Life Lessons Learned From Our Farmers

Two weeks ago I wished you a week of identifying your strengths and talents and a week of recognizing the importance of running your own race. What are you learning about yourself? Are you running YOUR race or are you finding you're "going along with the crowd" in order to feel accepted?

This week I'd like you to think about your foundation of who you are and what you stand for. In looking at this question. I'd like you to think about what lessons you can learn from our farmers. 

In listening to the news or conversations around me, it seems to be we have many people who are just regurgitating what someone else has said and when asked questions have no answer. We have people who are unaware of their own beliefs and what they stand for. It's more about going along with the crowd. Is that because they have such a desire to be accepted? Is that because they are not willing to hear differing view points? 

In my opinion, we have to work harder in today's times to truly get to the bottom of what is truth yet, if we don't know what we stand for how can we get to our own truth? 

I have been doing a lot of thinking about all the life lessons we can learn from our farmers. Think about it.  Farmers understand the importance of building and establishing a strong, fertile soil for their crops.  That soil is tilled, watered, weeds are not tolerated and are pulled, and there is a regular need to feed the soil with good nutrients.  Their success or failure is based on the attention and care they have given to the soil. This is a never ending process, year after year, not just a onetime event, and they must always be adapting to change.

After preparation of the soil, the next step is to plant the seeds. It looks easy enough, at least to the untrained eye.  First of all, which seeds will be planted on which field and at what time?  Corn grown in Iowa and Illinois, for example, is different than the corn grown in SW Kansas.  Crops need and grow their best in the environment that is the best for that crop, and each crop has its own gestation period.  There are some constants from one area to the next, but many adaptations and adjustments need to be made depending on the circumstances and the environment.  

I will stop here to give my disclaimer.  I am NOT a farmer.  I hear and observe from my daughter-in-law, Michelle, where the farm has been a part of her entire life, and also my son-in-law, Garet, who is an agronomist.  His job, for 10+ years, has been to support farmers to get the most out of their fields and have the highest quality and quantity product to sell. I don’t have all the details nor do I profess to understand some of what they do.  I may not have all the specifics correct, and I may incorrectly use some terms, however, I think I do at least understand the basics.  So, please bear with me as I feel there is a strong message we can take from the lives of our farmers.

Timing.  We all have observed farmers in the fields planting during the spring and harvesting in the fall.  Which part of the month they actually begin and end depends on many factors especially the weather. Of course there is a difference between when the calendar says it’s time to plant and when planting actually occurs.  Sometimes everything’s right on schedule.  And then you have those times when the weather doesn’t cooperate and the planting is delayed.  Frustration, anxiety, stress, and a feeling of not being in control of something so vitally important to one’s livelihood are all a part of a farmer’s life.  Something else is in control, and it isn’t the farmer. 

Think about events in your life. Have you had dreams and goals that didn't happen on the timeline you had planned? What got in the way? Maybe it was money, or you needed to learn more in order to do better on a test, or maybe you hadn't worked out enough to get to the speed that you wanted on the football field or on the basketball court. Maybe someone else got the job you wanted, and you needed to go somewhere else for more experience. That's part of life's journey.

For our farmers despite the setbacks, a crop gets in the ground and a successful farmer will continue on?  Adjustments are made, and they move on.  Successful farmers don’t give up and quit when things get tough.  They go to Plan A, and sometimes to Plan B, C, and D.  They do whatever it takes to get the job done. They are focused on the outcome NOT the immediate challenge. Our farmers do not spend a lot of time blaming or complaining as that doesn't move them forward.

Once the fields are planted then it’s time to move into a new phase. Now is the time to pay attention to the details. It’s a time to be vigilant and focused on what is happening. Fields are regularly checked, adjustments are being made with the amount of water needed, nothing goes unnoticed.

What about you? Are you consistently evaluating where you are in your dreams and goals? Are you making attention to the little details in order to move forward?

Obviously, then the last step of this process for the farmer is the harvest.  The combines are out in the fields late at night gathering in the “fruits” of all the hard work.  Piles of hay are being stacked, grain is being stored in the bins, and products are being shipped. Nobody is “clocking out” after eight hours. There are no cutting corners just to get the job done.  They work until the job is done and done right.  

Even with the harvest complete, the work isn’t yet done.  The fields need to be replenished with nutrients, straw is baled, and planning for the next season will begin soon.  It’s an evaluation time.  Did the type of seed used give the best yield?  Were there insects, weeds etc. that could have mitigated earlier or was the timing accurate?  What are the changes and improvements needed to make next year’s crop even better?  

