Seed, Cultivate, Harvest

I have been reading a book called the Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen, and in the chapter I was reading this morning, he brought up a good point. Our current society is too wrapped up in instant gratification, and when it comes to something like our fitness and health, we are so quick to give up when we don’t receive those instant results.

He pointed out that if you look back to 50-60 years ago, we were more of an agrarian society. Like farming, it was understood that the results you wanted took time. You had to plant the seeds, cultivate and harvest in order to have food. There was no drive thru for a Bic Mac and fries.

But today, we expect to go from planting the seed to the harvest. Think about it. You go to the gym or push play for the DVD workout you have, exercise, and when you’re done, expect to have lost 5-10 pounds and have 6 pack abs. Or, you make a nice green leafy healthy salad, and when you are done, expect to have pristine health with fewer complications.

It doesn’t work that way. You have to cultivate. You have to keep doing those actions daily, to reap the benefits of the harvest. The hard part is, the “cultivating” part is not inherent anymore, we have to teach it to one another and relearn this step of the process. We have to exercise patience, and continue to do those little things day in and day out.

So please, the next time you expect to have instant results, step back and think about it for a minute. Not everything is just a click away.