Farmers are a resilient and risk-taking bunch. Season after season, elements out of their control affect their success or failure. They are at the mercy of the scorching sun, drenching rains, and driving winds. Those factors have a very real impact on their outcomes. Despite these challenges, the most successful farmers focus their energy not on uncontrollable circumstances but on meticulously managing the factors within their realm of influence. This strategic approach allows them to adapt, thrive, and cultivate success in the ever-changing agricultural landscape.
The farmer diligently prepares the field for each season’s planting. They carefully remove unwanted weeds, fertilize the soil to enrich it, and ensure proper irrigation for optimal growth. Gathering the right tools and equipment, along with skilled labor, they embody readiness as the cornerstone of their path to success.
But… do you suppose that a farmer ever prepares the land, then plants potatoes at planting time, and at harvest time is surprised that watermelons have not grown? Of course not, farmers are smarter than that. They know you reap what you sow. Planting potatoes yields potatoes not watermelons… this is a well known farming fact. Why would we plant one crop and expect another? We should not, and for this very reason I have developed a saying, a rule of sorts…it goes like this… “Don’t plant potatoes if you want watermelons.”
A few springs ago, a family of raccoons (just coons, if you are from Southwest Mississippi) took up residence in my attic. It may sound funny to you, but to my wife and daughters, this was no laughing matter. I was charged with ridding the house of these unwanted visitors. So, I secured a “capture alive” trap from my local animal control office and set about trapping the intruders. I was informed by the animal control officers that Baton Rouge raccoons love cat food. Now the only coons I knew about (the Southwest Mississippi version) loved corn out of Mr. Bill Trask’s fields or odorous leftovers out of unattended garbage cans. But what did I know? I used to be a country boy, but now I find myself in the city. I followed the instructions of the experts, and I baited the trap with cat food.
It was only after I let one extremely irritated cat out of the trap at 3:30 am, while dressed only in my tighty whities, that I realized I had broken my own rule. When you bait with cat food, you catch cats, not coons. I went back to my roots, back to what I know, and baited the traps with what I know coons like. Unsurprisingly, I eventually caught all the raccoons. After making the difficult decision not to release them near some of my best friends’ homes (kidding), I couldn’t shake the idea of reaping what you sow. What a painfully simple fundamental, yet how often do we ignore it? How often do we find ourselves expecting one thing but doing another?
If we treat our kids disrespectfully, why do we expect them to treat us respectfully? If we practice our chosen sport lackadaisically, why do we expect to play well during the game? If we do not prepare for business meetings or master the knowledge of our products or services, how can we expect to help our customers to the extent they will become repeat purchasers? We cannot sow negativity and expect positivity. We cannot plant seeds of doubt and reap a harvest of confidence. Our actions have consequences, and what we put out into the world will eventually come back to us in some form or another. Expecting watermelons when potatoes are planted is akin to insanity.
Reflecting on these truths, it’s clear that the principle extends beyond the tangible—reaching into the very essence of our character and intentions. It begs us to ask, what are we truly planting in the gardens of our lives? The beauty of this metaphor is that it grants us the power of choice. Each day presents a new season, an opportunity to cultivate the qualities we wish to see embodied in ourselves and mirrored in those around us. Just as a farmer tenderly tends to his crops, we too must conscientiously tend to the fields of our actions and thoughts. For in the grand harvest of life, we will indeed gather what we have sown.
In life and business, much like in farming, there are elements beyond our grasp, forces that shape the outcome of our efforts in ways we can neither predict nor alter. The stark reality is that despite our most fervent efforts, the diligence with which we prepare, and the precision of our actions, success is not always guaranteed. Treating children with respect will not guarantee they will always be respectful. Practicing extremely hard will not guarantee a sporting victory. Knowing your stuff in business situations will not guarantee delighted customers.
We live in a world replete with variables, where the unexpected can and often does occur, throwing our best-laid plans into disarray. It’s a humbling reminder that although we have the power to influence our surroundings and mold our outcomes to a certain extent, we are not the sole authors of our destiny. The ground we till, the seeds we sow, and the care we invest do not always yield the harvest we envision. I would argue, though, that this should not deter us but instead motivate us to focus on the aspects of our lives we can control—to tend to our fields with even greater care, knowing that while the harvest may not always be what we expect, our efforts are never in vain.
There is one promise I can make you: not preparing will guarantee failure. Oh sure, a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then, but is that how you want to live your life? Hoping you are lucky? I don’t.
By doing what we need to do to put ourselves in the place of most potential to succeed, we will certainly increase our “batting average” in our quest for successful life experiences and business ventures. But what happens when we do all we can do? We have worked with our children regarding respectfulness, practiced until we could play the sport in our sleep, and prepared for the meetings until every answer is automatic… yet the sun scorches, the rain drenches, and the winds shred our crops? Should we crawl into the proverbial hole and wait for the next natural disaster? Of course not. Hold your head high and set your sights on trying again. Persevere!
Successful people, regardless of their chosen profession, mitigate risks as much as possible by putting themselves in the place of most potential. They also understand fully that without risks there would be no reward. And not only no reward, but no excitement either. Teddy Roosevelt put it very succinctly when he said, “A soft, easy life is not worth living if it impairs the fibre of brain and heart and muscle. We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice, and high courage… For us is the life of action, of strenuous performance of duty; let us live in the harness, striving mightily; let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.”
Are you half-heartedly stumbling through life, dejected because you planted potatoes and expected watermelons? If not, I bet you are excited about today and even more so about tomorrow. To put it simply, I bet you’re not going to rust out.
If you have planted potatoes and expected watermelons, all is not lost. In fact, there is great news: yesterday ended last night, and today, watermelon seeds are on sale! All you have to do is sow them!
