A natural law of this earth. The act of sowing gives the act of reaping. Everyone seems to know this but few seem to implement it properly. Best then to change the term on it’s head.
One cannot reap what one does not sow.
One cannot reap what one does not sow. If you are to plant corn then you shall receive corn. If you are to plant poison ivy you shall receive poison ivy. The consistency of this makes it a law of this earth.
The measure of what one reaps is a relationship to what one sows
The effort you put into sowing also shows when you reap. To harvest the fruits of your labor almost always means you’ll have more than you started with. So one feature of sowing and reaping is that the measure of what one reaps is a relationship to what one sows.
You cannot see personal gains if you are unwilling to invest in the sowing. If you sow poorly, poison ivy, you will reap it.
Liberty makes gains while security restrains
Stop asking for security. Security does not sow as bountiful as the adventure. The timid person wants safety net upon safety net. They worry and fret over everything.
The world is full of risks and security is an illusion
One reason why you may not sow is because you’re afraid of something. It could be failing, looking foolish, losing everything. Well this world is full of risks and security is an illusion. Carefully crafted to restrain you and everyone else who seeks it so desperately.
Why not say “Here is what I’m afraid of. I wonder what I could do to change that?”
Let’s play this out a little with a hot and controversial topic. Immigration. The current political environment shouts “American jobs for Americans!”. A security that leads to what? What if states begin shouting “North Dakota jobs for North Dakotans”? Then cities do the same?
A bid for security has dampened the experience for everyone. We fear things and so we do not reap the best harvest. We fear things and believe that the first response should be the reduce through security instead of gaining through liberty.
Why not instead reflect and go “here is what I’m afraid of. I wonder what I could do to change that?”
Blaming the ambiance
Most people spend more time blaming the tools and current circumstances they are in than sowing.
Most people have at least one of the following:
- the economy
- my taxes are too high
- my boss won’t give me a raise
- I don’t have a degree
- the industry is shrinking
- the government (and whatever political party is in control is making a mess)
- all these regulations
- racism
- cultural appropriations
In other words most people have tendency to blame others instead of themselves. It’s a poor outlook and one of the biggest contributors to why they are not where the want to be.
You can wait for someone else to change your circumstances or you can change yourself
Now I’m not saying there are not systemic failures that have created massive adversity for people. I’m also not saying that there are things outside of your control. Lots of things are outside of our control BUT if you have an outlook of “I’m accountable”. You view your circumstances differently.
Giving reasons why you’re not sowing doesn’t change the fact that you’re not reaping.
It’s the paradigm of a flat tire.
Do you sit in your car and wait for someone to come along and change it?
You could.
If the system has handed you a flat tire I’m saying call someone, flag someone down or learn how to change it yourself.
When it comes to sowing and reaping. Giving reasons why you’re not sowing doesn’t change the fact that you’re not reaping.
You can spend all day blaming the tools you’ve been given or you can start sowing with what you have. How absurd to argue that the sun, the rain, the shovel is all the things stopping you from obtaining a harvest.
Dereliction of Development
An infection among people is the belief that you do not need to work hard on yourself. It’s not that they actively say it. They just think the best priority is being a good worker or partying or being involved in their personal hobby.
To work harder at your job than yourself is the equivalent of saying “I will not sow and have no intentions of reaping”.
The dereliction of personal development will suspend the value you can bring to the market, your family, yourself and society as a whole. Few people are interested in being mediocre but somehow we’ve come to accept this.
Start thinking of the weakest skill you use all the time. Start improving it. Reading about it. Why sit and stream some show when you could be improving yourself.
This isn’t an overnight success suggestion
This isn’t a get rich quick scheme. This isn’t an overnight success suggestion. You planted the seeds. Now water and deweed. Skills unused will rust.
few spend the time to master a talent
Passionately engage in sharpening your skills. Stop worrying so much about feeling stupid and start making it happen. Few spend the time to master a talent. This is great for almost everyone who wants to. It means you can make plenty of mistakes and still be valuable.
The choice of comfort over challenge
You don’t like where you work. You don’t like your job title. You certainly don’t like your take home pay. But what is the first thing you do when you come home?
Decompress? Binge eat? Binge stream? Drink?
The effort needed may not always be easy but the choice to be a better version of yourself is
I’m not saying you can’t decompress. But do so in moderation. Everyone is tired from putting in a long day. But while you rest the person who is going to get a better paycheck, a better title and a better job is flexing those mental or physical muscles.
They are advancing their own value and in doing so succeeding. The effort needed may not always be easy but the choice to be a better version of yourself is.
Progress is one of the most exciting and motivating factors of human existence
It’s absolutely and a 100% easy to be the best version of yourself. The reason I say that is because it’s a choice. The same can be said about being the most mediocre version of yourself.
I’d suggest to you to be the very best instead. Progress is one of the most exciting and motivating factors of human existence.
It drives purpose in our souls. It’s tangible and intrinsically pleasing to our brains. The life you choose can be to maximize your sowing and reaping. To read up on all of the newest farming techniques, planting guides, the weather and everything inbetween.
If you were to ask me the best time to plant a tree I’d say 20 years ago or now.
It won’t come overnight. It won’t happen suddenly. You’ll need to ‘level up’ those farming skills vital to your well being and keep moving forward. But if you were to ask me the best time to plant a tree I’d say 20 years ago or now. Start working on the sowing. So you can reap more and more.
Existing is easy. Thriving is thrilling.
The question and choice are easy. The effort can be hard but once you start doing the very best you can. Improving yourself and being the best version of you. You’ll find it intoxicating.
It’s exciting. It’s thrilling. Anyone can exist. Existing is easy in this world. Thriving though, that is thrilling. To see your progress. To see your investments paying dividends in 2 years down the road. It’s an amazing feeling and choosing to act this moment to start improving yourself will improve by multiples anything you touch.
If you are dreaming of a startup and working at it. It’s hard, but improving yourself and encouraging others to the same you will see a factor increase that no motivational speech could do. No management training program could do either.
How easy and exciting would it be to wake up every day and exclaim “I can’t wait to reap what I’ve sown!”
It’s an active choice. One that anyone can make. One that is easy. Stop fretting about security. Stop being derelict your your personal development duties. Stop choosing the comfort of food, shows and alcohol. Challenge your world view. Challenge why you’re not where you want to be and if you are on the right track.
Ask great questions. Learn everything you can. Do everything you can. Sow. Sow. Sow. Then you can reap.
But if you don’t sow.
You don’t reap.