PC: Boudewijn Bo Boer
Lately, I’ve been experiencing the phenomenon of the “in-between”. Nothing is too exciting and everything seems to be very similar day in and day out. So it caused me to take a step back and reflect. In the midst of my pondering, I remembered a concept that I learned a while back about farming and its relationship to life and business.
You see, every area of our life has its own season, just like a farmer has seasons with his crops. A farmer doesn’t just wake up one day and harvest a load of vegetables. There is a process he goes through to yield that harvest. He first has to work his land, which can be back-breaking work, tilling the soil, pulling out rocks and weeds, and getting it ready for the seed. Only after he has spent many days working the soil can it be ready for the seeds to be sown. Then he sows the seeds, which can also take a good amount of time (depending on the size of the field).
The next season is the water and wait season (where I currently find myself). Those seeds need water and sunshine to grow. And time. Depending on the kind of vegetation the farmer grows will determine how long it takes for it to come to maturity, but there are NO plants that go from seed to fruit overnight. It is the same with things in our lives. When starting a business, it is usually not profitable overnight. We have to remember that there is a time to go through the monotony of daily routines (watering the seeds), before we have clients, sales, or a profit (crops bearing fruit).
This concept also applies to learning a new skill, building relationships, investing, personal achievements, and the list goes on. The bottom line is: it takes TIME TO GROW ANYTHING OF VALUE. If you find yourself in the in-between place like me, take heart and remember the asparagus: it takes three years to see a harvest, but the harvest DOES come!
Here are a couple coaching questions to help you make the most of your season:
What areas of my life/business are in the soil-preparing season, the water and wait season, or the harvest season?
While you are watering seed you have sown in one field, where can you be sowing new seed in another area?