Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
—Robert Louis Stevenson
We are approaching September-the month we think of as harvesting the fruits of our labors. Fall often becomes a time for reflections. The children are back in school; we have taken our vacations and we are enjoying the bounty of the season. Life also has cycles; we sow, we cultivate, and we harvest. This blog is about those three cycles and how we can maximize our potential in each of those cycles. This is especially true since we are not dependent on the weather for our personal successes and can sow seeds at any time of year.
How many times have you heard the expression “You reap what you sow”? This expression is true on so very many levels and can even be proven scientifically. What are you truly planting in your life right now and is it what your heart desires? Farmers do not plant corn hoping that soybeans will grow so why would we plant anything other than what we fully desire to achieve. This is called congruence; aligning all of our actions with what we want for ourselves. Sometimes fear can play a part in what we sow. When you are sowing seeds, do you allow yourself to dream big or do you think your dreams might be somewhat out of reach? Gay Hendricks in “The Big Leap” calls this an upper-limit problem. An upper-limit problem tells us that we can only achieve so much. We play small so that we can be safe. Sowing the best seeds (actions) that align with the highest standards for yourself requires an abundance of courage, yet the results can be unbelievable.
Once you have clarity on what you are sowing, it’s time to cultivate. In congruence terms, this means acting consciously every day in ways that lead to success with your goals. Are the actions you are taking leading you to the outcomes you want or are your actions taking you in a different direction? Jack Canfield in “The Success Principles” shares that when action is taken it triggers other things, people and connections that will carry you to success. He suggests that this is due to others being aligned with what you want to achieve and know you are serious about achieving it. Another aspect for cultivation is mindfulness. Williams and Penman in “Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World” suggest that we have to “wake up” from being on autopilot which sometimes can allow a steady stream of thoughts that are not taking us into the action needed for success. The authors encourage us to first notice when autopilot has taken over our thoughts and then refocus on the most important actions allowing the distractions to fall away.
One major distraction is the excuses we make for inaction. Are you allowing excuses to be the weeds in your garden? Wayne Dyer in “Excuses Begone! How to Change Lifelong Self-Defeating Thinking Habits” shares a number of excuses that start with “It will be too difficult’ to “It’s Going to be Too Risky”. Favorites that I have heard from others include “I don’t have enough time, money, etc.” and “It will upset someone”. What is really in the way for you? What’s the big excuse weighing you down? You have planted seeds, what is stopping you from cultivating them? In order to be successful, you must gain clarity about the obstacles and then rewrite your story about the obstacles.
Jim Loehr in “The Power of Story” provides a framework for rewriting these stories. The first step is to be completely honest with ourselves about the excuse in a statement that begins with “The truth is…” What is the reality about the excuse you are making? Next explore the real consequences of the behaviors resulting from the excuse; “If I continue on this path and do not change…? This step requires that we are fully honest with what the lack of alignment with our goals creates in our life. It is important to not minimize the impact of not stretching for our goals as it can create patterns for future complacency with other goals. Next you have to validate why the goal was chosen (what you sowed); “This goal is important to me because……”. Going back to review the reasons for choosing the goal will reinforce your desire and can bring energy back into your life so that the goal feels more attainable. Finally, the action step towards congruence; “From now on, I will….” What steps will be taken to ensure that the excuses do not develop a life of their own and that your determination to achieve your goal aligns with your daily actions towards your goal? It is important to write these actions down so that you can measure them frequently for alignment with your goal.
As we complete the cultivation step, we move on to harvesting. What were your lessons learned from the cycle? What do you want to repeat as you sow your new seeds? Nancy Kline in “Time to Think” shares that “everything we do depends on the thinking we do first.” She adds that we spend most of our time doing and very little time in thinking and reflection. How might you add reflection about successes to establish new ideas and measurements for actions you want to take going forward.
Next, how do you celebrate the successful bounty that you have created for yourself? The challenges we have overcome now deserve a sense of completion. We know that acknowledgement of success is important to ensuring that we continue successful behaviors. Have you built in opportunities for celebrating small wins or are you simply focused on the final outcome? On the journey to achieve your goals, we need to create milestones along the way. Without stopping to acknowledge that we are in the process of achieving the goal, we remain solely focused on the outcome and may forget to enjoy the journey. Delaying celebrations/rewards can also derail our efforts as we can lose interest in the goal without reinforcement of successes.
Also, how do you share your successes with others? Social support is a key to success and integrating this aspect into your sowing can provide for lasting reinforcement and engagement in your goals. A word of advice here…make sure the people you invite to share with you are people who truly have your best interests in mind. No need to set up a sabotage situation here!
This blog began with the concept of harvesting from the seeds we plant through the actions we take to enjoying the successes of those actions. Again, we can sow seeds at any time and can set goals and take action now to complete those goals we set earlier for 2023.
