Many of us have probably heard the Bible verse that says “For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap’ or more commonly as a proverb, ‘You reap what you sow”. I have heard this many times but it’s only recently when I heard a talk by Jim Rohn on becoming the best version of yourself that it kind of hit home. He presented this same fundamental idea from a different perspective that rang true to me and made me just stop and think. He said ‘Whatever you reap, is what you have sown’… and it made me ask myself, Am I sowing what I want to reap in my life? This year, I turn 38 and as the big 40 lurks around the corner, I keep getting this growing heavy feeling of needing to account for my time, my place in this world. Which is probably what led me to Jim Rohn, who is a great motivational speaker.
This view of life I could grapple with, certainly more than the mysteriously abstract question of purpose. It made me think about my actions, what I am spending time on, my relationships, and asking myself if I am really putting in what I need to to get the results that I want. You see at this stage of my life, I at least have the clarity of knowing what I want to do with my life as I previously wrote. Trust me this was not always the case but, now that I have this knowledge, what have I been doing to make it a reality?
It made me think that now that I know what I want to do with my life, am I sowing what I need to make it a reality? What can I start preparing now?
In as much as I want up-wards mobility at my work at the moment, am I sowing what I need to get that promotion? Am I improving my skills? Am I adding more value? I might need the promotion, but I will not get it just because I want it. What is my game plan? :).
I have also been feeling like my health needs improving from sitting all day in front of the computer, what am I sowing to reap good health? I must do something, may that be walking or running during the day or standing at my desk.
This question, Am I sowing what I want to reap in my life?, gave me a new perspective. It made things actionable for me because I am the person that can most affect what is sowed. Yes there are things I may not be able to control that might affect the harvest, but really what this taught me was to start making a plan, looking at what I need to sow, and assess when and where the conditions are most favorable. And even when I harvest and the results are not as expected or desired, it’s good to realize that there would be no harvest at all if I didn’t sow anything.
And when you realize that you have a big influence on what you reap, then you can get to work 🙂
Happy sowing everybody!