Plant. Cultivate. Harvest.

Somewhere along the way, as modern life shifted from an agricultural society to what we have today (should I call it a consumer society?), the basic rhythm that defines rural life, “plant, cultivate, harvest” was lost to many of us.  Instead we embrace a “want, get” ethic.  The problem is that in life many areas don’t work according to this modern ethic.

• You “want” money?  You don’t just “get” money.  You have to build and cultivate skills or assets that reward you over time.

• You want a great relationship?  You don’t just get it–you have to cultivate a relationship over time.

I like the plant, cultivate, harvest mindset because it more closely reflects reality and injects the notion that some things take time to develop.  Successful long-term investing follows this pattern as well.

If you are deeply impatient with your current situation, it is probably because you are operating in the “went, get” mindset.  What’s more likely to work?  Impatient lurching at goals because you want, want, want to get, get, get?  Or steady, consistent, hard-working cultivation?

What do you need to plant, nurture, cultivate, and harvest in your own life?