It’s starting to look like Spring here at the Unicity Global Headquarters. The snow is beginning to melt from the lower elevations on the mountains and all the trees and bushes are budding. Springtime reminds me of a story about two farmers.
Early each Spring, the two farmers look out over their fields. In their hearts, they have similar desires—that the coming Fall season will provide them with a vast harvest.
All Winter the first farmer spends time cleaning and sharpening his tools. The second farmer looks out over his field—hoping that the Fall season will provide him with a vast harvest.
As soon as the snows melted, the first farmer is out in his field carefully preparing the furrows and removing any large stones, while the second farmer looks out over his field—hoping that the Fall season will provide him with a vast harvest.
After the last frost, the first farmer is out in his field dropping his seeds carefully into the furrows and gently covering them with soil. The second farmer is also out—casting his seeds on the ground as he walks around his field.
Throughout the long, hot Summer, the first farmer toils—herding the thin line of irrigation water to the end of each row and pulling weeds wherever he sees them. The second farmer paces the floor of his house—hoping that it will rain and the Fall season will provide him with a vast harvest.
Come Fall, the first farmer has a vast harvest. The second farmer is disappointed again with his meager harvest—wishing that it had rained more and that the birds hadn’t eaten so many of the seeds that he cast in the Spring.
Both farmers are good men. Both have the same desire—that the Fall season will provide them with a good harvest. With a large harvest, they would be able to provide for their families, have seeds for planting in the Spring, and prosper by selling the surplus in the market. Yet despite their equal desires, the first farmer’s harvest was so much larger than the second farmer’s.
The first farmer went beyond just hoping for a good harvest. His desire was more than a mere wish—it was a motivating conviction that moved him to action. The first farmer, in order to bring about his desire, took actions—even though harvest time was far away and there was no guarantee that the weather would cooperate, he still took actions.
The first farmer was cultivating more than crops, he was cultivating self-discipline. When we take actions that move us in the direction of our desires—especially when we can’t see what the outcome might be—that’s self-discipline.
Wishing you all the best with your harvest,
Stewart
No comments:
Post a Comment