YOU BET IT IS.
Four years ago today, I sang one of my favorite hymns to my Grandad as he died. I whispered to him that he had done good… and that there was nothing left to do. One tear, one last breath, and he was gone. But his memories — and the lessons he taught me — live on, sometimes taking on even deeper meaning than before.
Quick history: My Grandad was a sharecropper growing up. Poor. No running water. No education.
He eventually got a job working in a bakery, where he retired, but he always loved the farming. In fact, he and his older brother farmed a 3-acre piece of land until they died. The kids and I would be there frequently, helping… learning… and getting our hands dirty in some “real” work.
I’ve written about lessons I learned in Grandad’s garden a lot. BUT, this morning, as I was typing this statement,
“YOU SIMPLY CANNOT KEEP PLANTING, WATERING, WEEDING, NURTURING… WITHOUT PRODUCING A HARVEST.”
I realized — even as I typed it — that it wasn’t true.
The TRUTH is, you absolutely CAN sow seeds of success and NOT EVER reap a harvest of success.
First, the garden application.
Then, the business application.
GARDEN: My grandad always rotated the crops. One year, the sweet potatoes would be here, but the next year, he’d plant them somewhere else. Why? He didn’t want to deplete the soil. You can sow seeds into soil that is depleted of nutrients and DESPITE YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION, food will not grow, take root, or ripen.
BUSINESS: Likewise, if you’re selling on depleted land, you can do all of the right work, but not reap the harvest — or end result– you want. So, is YOUR target market depleted? This could be the case if you’re selling aggressively all the time… — or in some other way — taking out more than you’re putting in. Something to think about… Be SURE to nourish your market, feed them, GIVE to them. Well nourished soil ALWAYS produces the best harvest.
GARDEN: You can plant seeds in the wrong ZONE and they will literally do…. nothing. You can’t plant a palm tree in the middle of a park in Boston and expect it to thrive. It’s just not its natural habitat.
BUSINESS: Likewise, be sure to sow YOUR seeds in your own zone of genius, or else… they may yield exactly nothing. You want to plant seeds of success where you are able to operate squarely in your own little slice of brilliance — in your natural habitat.
GARDEN: If you plant seeds at the wrong time, they will literally do… nothing.
BUSINESS: You don’t want to fall into the “timing” trap, which is an admitted pet peeve of mine, BUT, you DO want to consider this question, “Is the timing conducive to ___whatever it is you’re up to______??” Not “is it PERFECT timing,” because there’s no such thing. But, is the timing CONDUCIVE? Does the timing LEND Itself to supporting your goals?
If you’re open to MORE income, impact, and influence… If you’d love to create a way to make money WHILE your nourish your own target market, if you’d like ALL of your income to feel like it was created (almost effortlessly) in your own unique zone of brilliance, I want you to join HERE: https://bmichellepippin.com/the-membership-miracle/
Visit my Facebook page and read my post, QUICK RANT: ONE THING I NEVER SAID IS THAT IT’D BE EASY.
