Rewind: Lessons from the Farm

(This is a partial throw back post to one from May 2016. Enjoy, friends!)

If you have any experience in farming, you know that while this image looks AMAZING, it didn’t get that way without a ton of hard work and investment.

Our theme this time last year started with the idea of “bold faith,” so much so that you would “bet the farm,” so to speak. That got me thinking about a life of excellence and how farmers really are pretty much the best of the best in demonstrating the value of hard work – among other things.

I had the opportunity to grow up around a farm thanks to my grandparents, and I can tell you two things:

1. It is HARD WORK. PERIOD.
2. Riding on the back of a truck while they are baling hay is not for the faint of heart. Snakes literally jump up while the ground gets pulled up and out! That part wasn’t a ton of fun, but I do recall summer “pool time” in the cow feeding trough! Hey, you gotta do what you can to have fun in Jasper, Mo.!

The lessons on the farm are too many to count, but here are a few that I feel really inspired by (with the help of Jeremie Kubicek. Maybe they’ll help you, too.

• Lesson 1: BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION – Healthy crops come from healthy topsoil. This is true in business and life. YOU MUST HAVE A CLEAR DIRECTION and GROWTH PLAN. If you don’t have one, today’s the day!
• Lesson 2: POUR INTO THE FIELD – Farmers fertilize their fields and invest in the best products to ensure a healthy outcome. In life, we must “pour” into our children, our calling (work), our friends, etc. We can’t expect friendships to develop, careers to grow and children and grandchildren to excel without fertilization! Are there any key areas you need to “pour into” in your life?
• Lesson 3: ELIMINATE THE WEEDS! – I love this one. For farmers, weeds choke the life out of the crops and damage the potential harvest. WOW – isn’t this one so true for all of us? We must weed out the negative thoughts, habits and sometimes even people from our lives that are holding us back! What do you need to “weed out” today?

Make it a great one!