As we head into Valentine’s Day week, I am navigating my 21st year of marriage (to the same incredible man) AND an empty nest.
Side note about an empty nest: I’m surprised at what does NOT change. Example: we still sleep with the door closed. WHY? =
Anyway, last night, we were laughing so hard in bed that the DOGS got irritated with us. I mean… tears watering, belly hurting laughs. I’m PROUD of this marriage we’ve built and as I laid there last night I realized that the SAME key farming principles that build a passionate marriage build a profitable business… so here they are:
š DON’T DIG UP THE SEEDS YOU PLANT.
Farmers plant seeds, and gently nurture what LOOKS like plain old dirt. They watch and nurture but do NOT dig up the seeds they plant.
In business and in marriage, the seeds you plant can be words, messages, blog posts, text messages, offers, media placements… whatever. BUT you need to give them time to take root and develop. Mature partnerships, marriages, and businesses TAKE TIME to develop. Don’t give up just before the fruits of your labor break through.
š PUT A FENCE UP TO KEEP OUT THE “CRITTERS.”
In farming, we must keep out the deer. They can be detrimental to your crops. Any legitimate fence will do. In marriage and in business, there are OTHER “critters:” unwelcome pests, in the form of thoughts, people & habits.
Make NO mistake: there is an energetic fence around my marriage AND my business. I am DELIBERATE about what gets in and what stays out. It matters.
š DON’T GRIEVE EVERY ROTTEN TOMATO.
Tomatoes are hard. Many times they are THE target of the critters, AND also.. they will literally rot right there on the vine. BUT a farmer doesn’t rant and moan over every rotten tomato, swearing that their garden will NEVER make it and then stop farming the land. That would be ridiculous.
But in marriage and in business, we DO something equally ridiculous. Whether that rotten tomato is a bad review, an unsatisfied client, a “failed” launch, or — in marriage — a sticky situation requiring compromise, or a broken promise…. it’s JUST a rotten tomato. Don’t grieve it to death. Acknowledge it. Tear it OFF the vine, so it takes no more energy from the plant and MOVE ON.
š WHEN YOU SEE THE GROUND IS DRY, WATER IT.
Seems simple, but here’s what a farmer doesn’t do: nothing. A farmer will see a need — and without bemoaning his her bad “luck” — simply WATER the land. You see dry spells are simply part of the process. They don’t mean anything OTHER THAN your land needs a little water. Period.
In marriage and in business, “dry spells” are PART OF THE PROCESS. So, just get over yourself and give it a little water, a little love.
š WORK WITH THE SEASONS / ENVIRONMENT
A farmer plants what is “in season” and also that which his land is uniquely equipped to grow. For example, around here, we don’t plant tomatoes in the winter months. We just know better and RESPECT the seasons and environment.
The same is true in business and marriage. They both go through seasons. Some seasons are all about nurturing what is unseen and below the surface. Other seasons are all about meteoric growth. (The latter often FOLLOWS the former season where it LOOKS like nothing is happening.) Some seasons are harder than others…
but you just keep nurturing, pruning, watering…
without begrudging the season you are in.
Another season is ALWAYS coming.
š DON’T BUILD ON BORROWED LAND.
I don’t plant my crops on a neighbors land.
I don’t build my business on land I don’t own.
and I don’t mess with another woman’s husband. š
ALL of these actions are foolish and detrimental. Enough said.
š SAVE YOUR BEST SEEDS.
A TRUE farmer saves her best seeds. From one season to the next, you could find mason jars filled with seeds that my Grandad collected for “next year.” YES, it saved money… but seeds are cheap. HIS seeds, from a successful planting though… were priceless.
In business and marriage, it’s smart to keep a record of what worked REALLY well… so you can go back to it time and time again. Whether it’s a great campaign, sales email or digital offer in business or a particularly effective way to re-connect with your man… Don’t just “move on” from day to day with nothing. SAVE the best seeds and bring them with you into new seasons.
š SHOW OFF YOUR GARDEN.
No farmer worth her weight in dirt is quiet about her garden. š ALL farmers brag on the fruits of their labor. They bring you back to see the crops. They walk neighbors through the rows and point out what’s growing where… They say that plants can HEAR what’s being said about them, and maybe that’s why farmers BRAG on their work and show it off.
But in marriage and in business, you can adopt the same principle. Let your clients and your spouse HEAR you brag on them. Let them overhear you showing them off. I swear, it makes a huge difference.
š VARIETY MATTERS.
The nutrients that sweet potatoes seep from the soil is DIFFERENT than what squash plants need to grow. This is why farmers rotate their crops. So the soil isn’t left bored and depleted.
In business and marriage, variety ALSO matters to avoid boredom and depletion. (Their boredom and YOUR depletion.) š So, use variety in business: different media, different images, different messages, change up when you show up in their in-box, surprise them every once in a while. Use some pattern interrupts to keep their attention.
In marriage, same thing: My husband OFTEN gets irritated with me. But he has never been bored by me. And vice versa. It matters.
š SHOW UP EVERY DAY.
Farming is a 7-day per week “job.” Actually, it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle… same as marriage and business. Anything worth doing is worth doing daily.
So in business and marriage, show UP daily. Water the land, pick a handful of weeds, watch for critters, brag on what you see, nurture the soil, etc.
Bottom line: TRUTHS are true all the time. THE EXACT SAME principles that grow a great garden ALSO raise great kids, build great businesses and cultivate great marriages. So, which farming principle will you double down on this week?
btw, people have been reaching out to me about joining Women Who WOW. One asked me today “WHY” they should join… And the answer is simple:
TO DEPROGRAM. To deprogram themselves from the hard and complex story they’ve been sold by other “gurus.” To break up with the LIES that keep them “earning” the right to sell… to walk away from the programming that has them fighting tooth and nail to “earn” another rung on the ladder.
Look, 80% of businesses fail because 80% of what we’re PROGRAMMED to believe about business is B.S.
So, they come here to de-program. To embrace simple. To fall in love with daily action. To FINALLY infuse their business and brand with actions they LOVE and “can’t NOT” do. To finally TASTE and EXPERIENCE what’s REALLY possible when they get out of that preparation and planning mode… and hop RIGHT INTO the fire of Women Who WOW.
if you’re READY to earn what you’re worth…
and you’re NOT WILLING to give up your life to make a living…
maybe you should consider joining us too.
Message me for details.
