Hi folks, today I want to talk about the farmer and the hunter. I’ll share the two approaches of life and then I’ll share something encouraging for your week ahead. This isn’t a post about a camper, it’s a post about a philosophy of thought and I hope it gives you something interesting to consider this week.
Before we knew how to farm, we knew how to hunt. The hunters goal is to find the opportunity, exert the energy, make the kill. A hunter puts in a ton of energy in a short period of time to get an outcome as quickly as possible.
A farmers goal is to cultivate. He pulls the rocks out and pulls the stumps out and digs post holes and sets up fences and tills the land and seeds and waters the soil. He’s (or she’s) about taking the time to construct a setting that’s poised to flourish. And it takes a long time.
The world is fast now days. It seems like the only way to get ahead is to hunt more and set up systems that hunt even more. We want outcomes and we want results; we want progress.
There’s nothing wrong with the hunters mindset, it’s needed. If your hamburger bun only has tomatoes and lettuce then it’s a little sad and incomplete; you need a burger too. The hunters mindset within us achieves the things in our lives that need to be done right now, no options. But today I want to share why the farmers mindset within us is where attributes like trust and safety and compounded results can come to life.
The farmer cultivates and tends and waters and in some cases operates on faith that the rain will come. The farmer puts in a consistency of work; a farmer operates on a metronome of effort. There isn’t a single moment of achievement like the hunter has, but it’s about doing the same work every day and to stay un phased to the highs and lows of the responsibility.
This is what I’m saying: A farmer doesn’t look at the lack of results today, they look towards the fruits of tomorrow that come from consistency.
And that’s the kind of character attribute in our lives that creates really great friendships and safe relationships. The best friendships are cultivated, not achieved. The safe relationships are cultivated, not accomplished.
There are things in life that are worth being proud of, things that only consistency can foster.
And one-small-step at a time, you create something grand, something that money can’t buy. And it isn’t necessarily a single moment of significance like a hunter has. It’s a slow growth of a sense of security in abundance.
I hope this week you consider these two approaches when you’re faced with a dilemma or a problem or an opportunity. I hope this letter helps you see the validity of the farmers approach.
Folks, I hope you’re doing well. I hope you’re feeling hope and that you’re looking forward to something in your life. I hope you’re finding new things each day that you’re grateful for.
Have a wonderful week and talk to you next time,
-M