Summer is coming to a close. This means we are approaching the fall season. In farming, fall is a time of harvesting. It is the time when the farmers, having spent months planting and nurturing can begin to collect the bounty form their efforts. The farmers who planted abundantly and tended to their crop with care will enjoy the greatest harvest. All the farmers in a region will have worked and toiled through the same environment and have access to the same seed. They will have had the same type of weather and the same kind of soil to work with. Yet some farmers will have a higher yield than others. Why is this?
Because the harvest is the fruit of the labor. It is reflective of what the farmer put into the effort. Our business works the same way. We all function in a similar environment. Yes, there are small differences in every region, but for the most part the opportunities and the challenges are the same. We plant and nurture wherever there are people. People in general have the same needs. Every human being wants to feel loved, secure, valued, and that they have purpose. From a practical perspective everyone needs to tend to their health, have good relationships, and derive an income. The need is great for the practical things. People need solutions for staying healthy, they need solutions for creating personal financial security, and they need to have access to relationships that are encouraging and positive.
We have the seeds that help people to meet these needs. It is up to each of us to plant and nurture. As the people we touch begin to harvest the positive changes we can help them bring, we too will harvest. Those that harvest the greatest are the ones who have planted the most and tended to the seeds. When you look at the builders (farmers) who are achieving the most, they are very different on the surface. They have different backgrounds, skills, life situations, and challenges. What they have in common is that they have tilled the soil (approach) planted the seeds (info) nurtured (follow-up) and ultimately sponsored (harvest) more than others.
Fortunately we don’t have to wait the traditional growing season for our entire crop. Yes, there are some seeds that we plant that don’t bear fruit for many months and sometimes years, but we also have many seeds that we plant that bear fruit in as little time as a week. The more seeds we plant the more often we have something to harvest.
The fall season in general is a wonderful time to plant and plant frequently. The distractions of summer are gone. The children are back in school, and society becomes more focused on working on the solutions of life. The need is great and the field is fertile, now is the time to plant and work the field. If you only have a few hours per week to plant, then till and plant as much as you can in those few hours. If you have more time, then make sure you are always till and plant first in your day, before you move on to nurturing and other activities.
Remember…small disciplines repeated lead to great accomplishments.