For this week, I hope you can reflect on your “soil” as this is the basis for all you do and want to do. We all come from different backgrounds, different life situations, different experiences, different memories of growing up etc.  Without any judgment, our experiences are just that – they are ours.  If the goal is to “Be the best YOU, you can be,” then what have you been doing to create that “fertile soil” so your life can support many abundant harvests?  Pick out the good from your background that you want to duplicate not only in your life but in the lives of those around you whether it’s a spouse, a partner, children, grandchildren, friends etc.  

Are you focusing on getting better and improving yourself on a regular basis? Are you reading books, magazines that contribute to learning, growing, and expanding your thinking?  Do you listen to inspiring CD’s, music, lectures, and motivational speakers?  Do you surround yourself with people you love, admire, trust, can laugh with, and who support you?  Do you surround yourself with people you can learn from, people who have experiences that you can learn from, people who are learning and growing themselves, and most of all people who walk their talk day in and day out in every area of their lives?  Are you putting good nutrients into your body (“soil”) so that you can have abundance in your life? What are you doing to contribute to a healthy basis for your life?

As with all successful farmers, they focus on the environment and the soil where they want to plant their seeds. It’s the basis for what they can do in the future, yet each year is new and different because of various factors. They must be flexible and adapt to new/different ideas, new/different situations, and they must be willing to do whatever it takes to get the best results.  

Isn’t that the same for our lives?  Each year we’re older, we’ve had many new/different experiences, we’ve learned new/different things, some things didn’t work because of the timing, and other things now work because of the timing. Are you adjusting to change? Are you flexible and willing to get out of your comfort zone in order to move forward with your dreams and goals?

I wish you a week of thinking about the lessons from the farmers which you can take and apply to your own life.  What is the “soil” that you are basing your life on? 

Are You Running YOUR Race?

How did you do this past week as far as paying attention to a healthy mindset of acceptance and a daily dose of learning and growing? 

Here's my question to you this week....Are you running the race that’s “designed’ for you?

That’s an interesting question.  I hadn’t thought about this until I heard a message from Joel Osteen.  He referenced an SUV and a race car each designed for a specific “race.”  The SUV has the capacity to hold 8 people, lots of luggage, is high above others to see the traffic better, and is a comfortable ride.  The race car, on the other hand, holds only one person, definitely no room for luggage, is low to the ground, and isn’t built for comfort and luxury.  How would that SUV do on a race track?  Obviously, not good at all.  What about the race car driving through traffic or on a long trip across the country?  

The SUV has its own purpose and is successful in the right environment.  The same is true for the race car.  Each has its own purpose and is successful in the right environment. Either vehicle is going to be "frustrated" and won’t “fit in” in the other’s environment. 

What’s my point?  Are you going through life using YOUR talents and skills that make you who you are and why you are special? Or are you watching others and focusing on the life you wish you had? Sometimes that wishing is in your own head and other times it’s verbalized to someone else. 

Have you ever found yourself comparing your size and shape with others?  Why can’t you lose that extra 10 pounds?  You work out and watch what you eat, but your best friend seems to be able to eat anything and doesn’t exercise.  Maybe it’s comparing your home or car and wishing you had something different.  Have you ever had thoughts that you are the one that works hard, you’ll help others when they need it, however, that same support isn’t there from others?  So do you change and not help because you feel like you’re being taken for granted?  We are not really free to totally run that race we’re designed to run, until we are comfortable and happy with who we are. It’s not about competing with others.  That only brings frustration.

So, how do we know if we’re running the race that we’re designed to run?  Personally, I think it’s part of life’s journey which means working more on ourselves in order to be the best we can be.  That’s the key.  In order for us to “win that race” comparing ourselves to others isn’t the focus nor will it ever make us happy. 

Are you aware of the number of times you focus more on what you don’t have or what you wish you could do like others?  I wish I could sing like Celine Dejion or Martina McBride, however, that’s NOT ever going to happen no matter how hard I practice or how much I want it.  I listen to speakers and wish I could find the words to say what they say in the way they say it.  I might be able to work on that and get better, but I will not be the one traveling around the country speaking.  

So what are your strengths and talents? When you take the time to know those then you will know that you're on the right track. That means YOU are running the race that is YOUR RACE.

I encourage you to focus on YOUR strengths and talents and run YOUR race.  Don’t wait for other’s approval.  Use YOUR gifts to learn and grow.  Know that YOU have all the gifts YOU need! 

I wish you a week of identifying your strengths and talents! I wish you a week of recognizing the importance of running your own race.