Little Things Make A Big Difference...

Robert Louis Stevenson once said, "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.

There are laws! In fact there are certain immutable laws. These laws cannot…and will not change. They have not only stood the test of time, they have been in existence since the dawning of time. I call it Life Training. As surely as there is day and night and as surely as there is good and bad, there is seedtime and harvest. Always has been … always will be.

It is the nature of things. In fact, it is essential to the cycle of life. Without seedtime and harvest there would be no procreation. There would be no crops. There would be no food. Seedtime and harvest are the most basic fundamentals of perpetuating life on planet Earth as we now know it! Most people aren't aware of this law or it's far reaching implications. So, let's examine this concept and discover how it affects our lives, our families, and our business.

Seedtime and Harvest … How does this affect my life?

In basic terms, we are taught in Life Training that you reap what you sow! When you plant bananas you reap bananas. When you plant apples you reap apples. Most of us accept this as a self-evident truism. Why does it seem far-fetched then, to realize that when you sow discord you'll reap discord in your life? People who sow strife, reap strife. People who sow joy, reap joy!

What you plant into other people's lives will someday, somehow be reaped in your own life. You are what you are today because of seeds you've sown in the past. You have what you have today, because of seeds you've sown in the past. Today is the harvest of yesterday's seeds! Life is a garden… can you dig it? You reap what you sow!

How does Seedtime and Harvest affect my family?

More than you'll ever know! What are you planting into your children? Are you planting time? What about faith? How about integrity? What do they hear at the movie when you are asked about their age? Do you somehow justify a "little white lie"? In my experience, the "little white lies" usually turn into "double feature Technicolor!"

If you want champions for children then you need to be planting the seeds of greatness. Plant love! Reap love! Plant big dreams and you'll reap a President or a missionary, or a giant of industry! What are you planting into your wife … or your husband? Kindness … forgiveness … gentleness? Their hearts are fields that you plant into daily. What are you reaping? The law of the harvest says that what you sow, you will reap?

We should stop and think every time we open our mouth to speak to our spouse. Will this edify or build them up, or will it tear them down? You see, there are no useless words. They either bless or curse. They either build or destroy! We have two ears … and one tongue. Maybe we should listen twice and speak once. What is your harvest in your family? Maybe it's time to examine your crops … then examine your seeds.

How does Seedtime and Harvest affect your business?

How we conduct ourselves in business is a direct reflection of how we conduct our lives. The same laws apply. When you bring someone into your business, do you just wind them up, send them out and hope they make it? No wonder so many leave your company or team. You have to be willing to take some personal responsibility for the success of your people. It's been said that there are no bad students…just bad teachers.

A great teacher takes it very personally when one of his students fails. He constantly reflects on what he would do differently next time to make sure that this would not happen again! This approach would revolutionize most people's lives

Make yourself a seed!

You can only duplicate yourself by becoming a seed. This can work for or against you. When you plant a single seed a miracle happens. A plant grows and at harvest time the plant produces hundreds of like seeds. An apple seed produces an apple. That apple has numerous seeds. Plant them and you'll have numerous apples…again with numerous seeds.

A single seed can someday produce an entire field of apple trees. That same law of seedtime and harvest applies in your business. If you plant bad seeds into your team like complaining, bad principles, or laziness, you'll have an entire team of lazy complainers with bad principles. They will duplicate accordingly. No one will make any money. They'll all quit! You'll either get discouraged and quit or have to start all over again!

Learn through Life Training to plant your talents and gifts into the lives of other people. Make sure they succeed. If they succeed, you will! Because you reap what you sow. It should be firmly established in your heart by now that if you'll adjust your thinking from "what's in it for me" to "what can I do to help", you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Seedtime and Harvest!

I once read a story about a young boy who had heard some juicy gossip about one of the leaders in his small town. And it was just that. "Juicy Gossip!" And, of course, he told a few people, who told a few people, and so on and so on. The object of the gossip had his reputation ruined.

The young boy's father confronted him. He told him to go to everybody that he had spoken to and recant the story. And, he had to go to everybody they spoke to, etc., etc. The young boy told his father that there was no way that he could get to everybody.