Abundant (and not so abundant) Harvest - An Analogy of Life & Growing your Own Business

I love analogies, and today is no different. Let me explain how planting and harvesting is an analogy for life.

I took a walk this very hot morning and decided that since I was already sweaty, I would go into the garden to see if the tomatoes were ripe.

This year we planted so many things:

Bush Beans

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Winter Squash

Tomatoes

Corn

Beets

Parsley

Rosemary

Basil

Cucumbers

Lettuce

We have recurring plants with:

Figs

Sage

Thyme

Oregano

Potatoes

Raspberries

We were so excited to have an abundant crop. We took the time to sow; we watered, we weeded. But, guess what, not all our plants have grown!

Things happened. Some weird bug decided that it really likes to eat and destroy our zucchini and squash. The beets NEVER even sprouted. Not sure why the cucumbers weren’t happy this year. They bunnies ate all the corn leaves, so they never matured. They, of course, loved the lettuce too. We were able to harvest a small amount of zucchini and yellow squash, but nowhere near the yield we would have had. (Sorry no zucchini bread!) The parsley is a bit yellow and not too happy, but we have a little. The rosemary didn’t like its spot in the garden either. Some other bugs and birds and squirrels decided to taste all our raspberries. (I was able to get one half of one today!)

However, many years ago we planted potatoes, and year after year, there are a few left in the ground and they make more potatoes! The fig tree is full of more figs than I’ve ever seen on it, and the first one was ripe today. (Now I just have to make sure to check everyday before the ants get them.) Our sage plant LOVES where it is and has kept growing through many a winter season. Basil, after 2 years of not growing well, has decided this is the year for it, and pesto is on the horizon. The tomatoes are happy and are amazing with the basil. The thyme and oregano are plentiful.

Where, you might ask, is this story going. Well, I thought of all our expectations for growing food this year. All the hours of prepping, planting, and caring. We did all the things, and yet we didn’t get the crop we expected. This is very much an analogy of life. We cannot know what lies ahead, we can only work hard towards our goals, learn from mistakes and be thankful for the “fruits” of our labor, even if it is smaller than what we expected.

Sometimes our crop is plentiful and sometimes things might rot! But, the important thing is to be thankful for what you DO GET in your harvest. If I had never planted, I would have nothing. Frankly, the bunnies and the bugs need to live too, so in a way, I helped them out along the way. (Next year we are putting up some netting and finding some organic way to deter this weird zucchini eating bug.)

I am grateful for the delicious tomatoes that I have been eating everyday. The basil is yummy and the potatoes are the best they have been in years. We got a small batch of bush beans, and they were delicious. The zucchini we did get was shared with family and friends at a bunch of meals. And I can’t wait to grill some of those figs, as well as munch on them for snacks.

In other words, we will continue to plant, work towards a bigger harvest for next year, and enjoy the things that did grow.

This works when you have your own business too. Sometimes you do all the right things, or maybe you do all the things but some things come to “eat away” at what you have done. In the end, it doesn’t matter. What really matters is your effort; your learning and adapting for next time, and being thankful for what you did accomplish (or harvest).

I will leave you with this affirmation that I found just the other day.

“I am grateful for the abundance that I have, and the abundance that is coming my way!”

Think about what you want to plant and harvest in your life and work in the coming months.

I hope you will have an abundant crop!

If you like this analogy, and would like some help planning your "harvest" and learning how to flip your mindset so that you can grow much more in your own business, contact me and see if my Growth Project Membership and/or coaching is a good fit for you. Share this with a friend that may need this too!