How to get what you want

Just a few months ago, my wife and I were talking and dreaming about our lives. We knew we wanted to move into new things in 2024 but were nervous as we considered where to apply ourselves in the coming months.

During that conversation, the concept of sowing and reaping helped me gain tremendous clarity, confidence, excitement, and motivation.

I’d been working out consistently hard for a few months and was starting to (finally) see some exciting results, so I said something like, “If I keep this up, imagine where I’ll be in a few months!”

At that moment, I was riding high on the wings of sowing and reaping. The hope and excitement I was feeling about my future wasn’t rooted in some fantasy but in one of the deepest and truest realities.

If I continue to sow intense workouts and better nutrition into my life, it’s practically inevitable that I’ll reap greater and greater results as the months pass on.

God put us in a sowing and reaping world. That is a gift and a grace that we should live into. It’s wise and good to expect you’ll get apples if you sow apple seeds.

Like I said, it’s almost inevitable.

Why almost?

In the analogy of sowing and reaping, there are things outside of a farmer’s control. For example, foul weather could disrupt and destroy a farmer’s sowing efforts.

But the factors beyond us don’t make it unwise for us to go out and apply ourselves to the task of sowing what we hope to reap.

In fact, the opposite is true. It would be unwise for a farmer not to sow seed because he fears that the weather might negate his efforts and snuff out his hopes.

Aha Moment

As we soared on the excitement and hopes of my physical health, I realized that we would be right to have the same hopes and expectations for our creative, entrepreneurial, and financial lives.

If we apply effort to sowing new seeds, more opportunities and income will likely follow.

Create, build, and showcase your potential

What does that look like practically?

I thought this article was helpful. How to get your dream job

In short, this guy is saying, “If you want a certain kind of job, then just start doing that job.”

Go out into the world and build your portfolio. Get experience by creating work for yourself. And then share what you’re doing. Let people know what you’re learning, making, creating, and building.

Your life won’t change overnight. That’s not how sowing and reaping works. But with time and faithful farming, you’ll likely reap a harvest of new opportunities doing the kind of work you love and long to do.

The Traps

The concept of sowing in reaping isn’t new, and it’s not a difficult concept to understand, but many of us don’t live as if we believe it’s true even though it’s a fundamental reality we swim in daily.

We can fall into the trap of hoping (or expecting) to reap what we haven’t really sown.

Or the opposite trap is skepticism, where our approach to life is full of doubt that our sowing will lead to a harvest.

Dream, plan, and sow

If you want more opportunities, you might want to consider your mindset when it comes to sowing and reaping.

I encourage you to dream about where you could be in three months, six months, a year, or even two years.

To be clear, I don’t want you to fantasize. I want you to plan.

I want you to think seriously about the kinds of seeds you should start sowing today that will likely produce the harvest you desire.

You can do this on your own, but if you want, you can also email me. I’d love to hear what kind of harvest you want to cultivate. And if you’re unsure what kind of seeds to sow, I’d love to help you find some clarity about how to move forward.