Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
Driving along I-80 in the Heartland of America, fall harvest is underway on a massive scale. Harvest -- a time to reap the benefits of hard work, time and commitment to another year's growing season. I was reminded, once again, of Stephen R. Covey's teachings from Principle-Centered Leadership. While several growing seasons have passed since reading Covey's thoughts about The Law of the Farm, his words remain timeless and applicable to the job seeker of today. And the reality is, you need not know one iota about farming to appreciate how The Law of the Farm concept applies to you (the job searcher) and your life.
First, Plant a Seed. What career seeds have you planted in the last few days, weeks, months and years? Have you considered the type of seed you wish to plant? Just as there are millions of varieties of seeds to select, the good news is that you get to create and incubate your own particular brand, tapping into your distinct, unique hybrid blend.
Well-Tend Your Fields to Produce Maximum Results. Are you nurturing, weeding and watering your 'fields' to achieve optimum results? Have you pulled the weeds of your job search and routinely watered and nourished your new plantings? Have you done everything humanly possible to generate a prosperous and successful growing season?
Practice Patience, Patience, Patience. Regardless of how fast you wish for the seeds you have planted to take root, Time has her way of doing things. Relentlessly, you check your email, voice messages and mailbox to see if anything has sprouted. No, nothing yet! Just as nature takes time to do her thing, so too does the job search process take time to do its thing...time for many job seekers that moves far too slowly. Tick tock, tick tock.
Harvest is Here. When you least expect it, when you thought there was not one single new idea left to think, when you have absolutely no clue about what to do next, the harvest happens. You get the call. You get the text. You rip open the letter and read the good news. The harvest, for this season, is over...the offer has been made, the job has been accepted, a start date has been decided. For now, until another growing season rolls around, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
The Ever-present Reality. Plan and think ahead to next year's crop, next year's planting and next year's growing season. Always stay prepared. Be mindful of lessons learned from this season. Do not allow yourself to become complacent or too comfortable with the harvest at hand. Do not ease up for too long. Do not take this year's harvest for granted. Set something aside, as you can, for the rainy season and the long, harsh winter ahead. And there's no better time than now to consider..."what can I give back?" What can you offer to those who offered something to you during your planting time? And if this year's harvest was less than you had hoped for, what, if anything, can you do to better prepare next season's soil? And should your bountiful crop far exceed expectations, what might you do with the excess, the extra?
The law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny. ~ James Allen
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