced being coached, supported and encouraged, how will I ever be able to
coach, support and encourage my spouse/partner, my children, my friends, my
family members, my colleagues, or my teammates?
Ongoing personal growth and development is part of that
“fertile soil” that’s critical to a “successful harvest.” First and foremost, “put the oxygen mask” on
you first. Then you can be a leader, a
person of influence, a listener, a true rock for yourself and others but not
before you take a look at who you are at your core. I remember an incident in my first couple
years of teaching. I was very excited
about a certain project (specifics escape me right now), I had the best of intentions, but I was pushing for
my idea on three other more experienced teachers on our team. Finally, one of them who had more experience
and was a wonderful teacher said, “Nancy, there are many more ways to get to
our goal than just your way.” OUCH! I was embarrassed; I felt hurt, and yes, a
little angry. But guess what? She was exactly right. Though I felt awful at the time, I realized
several VERY important lessons that I have never forgotten. First, I was
willing to listen and take the learning from this other teacher because she was
someone I admired, skilled in teaching, and I hoped to be like her after
teaching for 10 years versus my three. I respected her as a good role model who walked her talk. Second, there is always a little bit of truth in everything, so I needed
to dig deeper to find that truth. Third,
egos get attached to a specific approach or way of doing things, and that’s not
usually a good thing, so egos must be “left at the door.” Fourth, a team or partnership working
efficiently together will come up with a much better answer than working
solo.
Keep in mind, farmers never “coast.” There is always something that needs to be
tended to, adjusted, modified, and/or eventually changed. There are always new innovations to consider,
inefficient ways to be discarded, and there’s always a time to be open to
enhancing the good and throwing out the old. There’s a constant vigil of paying
attention to details and never settling.
There’s always data to be collecting and quiet time of reflection and
thinking. An attitude of fighting change
is not going to be profitable for the farmer, yet how often do we hear, “I’ve
been doing it this way for 20 years, and there’s no need to change. I don’t need
to look at things in a different way. I
don’t understand technology nor do I care to learn. My way or the highway or
“pulling rank” are also two attitudes that will not improve anyone or
anything. Whether we like it or not,
2015 is a different world, and we have to adjust in order to be profitable and
better at what we’re doing. If that
doesn’t happen, nothing grows; businesses fail, marriages fail, bank accounts
are depleted, health problems increase etc.
If you want your football team to get better, if you want your university to expand and impact more young people’s lives, if you want your
marriage to be stronger or your relationship with your children be life
impacting, if you want to be healthy well into your 80’s and 90’s+, if you want to
grow your faith, if you want to improve your skills in a particular area you must
be willing to LEARN, GROW, and OPEN to new and different ways. Change is a
part of life. Do you fear the new and
different or do you embrace it? After
all, we are in control of our mindset.
As with our farmers, there is also a time of
celebration. Don’t forget to celebrate your
growth and accomplishments. What can you
do for yourself, along the way, to celebrate even those baby steps?
I wish you a week of growth and learning. I wish you time to reflect on how you handle
change.
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