I once heard a story about a farmer.
“What do you do for a living?”
“I'm a farmer.”
“Oh, how interesting. What do you grow?”
“I don't grow anything.”
“What kind of animals do you raise?”
“I don't raise animals.”
“I'm confused. You're a farmer, but you don't grow anything or raise animals. What do you do?”
“I plant seeds and tend to the soil. What comes out of the ground might be beans or corn—and I harvest what grows. But farmers don't grow anything. They simply create the conditions in which something can grow.”
The farmer doesn't focus on growth.
As much as he wants his seeds to grow—his livelihood depends on it—he can't make them grow by simply wishing, hoping, or praying for an abundant harvest.
Instead, he focuses on what he can do.
He tills the soil.
He plants the seeds.
He waters them.
He pulls the weeds.
He learns what his crops need.
He purchases and maintains the right equipment.
He tends to his fields.
And he waits.
He creates the conditions in which something can grow.
What are you trying to grow?
More peace?
Happiness?
Confidence?
Connection?
Hope?
What if, instead of focusing so intently on getting those things, you focused on cultivating the conditions in which they can grow?
Tend the soil of your life.
Plant the seeds of intention.
Nourish yourself.
Remove what is choking growth.
Remain present through every season.
Be patient.
Trust that just because you cannot see anything growing doesn't mean nothing is happening.
