ebernick 
Two photos. The same person. Cause and effect. Input and output. A well-known principle.
We reap what we sow.
If a farmer works hard in the summer to plant and cultivate his fields, he will reap a rich crop in the harvest. This is an unfailing principle: you will reap what you sow.
In the first photo above, a person is spending time alone to think and meditate about his life. In his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen Covey encourages us to “sharpen the saw”. One way of “sharpening the saw” is to allow ourselves “alone time” to ponder important matters in our lives, including our goals, values and life purpose. The consequence of doing so is reflected in the second photo. After “sharpening his saw”, he musters up energy, confidence and enthusiasm for life. It is almost as if he now has the ability to conquer and achieve whatever he wants to despite any obstacles that he may face.
If we think about this timeless principle, we will realise that another way of putting it is that we are the cause of whatever results we are getting in our lives. We are reaping the consequences of our past actions.
Think about your health. Are you happy with the results that you are experiencing in this area of your life? The more you meditate on this aspect the more it will dawn on you that most of your health results have been caused by your own beliefs and actions. How have your eating habits influenced your health? How have your past exercise habits affected your present health? What about your sleeping habits? Can you really separate the results in your current health, from your eating, sleeping and exercise habits? You certainly cannot defy the principle of “reaping what you sow”. If you are not happy with the results in your health, you need to examine your beliefs about health.
This principle holds true for every aspect of your life, including the relationships, financial, spiritual and social areas of your life. If you are unhappy with certain results in your life, simply contemplate what beliefs and actions created those results. If you want different results, change your beliefs and actions. Start “sowing” with a view to the results you desire. Get to the point illustrated in the second photo above. Take charge of your life. Develop enthusiasm for the new results you plan to “sow” for, so that like the farmer who works hard in the summer, you will reap bountifully in the harvest.
Dr. Denis Waitely wrote: “There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them”.
When you do what is portrayed in the first photo above, namely make quality time to meditate and ponder the principle of “reaping what you sow”, start by asking yourself “What am I not happy about in my life?” Then ask yourself, “Am I willing to accept responsibility for creating the change I desire?”
My first job was a “pen pusher” at an insurance company. I worked there for 18 months. I was not happy. I did not look forward to going to work each day. I was not doing what I enjoy doing. Stated differently, I was not engaged. So I had a choice: accept my plight and stay on being a “pen pusher” or accept the responsibility to change. I am happy that I chose the latter. I chose to actively look for the kind of work I would enjoy (not sitting behind a desk all day!) As a result I soon found a job which launched me onto a path where I developed myself as a skilled salesman over the next 4 decades. I have lived my passion. I even ended up writing a book on sales (Check out my website www.eberhardniklaus.comfor a copy). Today I find happiness and fulfillment in training other salespersons to be successful in selling.
Whenever I consider my life, I never fail to be reminded of how I have “reaped what I sow” in my own life, either positively or negatively. When I experience pain in my life, guess what? I caused it. I brought it upon myself. I am learning to use this principle to enjoy happier results in my life. It is an ongoing journey; we can never stop learning how to get better at “reaping what we sow”.
(Eberhard Niklaus is an author, speaker, facilitator, business coach and trainer. His business coaching programme “Developing the art of crafting a winning team”, has helped many sales and business teams to maximize performance, productivity and profitability)
“Contact Eberhard TODAY for your FREE 30-minute Zoom CONSULTATION to learn more about how to unlock your potential and accelerate the results you want in your life.”
